The Impact of Arts Education on Student Success
Loading...
Links to Files
Permanent Link
Author/Creator
Author/Creator ORCID
Date
2019-04
Type of Work
Department
Education Department
Program
Hood College Departmental Honors
Citation of Original Publication
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
Abstract
This study will examine the impact of arts education on the academic achievement of students. The goal of this project is to compile and analyze existing research to support the hypothesis that arts education positively impacts school achievement in the areas of test scores, attendance, and student behavior. After the No Child Left Behind Act, focus on core academic subjects in schools, such as reading and math, has led to a decrease in the time and resources that are devoted to the arts. A survey by the Arts Education Partnership in 2010 found that 84% of art educators agree that NCLB caused interruptions and conflicts in their programs. To combat this, intensive arts programs have been implemented in low-achieving primary and secondary schools across the country. Test scores at these schools improved after the arts programs were put into place. Schools that participated in The Kennedy Center’s Turnaround Arts initiative, an intensive arts program implemented in some of the lowest-performing elementary and middle schools across the United States, showed an average of 22.55% and 12.62% increase in math and reading proficiency, respectively. Americans for the Arts published a report in 2015 indicating that high schoolers who participated in the arts for four years scored an average of 100 points higher on the SAT test than students with six months of arts education. Students attending low-achieving schools are often at a disadvantage in terms of opportunities presented that allow them to better themselves academically or otherwise; however effectively educating them with the arts would give them the power to succeed in life. This project aims to demonstrate that arts education is critical to student success on many levels and should be an integral part of school all curriculums across the United States.