It seems simple, but that is not what is happening. Instead, legislators
and administrators are simply cutting on the basis of what’s
politically easy and what vaguely seems expendable. In education, many
administrators are quick to cut athletics, band, cheerleading, art and
music because they have the vague impression that those are luxuries. In
fact, they are exactly the programs that keep kids in school and build
character.
Click here to read The New Normal, The New York Times, March 1, 2011.
David Brooks got it almost right: band, art, and music (and theatre) do get cut. Athletics and cheerleading? Not so much.
Some sports, such as soccer, tennis, or women’s sports in general may get cut, but not King Football (American football to our European friends) or basketball. Especially not in the South.
Well, physical education, in a country where childhood obesity is a major health issue, needs attention. In the NYC public schools, 40 percent of the kids are either overweight or obese, and they’ve cut the physical education programs for years.