The Value of Arts Education

Evelyn Collins, Ed.D

The impact of an education immersed in the arts has also produced high student achievement in core classes, and “students of the arts gain discipline, confidence, and the ability to think creatively—skills that can help improve student performances in academics and the workplace” (Natale, 1992, p. 46). The National Learning Standards have included the arts as a core subject since No Child Left Behind (2002; NCLB)—yet arts education continues to be marginalized and quickly eliminated due to budgetary cuts (Ramos & Braugher, 2013). Noted professor and researcher James S. Catterall (2009) concluded that including the arts in schools, especially in districts with low-socioeconomic student populations, supported the academic achievement and success of the students and contributed to higher graduation rates. ?

The introduction of the National Core Arts Standards (2014) has encouraged school districts across the country to redefine their curriculum to include performing and visual arts offerings. This move requires closer attention to the budget as funding continues to dwindle for arts instruction. The return of arts-themed magnet schools across the country has encouraged a closer look at the outcomes provided by an education immersed in the arts (Frankenberg & Siegel-Hawley, 2008).

The arts are necessary for a well-rounded education. However, in urban and disadvantaged communities, the arts are often eliminated to make room for remedial courses connected to closing the academic achievement gap: A limited number of studies have been conducted to support the positive impact of the arts on academics. The evidence from these studies, however, has yet to convince policy makers that the arts are valuable. Policymakers should examine successes or failures of schools with arts curriculums and those without to determine its value. (Arnett-Gary, 1998, p. 2–3). This factor could make a difference in the value of arts education and encourage more research on the outcomes produced by performing arts schools (Gore, 1998).

The arts have been integral in human development. The interdisciplinary application and integration of the arts in academic lessons have yielded success in learning for creative students (Catterall, 2007). Researchers noted the value of recognizing students’ learning styles to afford greater academic success (Brockington, 2006). The arts foster learning through the varied disciplines, but for those children who profess an interest in specializing in the arts, a specialized performing arts magnet school is necessary (Natale, 1992).

Deasy (2002) made connections between the arts and the development of children in the compendium Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development. Critical Links consisted of 62 studies in dance, drama, music, and visual arts and made the following statement: Strong arts education research . . . would contribute to the national debate over such issues as how to enable all students to reach high levels of academic achievement, how to improve overall school performance, and how to create the contexts and climates in schools that are the most conducive to learning. (Deasy, 2002, p. ii)? Performing arts schools, by the nature of their programming, utilize the arts and make secure connections for the understanding of core subjects. Additionally, “since the 1970s, psychologists have shown that matching methodologies of teaching to the learner’s preferred style can enhance learning.” (Saronson, 1991, p. 12)

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Howard Gardner—Multiple Intelligences

Noted psychologist Howard Gardner researched the contention of different learning styles or multiple intelligences having an impact on student achievement. Varied learning styles are noted in arts education. Gardner identified seven discrete intelligences or core abilities to process information. Included in this taxonomy are areas specifically related to the arts, such as musical, spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, and personal intelligences.” (Saronson, 1991, p.13) Gardner’s research is valuable in discussing the value of the arts in the public schools.

Gardner (1985) presented a theory of multiple intelligences, published in Frames of Mind. In this research, he posited that individuals possessed unique intelligences that contributed to exceptional skills and perceptions of the world. Thus, evaluating a student or instructing lessons via one modality limited the possibilities for success for students who perceive the world differently. Historically, performing arts schools created a framework for student learning via identifying and implementing various modalities. Gardner deduced through his theory of multiple intelligences that all children did not learn in the same manner. Thus, it is appropriate to frame this study on a performing arts school through that lens.

The development of the whole child is critical in education and nurtured in arts education (Gardner, 1985). “Education must inspire children’s creativity, imagination, compassion, self- knowledge, social skills, and emotional health” (Kochhar-Bryant & Heishman, 2010, p. 6). Classes in the arts offer additional pathways to success and learning. Arts education provides access to student learning through the creation of curriculum, instructional practices, and a deeper understanding of the wide range of students’ multiple intelligences (Catterall, 2011; Gardner, 1985). An education that includes courses in the arts contributes to improving not only the educational experiences of adolescents but also creates and nurtures innovative and imaginative thinkers (Dodson, 1994; Shotwell, 1987).

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Sources

Natale, 1992; Ramas & Braugher, 2013; Catterall, 2009; Frankenberg, Siegal & Hawley, 2008; Arnett-Gary, 1998; Gore, 1998; Brockington, 2006; Deasy, 2002; Saronson, 1991; Gardner, 1985; Kochhara, Bryant & hirsgman, 2010; Catteralll, 2011; Dobson, 1994; and Shotwell, 1987.

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An excerpt from:? Out of the Shadows: The Duke Ellington School of the Arts.

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