Blog post from Theatre director Nick Rabkin here suggesting dire outcomes for arts participation because of the decline of school-based arts education:
Three Horsemen of Arts Education
He lays the blame at the feet of (a) school reform that has emphasized basic “skills” testing; (b) a general economic decline, and (c) hostility towards government.
Is there any pathway out for the arts and arts education?
Well in some countries in the Middle East, the high school curriculum is separated into two tracks- one is a science track and one is more of an arts type track, and the students continue on either track. I do not know if this is the most ideal system, but it could be a possible solution to a problem here. For example, students who are interested in the arts can opt to continue on an arts track where the curriculum is centered around subjects like languages, music, drama, and perhaps they can have science and math courses as electives so students can still be exposed to those subjects (and vice versa).