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methodology
"The arts must be at the
heart of every child's
learning experience
if…they are to have a
chance to dream and to
create, to have beliefs, to
carry a sense of cultural
identity."
– James D. Wolfensohn,
former chairman of The
Kennedy Center
ow the arts contribute to education, an evaluation of research
WHAT DO
more than 350 university and independent researchers
more than 2 million students
more than 35,000 teachers
tens of thousands of artists
hundreds of U.S. cities
and 20 international business leaders
HAVE IN COMMON?
They are all represented in the AAAE's review of recent research--and they all believe
that the arts are a necessary part of an education that will help our children become
successful adults.
Our review of research and programs.
Our review of hundreds of research studies, program evaluations, and research
analyses conducted since 1983 provides recent compelling evidence that we must
include the arts in the education of all students if we want our children to be prepared for
th e challenges of life and work in our global society. The challenges of today, and most
certainly of tomorrow, require the abilities, skills, habits, and knowledge that education in
the arts is uniquely able to provide.
For this report, we cast a wide net for research which considered the arts and other
aspects of education. We did not include research which studied how to better teach the
arts themselves--although there is a substantial body of knowledge in this are a. Instead,
we considered a number of skills, basic competencies, and knowledge areas which would
connect the arts with broader educational goals. We included only research conducted
since 1983, a milestone year in education because of the release of th e report A Nation
at Risk by the U.S. Department of Education, and the book Frames of Mind: the theory
of multiple intelligences by Howard Gardner and Harvard University.
Specifically, we reviewed research related to what business leaders, education leaders,
and policy makers have identified as important for all students. The list includes skills
and competencies identified as necessary for work and school by:
the Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, a 1991 report from
the U.S. Department of Labor which identified skills necessary for successful
employment;
the National Alliance of Business;
the National Study of School Evaluation and the regional K-12 school
accrediting associations; and
the bipartisan America 2000 and Goals 2000 education legislation.
We found nearly 400 studies in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts which provided
compelling evidence that the arts are necessary at all grade levels for many aspects of
students' success in school and in life, as well as in their careers.
The arts are essential for success.
These studies and programs demonstrate that:
Not only are the arts fun for kids, they help keep kids in school and working to
learn.
Not only do the arts require self-discipline, creativity, and confidence to
succeed, but these and other important habits stay with students and help them
succeed in other areas of school, life, and work.
Not only do the arts represent many ways of experiencing and understanding
the world, but they actually help develop the many types of intelligences that
all people possess and use all the time.
Not only do the arts remove boundaries and allow students to explore aspects
of life around them in new ways, but connecting the arts with other disciplines
like math, reading and writing, or science often helps students learn about,
comprehend, and v alue those disciplines as well.
In short, the arts are as much a part of a child's development and success as they are
a part of a successful and enlightened society.
Four cornerstones of success.
The arts--dance, music, theatre, and visual arts--contribute to students' education in
many ways. We've grouped them into four major areas, each of which is an important
component for success.
1.Basic abilities. In early grades, the arts help develop basic mental and
physical capacities that allow students to learn and live better.
2.Ways and means. Participation with the arts helps students develop methods
and habits of mind that help them succeed in many areas.
3.Knowledge and skills. The arts themselves are important to understand--they
surround us everyday--and when connected with other subjects, they can make
learning easier and more meaningful.
4.Working and connecting. The arts teach students ways to connect and
communicate with others in our society, critical skills in our interconnected
world.
In the sections that follow, »substantial evidence« means we discovered at least twenty
(in some cases, more than fifty) examples of good research or program evaluation which
support the arts' contributions to the area in question (such as school disci pline or
teaching math). »Other evidence« means we found some solid research and good program
models, but that the evidence is less thorough and varied.
Basic abilities.
Substantial evidence:
There is evidence that working with the arts, especially in grades kindergarten through
seven, develops students' minds and bodies in ways that enable them to learn better.
The arts, particularly music, dance, and visual art, develop neural connections and
body/brain connections which further learning in many areas, including math, reading,
writing, and general language development. Having students work with creative drama
and theatre in these earlier grades gives them a great advantage in their capacity for
developing language skills, reading, writing, and verbal, and interpersonal skills. And all of
the arts help students develop emotionally and socially, so that they are more prepared
to deal with school, life, and other people.
The arts represent ways of knowing and interacting with the world around us. They let
us experiment with new ways of thinking and doing, and encourage us to stretch our
limits and develop our minds, bodies, and emotions.
Ways and means.
Substantial evidence:
All of the arts are effective in keeping kids in school, in reaching students at-risk and
students with distinctive learning styles, and in helping to develop a more disciplined
educational environment in which students' energies are directed at learni ng and creating.
The arts not only make education more interesting, they literally make learning
accessible to many students for the first time.
The arts also help students develop key »habits of mind« that include creativity, critical
thinking, the ability to pose and solve problems, self discipline, and self confidence.
These skills are necessary for success in the arts and, once learned, ca n translate to
success in other areas of school and life. Other evidence:
There is other recent research to indicate that the arts teach students to become
self-motivated learners and to use time and other resources effectively--important skills
in school and business.
Knowledge and skills
Substantial evidence:
The arts themselves are important for students to understand. We are surrounded by
arts--almost nothing is created or communicated without their influence, and we are
influenced continuously by music, art, drama and dramatic media, dance and movement.
And there is evidence that when the arts are connected in meaningful ways with other
subject areas, students comprehend and retain more about the subjects involved. Arts
programs have been quite effective in teaching math, science, reading, writing, g eneral
language development, history, and social studies. Other evidence:
In addition, there are numerous good examples of how the arts have aided in the
teaching of other languages, including English as a foreign language; and how the arts
assist teachers in more effectively reaching students with disabilities and learning
disorders.
Working and connecting.
Substantial evidence:
The arts are the voice and the record of a people. What we know about past cultures,
we learn chiefly from the arts that they leave behind. It is not surprising, then, to
discover that the arts are very good at teaching students many skills which the y need in
order to live and work in a society. Interpersonal skills; the ability to work in teams; an
understanding, tolerance, and even appreciation for diversity in people and ideas; and the
ability to lead and communicate effectively with groups are al l strengthened through
participation in the arts.
Make the arts part of a quality education
Our review of research and arts programs strongly supports the need to include dance,
music, theatre, and the visual arts in education for all students. It seems clear that
sustained, carefully planned programs in the arts are quite effective in preparing children
to succeed in school, work, and life. Particularly strong a re those programs which
are school based
have a sequential curriculum in the arts
include school arts specialists
include community artists and arts organizations
include a clear assessment component, and
connect the arts with other subject areas in the school.
The research tells us what the arts can do. Hundreds of well documented school and
community arts programs around the nation tell us how we can make the arts a valuable
part of education for all students. Our commitment is all that is necessary to en list the
arts to help lead our children to success.
Here is some more information about methodology.
If you are a AAAE member, access the accompanying research
bibliography and other resources.
by Kent Seidel, Ph.D.
The preceding work was commissioned by the Association for the Advancement of
Arts Education (c 1996 AAAE).
This publication and research was made possible with support from the Ohio Arts
Council.
Printed copies of this brochure are available for $2 per copy. To order, contact the
Association for the Advancement of Arts Education at:
655 Eden Park Drive, Suite 730
Cincinnati, Ohio 45202
phone: (513) 721-2223 * fax: (513) 345-4142
email: info@aaae.org
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