The changes of the 21st century have altered the demands of public education drastically (Ferraro, 2011; Munson, 2011). The historically accepted approach to public education that last transformed with great significance during the Industrial Revolution continues to change alongside economic and technological expansion (Levine, 2010). The simultaneous push for 21st century skills and increased test scores have affected curricular presentation and the prevalence of integration in public education. (Della Pietra et al., 2010; Munson, 2011; Russell & Zembylas, 2007). Technology has developed rapidly, resulting in a thriving global marketplace demanding of a 21st century skill set comprised of the competencies students will need to experience success as worldwide citizens; these capabilities include creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and teamwork (Christie, 2000; Hudson, 2011; Jacobs, 2010; Song, 2011; St. Gerard, 2011). There are multiple advocates with varied, sometimes conflicting perspectives regarding the purpose, value and importance of a 21st century curriculum that cultivates student learning through the content areas (Jacobs, 2010; Ferrero, 2011; Pink, 2006; Winner & Hetland, 2007).
An advantage of art, music and physical education is that these content areas possess the potential to simultaneously offer their own content area standards, in combination with standards-based concepts in reading and math, alongside 21st century skills through creative approaches to curricular integration that result in active learning for students with the ability for real-life application (Adams, 2011; Arts Opportunity Gap, 2012; Bresler, 1995; Barry, 2008; Cone et al., 2009; Della Pietra et al., 2010; Ennis, 1991; Feller et al., 2007; Ferrero, 2011;
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Hudson, 2011; Jacobs, 2010; Monson, 2011; Morris, 2009; Pink, 2006; Ritchhart & Perkins, 2008; Song, 2011; Williams, 2008).
However, Munson (2011) cautions that the 21st century skills movement can jeopardize meaningful student learning if skills such as innovation and media navigation are taught in a way that is unrelated or insignificant. There is also concern that various concepts might be taught incorrectly by a teacher who is not an expert in certain content area knowledge (Barry, 2008; L. Barrett, personal communication, July 1, 2012). Content areas such as arts, music and physical education can be merged with 21st century skills if they intrinsically possess the content area relevance and significance necessary to promote meaningful learning that may align skills necessary for career with preparation (Arts Opportunity Gap, 2012; Davis, 2008; Graham et al., 2002; Lorimer, 2009; Senge, 2000; St. Gerard, 2011).
A major implication of globalization is that United States workers now compete with other nations for employment. A young student aspiring to become an engineer in western Pennsylvania may now compete with students in India and China for the same job. (Friedman, 2007; Levine, 2010). This reality has increased accountability in K-12 public education, resulting in an era of high-stakes testing with student achievement scrutiny influencing education at the national, state, district and classroom teacher levels (Graham et al., 2002; Munson, 2011). Art, music and physical education programs benefit the education of the whole child. These content areas have been further compromised in schools as high-stakes test accountability has increased in the 21st century (Graham et al., 2002; Eisner, 2004; Munson, 2011).
As a result of the pressures associated with individual teacher accountability, teaching practices have become increasingly disjointed. Students are not generally encouraged to see how smaller learned concepts are part of a larger body of knowledge. Students are, by default,
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utilizing short-term memory because they are not enabled or encouraged to situate these small bits of learning within a greater understanding (Eisner, 1998).
Another impact of educational accountability stems from the emphasis on testing, which undermines the value of the aesthetic in learning (Munson, 2011). This preoccupation with testing, specifically preparation for content tested through multiple choice answers, hinders opportunities for AMPE cross-curricular integration in K-12 public schools (Cone et al., 2009; Eisner, 1998; Russell & Zembylas, 2007). Accountability, and consequently testing, continues to dictate the path of education, yet research tells us there is long-term, sustainable value in the way that students learn in and through AMPE (Cone et al., 2009; Eisner, 1998, 2004; Graham et al., 2002; Lorimer, 2009; Marlett & Gordon, 2004; Pink, 2006).
An educational approach that fosters cognitive gain and the democratic participation necessary is delineated by Russell and Zembylas (2007) in their literature review. Arts integration, a more specific approach to incorporating arts within the curriculum provides students “access to broader meanings in life” which is the basis for a “world-class education that is often talked about, but rarely experienced” (p. 288). In recent years, national curriculum reform efforts in advancing mathematics, science, and language arts have indicated the importance of cross-curricular integration (Russell & Zembylas, 2007).
Russell and Zembylas (2007) posit that learned curriculum and success of integrated teaching is dependent on the attitude and belief of the teacher. A belief in the value of integrated practice, preservation of curricular integrity, and teacher self-efficacy are important to the success of curricular integration (Russell & Zembylas, 2007). A 2010 study by Della Pietra, Bidner and Devaney determined that attitudes and beliefs of pre-service teachers toward music integration were related to their undergraduate coursework relative to music. Pre-service
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elementary classroom teachers who had completed college level music fundamentals course felt comfortable integrating music in their classrooms (Della Pietra et al., 2010). There is reason for concern that this integration approach is likely to be subservient (Bresler, 1995). However, mutually supportive collaborative lesson design that occurs between elementary classroom teachers and music teachers may serve to maximize the expertise of each teacher, increase capacity for interdisciplinary learning and improve the status of music education within the elementary school curriculum (Della Pietra et al., 2010). This reasoning may also be applied to both physical education and art education, with each content area teacher’s interdisciplinary teaching efforts being championed within their elementary school site through ongoing training, support, and time for collaboration (Barry, 2008; Morris, 2009; Russell & Zembylas, 2007).