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The Importance Of Art To
Education
One
of the most important aspects of art
shows in the results of extensive studies
that have proven that students who
participate in the arts score higher on
SAT tests regardless of socio-economic
status.
(1)
The
arts instill foundation skills needed for
employment, but also for life, skills like
reasoning, making decisions, thinking
creatively, solving problems and
visualizing. (2)
An
11-year study examined youth in low-income
neighborhoods and found that those who
participated in arts programs were
much more likely to be high academic
achievers, elected to class office,
participate in math and science fairs and
win academic awards.
(3)
Art
programs targeted toward very young
children help prevent negative choices
later on. Young children who participate
in after-school arts programs have shown a
decrease in negative behaviors and
increases in attention span, commitment
and tolerance.
(4)
For
young people at risk of delinquency,
school failure, substance abuse, teen
pregnancy and other problems, involvement
in the arts can improve academic
performance, reduce school truancy,
provide positive outlets and build new
skills that give kids a chance at a better
life. Arts programs are an effective
intervention strategy for troubled
youth who have failed to respond to more
traditional educational and social service
programs. Arts learning experiences can
alter the attitudes young people have
about themselves and toward learning, even
among those who have had serious brushes
with the law.
A
three-year study of arts-based delinquency
programs in three different cities showed
that at-risk youths participating in the
arts programs improved their attitudes,
behavior and academic performance,
decreased delinquent behavior, and
increased communication skills.
(5)
Former
U.S. attorney general Janet Reno said much
the same thing, "Young people who are
involved in making something beautiful
today are less likely to turn to acts of
violence and destruction tomorrow." We
all need to support the arts. In doing so,
we are telling America's youth that we
believe in them and value what they can
be."
Terry
Semel, past chairman of Warner Bros.,
said, "Art is central to a civilized
society. Kids who create don't
destroy."
Footnotes
(1)
Champions of Change: The Impact of the
Arts on Learning, Arts Education
Partnership, President's Committee on the
Arts and the Humanities, 1999.
(2) Secretary's Commission on Achieving
Necessary Skills, U.S. Dept. of Labor,
1991
(3) Community Counts: How Youth
Organizations Matter for Youth
Development, Shirley Brice Heath, Milbrey
W. McLaughlin, 2000
(4) Youth ARTS Development Project, U.S.
Dept. of Justice, National Endowment for
the Arts, Americans for the Arts,
1996-199
(5) The Arts and Prosocial Impact Study,
RAND, 1999
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