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.
- Basic
abilities. In early grades, the arts help develop basic mental and
physical capacities that allow students to learn and live better.
- Ways and
means. Participation with the arts helps students develop methods
and habits of mind that help them succeed in many areas.
- 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.
- 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.