College And Career Readiness Essay

"Art Science = Innovation" (Creative Impact Michigan 03.08.12). (2012, March 8). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPMbCnEapQU

Higher education in America is facing many challenges, i.e., low retention, low graduation rates and less funding. Postsecondary institutions are scrambling to remain a competitive entity within society. In order to do so, students must remain in school (Talbert, 2012). The Office of the White House states (2014), educational attainment is critical to our county’s economic success. In essence, the work force is creating more jobs requiring more education and a higher level of skill than was previously achieved. Individuals with only a high school diploma will not make into the middle class sector because of

Our beliefs, time, money, and actions are all being fought over with design as the arsenal. The graphic designer learns how to participate in this fight through education, intuition, creativity, and technical skills. Though helpful, a formal education in design is not what is meant here. The education needed is more about understanding the previously mentioned rules we are working with. Intuition is required in order to know when it is appropriate to adjust or disregard these rules. Creativity is needed because redundancy will not break through the wall into the internal world. Technical skills are essential because poor craft reduces credibility. This idea of the world as an arena is a reoccurring theme in The Cheese Monkeys, and the importance of education, intuition, creativity, and technical skills have been further reinforced to us through the grading process and classroom discussions in Graphic Design

Since 2001, the American school system has been using STEM. Science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), has become a major focal point in today’s schools in the United States. STEM originated from the idea that today’s employees lack the skills and talent that was needed in order to succeed in the 21st century economy (Cox, 2017). A major goal for STEM is to be able to expand the amount of students who decide to pursue advanced degrees and careers in STEM fields and to broaden the participation of women and minorities working in those specific fields (The National Academies Press, 2011).

Determining college readiness is an essential part in determining who will qualify as a good candidate for admission into a college or a university. The last thing that colleges want is for students to qualify for admission and drop out, this affects drop out rate and graduation rate. According Robin Chait and Andrea Venezia (2009),

What do you want to be when you grow up? Is one of the many questions that are asked by teachers and adults. Through the research and development of this paper, I feel that I am finally prepared to answer that question. College has always been in my plans but which college? Well, I have it narrowed down to three excellent and well -known colleges. Ohio University of Athens, The Ohio State University of Columbus and Miami University are the colleges that I feel would foremost prepare me to become an athletic trainer.

America's test scores are at an all time low. America is teaching our youth the same way we taught youth 20 years ago, but the world has drastically changed since then. As the world changes so should our education system. The curriculum we teach should evolve and conform to the standards of the world. STEAM is an educational approach to teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. STEAM encompasses all important aspects of today's society and teaches them in a fun and educational manner. STEAM education is important because it furthermore teaches core subjects as well as propel kids to learn how to be creative while developing skills and discovering talent through the introduction of culture in our education system. STEAM introduces core

Successful societies will draw on as many citizens as possible to participate, demystifying the notion of artist as a creative genius who works independently in an art laboratory, and then gives his gift to the world. This will cause growing pains and ego-smashing at first, but once the creative class has digested this idea, they will begin to see themselves working in an interdependent environmental infosphere that has the same requirements as the natural environment of balance, diversity, and interaction. Of course every sector of society can contribute to the growth of the creative sector.

Indeed, the working scenario where design centers on is quite complex and unpredictable. Inserting knowledge in a context of totality, such as the environment in which humans interact, allows the complexity of this environment to be seen in a globalized and interdependent way, retrieving the sense of unity that has been lost by the values of specialness; complex because, as stated by Couto et al. (2004) design focuses at the human and the environment in which it interacts, requiring an accurate vision of the designer to understand the complexity of human and environment interaction; unpredictable, because, according to Wyatt (2014), unlike other professions who walk in a more usual speed, in the creative industry, changes occur at the speed of light, as technology and fads run by leaps and bounds. As it is stated in Designing for the 21st century: Interdisciplinary questions and insights:

GPA, standardized tests, entrance essays and the ACT are all pieces of the intricate puzzle, which is used to determine a student’s college readiness. These pieces are not of equal importance, the majority of the weight is placed solely on the ACT score. The problem arises, however, with the question of accuracy. How can a test, specifically the ACT, depict a student’s success in college, especially when the assessment only tests students on memorized information?

Roblen (2016) states the acronym STEM—shorthand for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics has quickly taken hold in education policy circles, but some experts in the arts community and beyond suggest it may be missing another initial toward making the combination more powerful. The idea? Move from STEM to STEAM, with an A for the arts. Although it seems a stretch to imagine STEM will be replaced in education parlance, momentum appears to be mounting to explore ways that the intersection of the arts with the STEM fields can enhance student engagement and learning, and even help unlock creative thinking and innovation.

The one thing that sets humans apart from the rest of the animal kingdom is our ability to create. We’ve become experts in innovation and invention, crafting a world of metal and concrete and complex cultural interactions. One might, then, wonder why such a core beneficiary which shoved us out of primal instinct and into modern life is so blatantly neglected by today’s culture. Those who wish to pursue a creative art are called hopeless dreamers and those who have achieved it are ridiculed for making money off of “nothing but luck”. According to the New York City Department of Education’s school-based expenditure reports, library funding only accounts for .3% of schools’ expenses citywide. Reading is widely regarded as an impactful learning tool, especially in early childhood, yet it receives less than a quarter of the funding funneled into afterschool activities (1.6%). Reading encourages creative thought and often goes hand-in-hand with writing. However, parents often discourage their children from pursuing a career in creative writing. Creatively-inclined young adults who wish to become a professional in whatever creative field they enjoy are often told that they should try for a safe career and pursue their interests as a hobby. However, although those who wish to pursue a career in a creative art are constantly warned against it even by those who support them the most, creativity in and of itself is perhaps one of the most important and revolutionary aspects of

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it's really how it works”—Steve Jobs. Many of us undergo some sort of creative adventure, whether it’s within ourselves or the world surrounding us. We take in different elements to form some sort of masterpiece that expresses whatever we’re feeling or what we want others to feel. Art, that’s what we call it. Or do we call it design? Which brings up the question, isn’t it both? Both designers and artists create visuals, but for entirely different reasons. There is a clear severance between the two creative worlds, the critical thinking, lack of self expression and formulated structure leads one to say that design is not art and art is not design.

Art is inspirational. Art is educational. Art is essential. Not acknowledging art is equivalent to ignoring creative minds, creative processes, and creative solutions. Students have been forced to act as imitators, mirroring their teachers’ movements and ideas. Which leads to a limited creative outlet left for those children taught in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, also known as STEM, environment. Therefore, the arts should be added to the STEM program to encourage the integration of arts into science and math based learning and allow for more creative solutions and innovations. The mindset of a STEM educated worker is not good enough for the economy that is now present. There is a need for innovators who fit the

Design is key to or economic and cultural future, and must be taught at every level of education. Government should be funding – not penalising – art and design education. We should engage with science, engineering, technology, information design, art, society, communication and commerce. We have the knowledge, history, vision and adventure to innovate, so let us grab the opportunity. (Future, 2014, p.24)