The arts play a critical role in positively affecting meaningful educational outcomes.

• Increasing students’ arts educational opportunities has positive impacts on meaningful outcomes. The narrowing of educational offerings and objectives to align with accountability assessments has had adverse effects on the arts in K-12 education. Bowen, D., Kisida, B. (2019) Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences: Experimental Evidence from Houston’s Arts Access Initiative. (Source)
• The art classroom is an integral environment for providing effective classroom strategies as well as opportunities of language and art expression for English Language Learners. Renish, A., (2016). Art Education, Literacy, and English Language Learners – Visual Arts Curriculum to Aid Literacy Development (Source)
• Integrating reading, writing, speaking, and visual literacy strategies into a visual arts curriculum encompasses many of the different ways students can learn. Moody-Zoet, E., (2014). Integrating Art Education and Literacy Education: A Curriculum for the Secondary Level. (Source)
• Research demonstrates a correlation between students with a high prevalence of arts education in their schooling experience and achievement in ELA, Math, and other subject areas (Bowen and Kisida 2019; Catterall 2009; Fiske 1999).
• Several studies specifically compared test scores in reading and math for students with a high prevalence of arts education to those for students with low prevalence of arts education, and identified a correlation between students with a high prevalence of arts in their schooling experience (in or out of the actual school day) and achievement in other subject areas (Bowen and Kisida 2019; Catterall 2009; Fiske 1999).

When the arts are embedded into mathematics instruction over time, students show measurable academic benefits. Long term studies show higher standardized math performance, demonstrating that arts education is not an add-on but a core driver of academic success.

• Students who participate in arts-integrated instruction demonstrate significantly higher mathematics achievement, with longitudinal research showing that each increase in the level of arts integration predicts corresponding gains in elementary math scores. Ingram, Debra, and Elizabeth Riedel, (2003). Arts for Academic Achievement. (Source)
• Middle school students in arts-integration classrooms outperformed peers in math achievement compared to non-arts instruction. Inoa, R., Weltsek, G., & Tabone, C, (2014). A study on the relationship between theater arts and student literacy and mathematics achievement. (Source)
• Students in art integrated mathematics learning environments show higher achievement in mathematical tasks while also experiencing increased motivation, positive feelings, and curiosity toward math learning. Nutov, L. (2021). Integrating visual arts into the mathematics curriculum: The case of pre-service teachers. (Source)
• Elementary school students in arts-integrated classrooms achieve stronger mathematics outcomes, with a multi-year randomized study finding statistically significant gains in math achievement and nearly double the rate of arts-integrated instructional opportunities (32.3% vs. 17.9%) compared to non-arts-integrated classrooms. Ludwig, M., & Song, M. (2015). Positive impact on elementary students’ math achievement found for Wolf Trap Foundation’s teacher professional development program. American Institutes for Research. (Source)
• Middle school students in classrooms using arts integration show higher engagement and improved mathematics performance than peers in traditional instruction, with mean math scores increasing more in the experimental group, indicating that integrating the arts can enhance both academic achievement and student motivation in mathematics. Mountain, Greta, (2019). The Effects of Art Integration on Math Achievement of 6th Grade Male Students. (Source)

STEAM instruction, arts integration, and arts-enhanced learning increase student engagement and academic achievement in science across all grade levels.

• ArtsEdSearch: Using Arts Integration to Make Science Learning Memorable in the Upper Elementary Grades: A Quasi-Experimental Study
• National Library of Medicine: Why Science Needs Art
• Drawing Connections Between Art and Science Can Improve Academic Outcomes
• National Endowment for the Arts: Educating Ourselves about Childhood Arts Experiences-and Why They Matter
• Science Through Art: The Impact of Art Projects on Depth of Knowledge of Science Topics
• The Role of Art Practice in Elementary School Science

Students who have been identified as Long Term English Learners achieve at higher levels and experience improved social-emotional outcomes when provided with an arts-rich, standards-based arts education.

• Students participating in the theatre and dance program outperformed those who did not on speaking assessments with those with the most limited English speaking abilities at baseline benefiting most from the program. Greenfader, C.M., Brouillette, L. & Farkas, G. (2015). Effect of a performing arts program on the oral language skills of young English learners. Reading Research Quarterly, 50(2), 185-203. (Source)
• Students identified as LTELs who participate in music significantly improved in their English development in comparison to a demographically matched control group from the same district. The same students also indicated that the program improved social-emotional outcomes. Scheckel, Benita Landesman; Kula, Stacy M., (2021) Language through Music: Bridging the Opportunity Gap in the California ELD Classroom. (Source)
• Findings have indicated that an arts-rich education can assist limited English speakers, many of them considered to be at-risk students, to achieve at higher levels. This article examines a number of districts with growing Hispanic populations that have implemented standards-based mariachi programs and found success in engaging Spanish speaking English learners, their parents, and the Hispanic community at large in the process. (Source)

Students with greater access to the arts are less likely to be chronically absent. The arts maximize student engagement and attendance.

• More music and arts is associated with lower chronic absenteeism and higher overall school-day attendance. Metis Associates (2021). Arts and Attendance: A Further Examination of the Relationship between Arts and Chronic Absenteeism. (Arts and Absenteeism PDF) (Full Report)
• Students who have been chronically absent experience the greatest impacts, attending 1.1 more days per year when enrolled in arts courses. Bowen, Daniel H. & Kisidam, Brian (2021). The Arts Advantage: Impacts of Arts Education on Boston Students. (Source)
• There is a strong positive linear relationship between School Attendance and After-School Program Attendance. Hubbird, Robert G. (2019). Do After-School Performing Arts Programs Impact Student Attendance? (Source)
• The study provides empirical evidence that Oklahoma’s A+ Schools (OAS) outperform their counterparts on academic performance and report better attendance for students and teachers. Barry, N. H. (2010). Oklahoma A+ Schools: What the research tells us 2002-2007. (Vol. 3). Edmond, OK: Oklahoma A+ Schools/ University of Central Oklahoma. (Source)

Arts education improves academic performance, improves student engagement, and increases graduation rates.

• Students from low-income backgrounds who had “arts-rich” instruction in school were: -5x less likely to drop out of school. Catterall, J. S., Dumais, S. A., & Hampden-Thompson, G. (2012). The arts and achievement in at-risk youth: Findings from four longitudinal studies. Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts. (Source)
• If the male graduation rate were increased by only 5 percent, the nation would see an annual savings of $4.9 billion in crime-related costs. (Source)
• Cutting the national annual dropout rate in half would likely support as many as 54,000 new jobs and increase the gross domestic product by as much as $9.6 billion. (Source)
• Selection Into, and Academic Benefits From, Arts-Related Courses in Middle School for Low-Income, Ethnically Diverse Youth (Source)
  • From the study above: “By controlling for selection effects of arts takers and non-arts takers, researchers found that taking arts courses in middle school resulted in increased academic performance later in school (GPA and test scores) and decreased the likelihood that a student would get suspended from school.”
• Graduation and the Arts Ed Framework

Schools with more arts offerings have fewer out-of-school suspensions and reduced high school dropout rates.

• Increases in arts educational experiences significantly reduce the proportion of students receiving disciplinary infractions. Bowen, D., Kisida, B. (2019) Investigating Causal Effects of Arts Education Experiences: Experimental Evidence from Houston’s Arts Access Initiative. (Source)
• Arts students were 20% less likely to have an out-of-school suspension for each year of arts studied. Arts education is a powerful tool that educators and policymakers can, and should, use more intentionally in the fight against high school dropout. Kimberley Brown, (2017), The Arts and Dropout Prevention. (Source)
• Students from low-income backgrounds who had “arts-rich” instruction in school were: -5x less likely to drop out of school. Catterall, J. S., Dumais, S. A., & Hampden-Thompson, G. (2012). The arts and achievement in at-risk youth: Findings from four longitudinal studies. Washington, DC: National Endowment for the Arts. (Source)

Prioritizing arts education prepares students not just to succeed in college, but to innovate, collaborate, and lead in their future careers. The arts help shape well-rounded graduates who are ready to meet the demands of the 21st century with creativity and confidence.

• Students who took four years of arts and music classes while in high school scored an average of 92 points higher on their SATs than students who took only one-half year or less. The College Board 2014. 2015 College-Boud Seniors: Total Group Profile Report. Analysis by Americans for the Arts, 2016. (Source)
• Students with four years of arts and music classes averaged 526 on the Writing portion of the SAT, 56 points higher than students with one-half year or less of arts and music classes. The College Board 2014. 2015 College-Boud Seniors: Total Group Profile Report. Analysis by Americans for the Arts, 2016. (Source)
• Creativity is among the top five applied skills sought by business leaders with 72% of surveyed leaders saying creativity is of “high importance” when hiring. Research on creativity shows Nobel laureates in the sciences are 17 times more likely to be actively engaged as an arts maker than other scientists. Lichtenberg, James, et al. Ready to Innovate: Are Educators and Executives Aligned on the Creative Readiness of the U.S. Workforce? The Conference Board, Oct. 2008. (Source)
• Arts education can have dramatic effects on critical 21st century skills, such as creativity, teamwork and perseverance. While arts education supports success across student groups, disadvantaged and at-risk youth often see even greater success through these programs. Workman, Emily. Beyond the Core: Advancing Student Success through the Arts. Education Commission of the States, 6 Sept. 2017. (Source)
• Arts Education can support the development of leadership skills, including decision-making, strategy-building, planning and reflection. Students also prepare to effectively use these skills by developing a strong sense of identity and confidence in their ability to meaningfully affect the world. (2010). “A Unified Poet Alliance”: The Personal and Social Outcomes of Youth Spoken Word Poetry Programming (L. Bresler & M. Macintyre Latta, Eds.) [Review of “A Unified Poet Alliance”: The Personal and Social Outcomes of Youth Spoken Word Poetry Programming]. International Journal of Education & the Arts. (Source)