what is the role of literature in art education

New evidence of the benefits of arts education

Subscribe to the brown center on education policy newsletter, brian kisida and bk brian kisida assistant professor, truman school of public affairs - university of missouri @briankisida daniel h. bowen dhb daniel h. bowen assistant professor, college of education and human development - texas a&m university @_dhbowen.

February 12, 2019

Engaging with art is essential to the human experience. Almost as soon as motor skills are developed, children communicate through artistic expression. The arts challenge us with different points of view, compel us to empathize with “others,” and give us the opportunity to reflect on the human condition. Empirical evidence supports these claims: Among adults, arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society , such as increased civic engagement, greater social tolerance, and reductions in other-regarding behavior. Yet, while we recognize art’s transformative impacts, its place in K-12 education has become increasingly tenuous.

A critical challenge for arts education has been a lack of empirical evidence that demonstrates its educational value. Though few would deny that the arts confer intrinsic benefits, advocating “art for art’s sake” has been insufficient for preserving the arts in schools—despite national surveys showing an overwhelming majority of the public agrees that the arts are a necessary part of a well-rounded education.

Over the last few decades, the proportion of students receiving arts education has shrunk drastically . This trend is primarily attributable to the expansion of standardized-test-based accountability, which has pressured schools to focus resources on tested subjects. As the saying goes, what gets measured gets done. These pressures have disproportionately affected access to the arts in a negative way for students from historically underserved communities. For example, a federal government report found that schools designated under No Child Left Behind as needing improvement and schools with higher percentages of minority students were more likely to experience decreases in time spent on arts education.

We recently conducted the first ever large-scale, randomized controlled trial study of a city’s collective efforts to restore arts education through community partnerships and investments. Building on our previous investigations of the impacts of enriching arts field trip experiences, this study examines the effects of a sustained reinvigoration of schoolwide arts education. Specifically, our study focuses on the initial two years of Houston’s Arts Access Initiative and includes 42 elementary and middle schools with over 10,000 third- through eighth-grade students. Our study was made possible by generous support of the Houston Endowment , the National Endowment for the Arts , and the Spencer Foundation .

Due to the program’s gradual rollout and oversubscription, we implemented a lottery to randomly assign which schools initially participated. Half of these schools received substantial influxes of funding earmarked to provide students with a vast array of arts educational experiences throughout the school year. Participating schools were required to commit a monetary match to provide arts experiences. Including matched funds from the Houston Endowment, schools in the treatment group had an average of $14.67 annually per student to facilitate and enhance partnerships with arts organizations and institutions. In addition to arts education professional development for school leaders and teachers, students at the 21 treatment schools received, on average, 10 enriching arts educational experiences across dance, music, theater, and visual arts disciplines. Schools partnered with cultural organizations and institutions that provided these arts learning opportunities through before- and after-school programs, field trips, in-school performances from professional artists, and teaching-artist residencies. Principals worked with the Arts Access Initiative director and staff to help guide arts program selections that aligned with their schools’ goals.

Our research efforts were part of a multisector collaboration that united district administrators, cultural organizations and institutions, philanthropists, government officials, and researchers. Collective efforts similar to Houston’s Arts Access Initiative have become increasingly common means for supplementing arts education opportunities through school-community partnerships. Other examples include Boston’s Arts Expansion Initiative , Chicago’s Creative Schools Initiative , and Seattle’s Creative Advantage .

Through our partnership with the Houston Education Research Consortium, we obtained access to student-level demographics, attendance and disciplinary records, and test score achievement, as well as the ability to collect original survey data from all 42 schools on students’ school engagement and social and emotional-related outcomes.

We find that a substantial increase in arts educational experiences has remarkable impacts on students’ academic, social, and emotional outcomes. Relative to students assigned to the control group, treatment school students experienced a 3.6 percentage point reduction in disciplinary infractions, an improvement of 13 percent of a standard deviation in standardized writing scores, and an increase of 8 percent of a standard deviation in their compassion for others. In terms of our measure of compassion for others, students who received more arts education experiences are more interested in how other people feel and more likely to want to help people who are treated badly.

When we restrict our analysis to elementary schools, which comprised 86 percent of the sample and were the primary target of the program, we also find that increases in arts learning positively and significantly affect students’ school engagement, college aspirations, and their inclinations to draw upon works of art as a means for empathizing with others. In terms of school engagement, students in the treatment group were more likely to agree that school work is enjoyable, makes them think about things in new ways, and that their school offers programs, classes, and activities that keep them interested in school. We generally did not find evidence to suggest significant impacts on students’ math, reading, or science achievement, attendance, or our other survey outcomes, which we discuss in our full report .

As education policymakers increasingly rely on empirical evidence to guide and justify decisions, advocates struggle to make the case for the preservation and restoration of K-12 arts education. To date, there is a remarkable lack of large-scale experimental studies that investigate the educational impacts of the arts. One problem is that U.S. school systems rarely collect and report basic data that researchers could use to assess students’ access and participation in arts educational programs. Moreover, the most promising outcomes associated with arts education learning objectives extend beyond commonly reported outcomes such as math and reading test scores. There are strong reasons to suspect that engagement in arts education can improve school climate, empower students with a sense of purpose and ownership, and enhance mutual respect for their teachers and peers. Yet, as educators and policymakers have come to recognize the importance of expanding the measures we use to assess educational effectiveness, data measuring social and emotional benefits are not widely collected. Future efforts should continue to expand on the types of measures used to assess educational program and policy effectiveness.

These findings provide strong evidence that arts educational experiences can produce significant positive impacts on academic and social development. Because schools play a pivotal role in cultivating the next generation of citizens and leaders, it is imperative that we reflect on the fundamental purpose of a well-rounded education. This mission is critical in a time of heightened intolerance and pressing threats to our core democratic values. As policymakers begin to collect and value outcome measures beyond test scores, we are likely to further recognize the value of the arts in the fundamental mission of education.

The Values of Arts Education

Arts education builds well-rounded individuals, arts education broadens our understanding of and appreciation for other cultures and histories, arts education supports social and emotional development, arts education builds empathy, reduces intolerance, and generates acceptance of others, arts education improves school engagement and culture, arts education develops valuable life and career skills, arts education strengthens community and civic engagement.

Arts education plays a vital role in the personal and professional development of citizens and, more broadly, the economic growth and social sustainability of communities. Its loss or diminution from the system would be incalculable. And yet, despite widespread support from parents and the general public, arts education still struggles to be prioritized by decision-makers. We believe one reason the arts are not prioritized stems from a disconnect between the perceived value of the arts and the real benefits experienced by students. We often heard in our outreach that the arts are misunderstood; one listening-session participant, a leader in arts education advocacy, noted that “decision-makers may have a flawed vision of what arts learning is in their heads, and they make decisions based on that vision.”

To remedy this, in this section we document the important attributes, values, and skills that come from arts education. We argue that arts education:

Builds well-rounded individuals;
Broadens our understanding and appreciation of other cultures and histories;
Supports social and emotional development;
Builds empathy, reduces intolerance, and generates acceptance of others;
Improves school engagement and culture;
Develops valuable life and career skills; and
Strengthens community and civic engagement.

Many of these social and emotional benefits are intertwined with the priorities facing our school systems as we recover from the pandemic. These themes are enriched by a broad collection of voices—students, parents, arts educators, artists, and others—who told us about their experiences with arts education and how they have benefited.

“Though I personally have enjoyed and benefited tremendously from arts education, it is in my role as parent that I see most poignantly the power of arts education. I have seen my children think, feel, and connect through the arts in ways exponentially more powerful than they could without. When we moved to a community which did not support art education . . . I not only saw my own children struggle socially, emotionally, and academically; but also saw the devastating effects on the youth community. I am delighted now, in a new community, to see my children perform in musical and theatrical productions as well as to develop habits of inquiry, resourcefulness, and persistence through visual art. These experiences overshadow the toll that lack of arts opportunities took. Yet I grieve for those who do not have such access.”

—erin, parent, camdenton, missouri.

Similar to math, science, or history, the arts are a way of knowing and understanding the world and the complexity of human experience. Arts education builds an appreciation for the arts, and provides students with an introduction to artistic disciplines, techniques, and major movements that serves as a foundation for lifelong engagement. As such, the arts should not be viewed as a frill or subservient to other disciplines. Knowledge of the Renaissance, the Harlem Renaissance, pottery crafting techniques, or the fundamentals of perspective and design holds no less value than knowing the chemical formula for photosynthesis or how to calculate the circumference of a circle. And for many, it will mean much more. Indeed, research from the National Endowment for the Arts ( NEA ) found that childhood arts exposure is the number one predictor of arts participation as an adult. 37 Without that exposure, this window to the world remains hidden.

“I married a humanities professor, poet, and semiprofessional musician who had been saved by music as a child and had the opportunity to grow up playing in the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra. This of course meant that our house has been filled with music and musicians forever. . . . When it came time for our children to play instruments, my husband steered them toward instruments that would complete his future jazz trio. He was still on the trumpet, my son emerged as the piano player, and my daughter was on the upright bass. When they were small, they would pretend or struggle through, but last year before my husband Greg died unexpectedly, there they were playing “All Blues” by Miles Davis in the trio he envisioned. When they are feeling down or need to remember him, they go back to their instruments without prompting and just play. . . . [Art] becomes a means to connect and remember.”

— dr. maria trent, physician-scientist, maryland.

37 Rabkin and Hedberg, Arts Education in America .

Alongside the deeper insights into the world that can come from the arts, they also provide a vital link to the past. Art spans time and space and opens a window into experiences distant from us. From the cave paintings of Lascaux to Hokusai’s The Great Wave to Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton , the arts document the richness of human history, preserved for future generations to contemplate and build upon. Arts education uniquely gives students the opportunity to engage with the past in a way that brings history to life and goes beyond textbooks. Expanding the curriculum beyond the Western-centric canon furthers these opportunities for deeper understanding and appreciation across cultures. Research shows that arts education not only increases historical knowledge but also historical empathy, opening up a deep understanding of what it was like to live in different times and places. 38

Art can also offer a way to preserve the cultural heritage of marginalized communities by engaging communities whose histories and culture have been suppressed or forgotten. Jamaica Osorio, an artist and scholar, told us that in her Hawaiian immersion school, arts were deeply integrated:

“So, when we studied literature, we studied these ancient mo‘olelo —these stories, histories, and literatures, and these songs of our kūpuna —of our ancestors—and that was the primary document. . . . I’ve devoted my life to the study of Hawaiian literature and, in particular, literature in Hawaiian, and have devoted my work to trying to represent these texts through poetry in a way that will be relevant and resonant with the people of my generation, who may feel—for whatever reason—distanced or disconnected from that archive.”

At every stage and in every school, the connections the arts open to the past can help deepen a child’s understanding of the world.

“The art classroom is a perfect place to introduce students to a world beyond their own. Through art-historical experiences, students can connect past and present events, realize that history is explored and experienced through art, and appreciate the struggles and triumphs of times they have not lived through.”

—jessica, visual arts educator, altoona, pa.

38 Brian Kisida, Laura Goodwin, and Daniel H. Bowen, “ Teaching History through Theater: The Effects of Arts Integration on Students’ Knowledge and Attitudes ,” AERA Open , January 2020; and Greene, Kisida, and Bowen, “Educational Value of Field Trips.”

Arts education is also a key ingredient in social and emotional learning, a growing priority for education policy-makers over the past decade. 39 The arts facilitate personal and emotional growth by providing opportunities for students to reflect on who they are and who they want to be. Artistic works expose students to deep personal perspectives and intimate experiences, and through these experiences students find new ways to see themselves and their role in the world. It is not surprising that many adults can reference key pieces of literature, poetry, and other artworks that have helped define who they are.

Similarly, the process of making art necessitates the formation of one’s own perspective. The need to then share that perspective gives students space to form and refine their own voice. Different arts disciplines provide distinct opportunities for students to learn to express themselves. For instance, Irishia Hubbard, a dance teacher with the Turnaround Arts Network in Santa Ana, California, works with middle school students (grades 6–8) on the dance team. After journaling and talking about experiences of immigration and borders, her students produce, rehearse, and perform a dance exploring those feelings. Ashley, an eighth-grade student, described the experience, observing that “this dance means a lot to me, because at one point in my life I was separated from my brother and my dad.” Stephanie Phillips, the Santa Ana superintendent, added, “they have absolutely blossomed, as performers, but also as expressive advocates of themselves; they are now talking about things that are of concern to them and learning to express them, not only artistically, but in simple terms of how to have collaborative and very constructive conversation.” Chiamaka, an eleventh-grader from North Carolina who shared her perspective with us, stated simply that art “has given me a voice.”

Carly, a twelfth-grader with cerebral palsy from New Mexico, told us that arts education helped her “step outside of my comfort zone.” Finding a place in theater gave her a place to be seen:

“I’ve had a lot of people tell me . . . that they wouldn’t cast me, that they wouldn’t do it, it would be too hard on me, and they basically didn’t want to risk it. And then I finally found a director who gave me my first lead role, and just being up there and realizing that everybody’s looking at me and they’re not just seeing a disability, they’re seeing me expressing myself in the way I loved. I just never wanted them to stop seeing me that way.”

“It is not an overstatement to say the arts saved my life. My arts education, particularly in high school, centered on vocal music, forensic theater, and traditional performance theater. Each of these inherently came with a community of people who—while all similar—taught one another to see the world through myriad eyes. I gained a siblinghood who provided creative and constructive outlets for the breadth of human emotion; I learned what it meant to be an ally; I gained the confidence to be myself and the assurance that ‘myself’ is exactly who the world needs me to be.”

—lynnea, arts administrator, suburban tennessee.

39 The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning is one key instance of this. They define social and emotional learning as “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions” ( https://casel.org/what-is-sel/ ).

The arts have long had a role in bending the arc of history toward justice. Just as the arts help us better understand ourselves, they also improve our ability to empathize with others. As Mary Anne Carter, the twelfth chair of the NEA recently noted, “The arts are a powerful antidote against bigotry and hate. The arts can build bridges, promote tolerance, and heal social divisions.” 40 We have all witnessed the power of the arts to promote understanding, from the ability of plays like Angels in America to challenge how audiences saw AIDS , to the unifying role that music played in the Civil Rights Movement.

Arts education exposes students to a greater diversity of opinions and ideas. This in turn can challenge preconceived notions of others and build greater empathy and acceptance. A growing body of research confirms the power of arts education to contribute to these prosocial behaviors. 41 For instance, research in California public schools revealed that drama activities prompted students to take on different perspectives through interpreting a character’s motivation. 42 Loie, an eighth-grade student from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, told us that through her experiences with arts courses, “I’m able to express my opinions and be open to other people’s opinions. . . . I can look at their experience and learn from it. . . . There’s different ways of looking at things.”

“Effectively communicating that we understand what another person is feeling is one of the greatest gifts we can give to another human being . . . from listening to even just a single movement of music by a classical composer . . . abstract, wordless music can transcend time and ethnicity in its ability to communicate the full depth of human emotion.”

— george, teaching artist (music), bedminster, nj.

40 “#WednesdayMotivation,” June 24, 2020, #WednesdayMotivation: Mary Anne Carter on the Power of the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts.
41 Sara Konrath and Brian Kisida, “Does Arts Engagement Increase Empathy and Prosocial Behavior? A Review of the Literature,” in Engagement in the City: How Arts and Culture Impact Development in Urban Areas , ed. Leigh N. Hersey and Bryna Bobick (Lanham, Md.: Lexington Books, 2021).
42 Liane Brouillette, “ How the Arts Help Children to Create Healthy Social Scripts: Exploring the Perceptions of Elementary Teachers ,” Arts Education Policy Review 111 (1) (2009): 20–21.

In a perfect world, students would enthusiastically look forward to coming to school. Educators are continually searching for ways to excite students about learning, combat chronic absenteeism, and curb the dropout rate. Engaging students in their own learning process is not only important for the time they spend in school but is essential to inculcating a lifelong love of learning and discovery.

Arts education is particularly well-suited to combat complacent attitudes toward learning. Indeed, research finds that students enrolled in arts courses have improved attendance, and the effects are larger for students with a history of chronic absenteeism. 43 Related research finds that arts learning generates spaces “full of student passion and apprenticeship style learning.” 44 The arts provide students a sense of ownership and agency over their own education. Students who enroll in a theater class, for example, gain a sense of purpose as they work toward opening night, and they build a community with their peers and teachers as they work together toward a common goal. Alex, an arts educator from Chicago, illustrated it this way:

“I believe that it is imperative for students to have voice and choice in their learning . . . students are more invested and take more risks when they create from the point of what is personal or important to them. . . . When students discover an idea or medium that speaks to them, they become more invested in learning and creating.”

Arts education also improves school engagement by providing different ways of accessing educational content. In a nation with over 50 million K –12 students, schools need a broad set of entry points for students to discover what kinds of learning environments work best for them. Jessica, a visual arts educator from Altoona, Pennsylvania, told us, “Students who may be low achievers in the academic classroom are some of my highest functioning students in the art room. . . . Everyone has strengths and everyone has weaknesses.” Not all students learn the same way, and art offers students with different learning styles another mechanism by which to absorb content and ideas. Jensen, an eleventh-grader from Washington state, told us, “from taking art classes I learned that having a different pace or approach to things is okay, and everyone learns and makes things in their own way. And that really helped with my self-esteem in school and outside of school.”

“I really disliked school and thought it was an incredible waste of time and looked forward to turning sixteen so that I could drop out like my Dad had done. The one thing that kept me in school was that I really loved band. I couldn’t see myself leaving the band behind, and so I stayed in school and even went to college. Not as a music major, but I continued to play in the College Marching and Concert bands. Now I work in Arts Education and hope that the artists we send to perform in schools and teach workshops are finding the students who are bored and dislike school and are giving them a reason to stay.”

—donnajean, arts educator, kendall park, nj.

Finally, the collaborative nature of the arts can build strong bonds among students, teachers, and parents, thus contributing to a more positive school culture. Teachers in schools with higher levels of arts education report greater parental involvement. 45 Erin, the parent from Missouri, relayed this compelling story about her children:

“This year [2020] was, as was the case for most of us around the world, a particularly tough year. My children were uncharacteristically seized with anxiety and dread about returning to school. One child in particular, typically a bright and eager student, despaired the return. It was not her friends but her art teachers—and the experiences they collaboratively created—that completely turned her attitude around. For that, I am forever grateful; for in the midst of dread and despair, art helps us to meet and support one another.”

“I grew up in a dysfunctional family . . . and I wrote about all the loss and damage of growing up in a dysfunctional family—the abuse and the neglect. And when I was a senior in high school, the very last thing that happened before I graduated was someone turned in one of my poems, and it won the poetry contest for the [school’s literary magazine]. It was profound. I wasn’t this zero nothing, and my work had merit. And it planted a seed that really navigated the rest of my life. . . . That little measure of recognition really formed everything, and I’m so grateful for everybody that made that literary magazine exist in this enormous high school. There were lots of sports and lots of clubs and that tiny literary magazine was, I assume for other writers like me, a life raft—a lifesaving raft.”

—mary agnes antonopoulos, copywriter, monroe, ny.

43 Bowen and Kisida, The Arts Advantage .
44 Jal Mehta, “ Schools Already Have Good Learning, Just Not Where You Think ,” Education Week , February 8, 2017.
45 Bowen and Kisida, The Arts Advantage .

Arts education also imparts valuable skills that will serve students in their lives and careers: observation, problem-solving, innovation, and critical thinking. 46 Participating in the arts can also improve communication skills, generate self-esteem, teach collaboration, and increase confidence. Such skills are valuable to artists and non-artists alike. For those interested in careers in the arts, from musicians to music producers, fine artists to graphic designers, arts courses provide an opportunity for career exploration and a foundation for career choices.

“Arts education played an important role in developing my skills and preparing me for that dreadful thing we call ‘adulthood.’ This may be cliche, but it’s true when I say it’s taught me important life skills such as thinking outside the box, being able to adapt quickly to situations, developing that camaraderie with people, and being comfortable in my own skin. Improv is definitely something I benefited from in my arts education. The number one rule of improv is to never say no but always say, ‘Yes, and. . . .’ That’s proven to be key to my success in life—personally and professionally. My arts education taught me how to be confident . . . flexible, creative, how to be a team player, and when to listen and talk. I can’t say for certain if I’d be as successful in my personal or professional development without my arts education, and I certainly appreciate what it’s done for me and don’t take it for granted.”

—aaron kubey, director of artistic sign language, washington, d.c..

Moreover, specific skills covered through arts education directly affect a broad swath of careers outside the core arts careers. Stephanie, an arts educator in suburban California, told us that her main goal in teaching art is “developing creativity and innovation.” From the interior designer relying on color theory to the architect who uses 3 D software to the engineer who incorporates elements of design, the skills embodied in arts education have wide applications. Jensen, an eleventh-grader who had studied at a specialized arts school and wants to pursue a career in medicine, told us, “a lot of the things I learned are skills I would use interacting with people and the world around me, and not just a sheet of paper or something that’s on my computer.” The far-reaching benefits of arts education include work ethic and resilience. As Jade Elyssa A. Rivera, who works in arts education policy and advocacy in California, shared, “The arts were an essential part of my upbringing. It is where I learned the meaning of hard work. It is where I learned that, even in the face of systemic injustices, my dreams are achievable. It is where I learned that, if I just roll up my sleeves and do the work, anything is possible.”

“While I continued to love art and teaching, in 2015 I made a drastic career shift and left the field of education. I found myself working in the private sector for a large retailer doing ISD [instructional systems design] work . . . thinking this would be a new path. While it did end up being a new path, it wasn’t as far from my background as I thought it would be. It was only a few months into this work that I found myself applying for and being accepted for a role based on the fine arts and education background I had been pursuing previously. While it was applied in a corporate sense, I was given the opportunity to photograph, film, and design training for retail employees directly applying principles I had learned throughout my arts education and career for an entirely new and unique audience. Beyond aesthetics and design, I’ve been able to apply the critical thinking skills, view problems from multiple sides, draft ideas, and quickly revise or shift. Many of these were formed through learning about art. . . . Without art and its impact on my life, I would not have the perspective, experiences, or career I do today.”

—ian, former arts educator, arkansas.

46 NGA Center for Best Practices, The Impact of Arts Education on Workforce Preparation (Washington, D.C.: National Governors Association, May 2002).

Finally, arts education can lead to socially empowered and civically engaged youths and adults. Equipped with the knowledge, habits, values, and skills provided through arts education, students are well-prepared to promote democratic values and contribute to the health of our economy and culture. 47 Arts education experiences offer community and civic contributions with the potential for positive transformations. For example, Grace, an arts educator in Lake Arrowhead, California, described how, “Over the course of my 27 years of teaching art I have promoted community and civic engagement with schoolwide murals on and off campus.”

Strengthening and valuing communities through the arts also occurs through collaborations between schools and communities. Leslie Imse, a music educator and chair of the Farmington Public Schools K -12 music department, living in Simsbury, Connecticut, shared an example of her school’s engagement with seniors in their community: 48

“In addition to performing at our school concerts, student musicians perform regularly in their school and town community. After the 2008 recession, the music department realized that the population that was hurting the most were the senior citizens in our community. We created a new event for the senior citizens, bringing them to our school cafeteria for a free meal and ‘a show.’ It was so popular in town that we annually have one ‘Senior Citizen Cafe’ in the fall and one in the spring. The relationships that students have made with the senior citizens are meaningful, as our musicians not only prepare music for the older generation but also wait tables and converse with the seniors. . . . This is one of the many service activities that the music department connects with the community.”

Arts education also provides opportunities for students to engage with current events both close to the lives of students and far away. For instance, at Clarence Edwards Middle School in Boston, the eighth-grade visual arts class run by Shari Malgieri follows the news—international, national, and popular—over the entire year and then collaborates on a comprehensive mural about the year as seen by the students. 49

“As a person who facilitates arts-in-education residencies, I’ve watched people of all ages benefit from the arts. . . . I’ve seen teenagers weld beautiful fish from trash they cleaned from a stream to educate the public about the ways pollution threatens wildlife, and heard them say how meaningful it is to know that their work will make a difference. I’ve watched the joy on the faces of folks with intellectual disabilities as they crafted panels for a group quilt that would go on a city-wide tour. . . . Nearly every day of my working life is an encounter with the ways arts in education pulls people together, ignites change (both personal and social), and gives life to deep and lasting happiness.”

—marci, arts facilitator, lancaster, pa.

These aspects of community and civic engagement, in concert with the other benefits of arts education, prepare students to become effective citizens who are socially empowered and civilly engaged adults, equipped with the tools to contribute their own voices to the ever-evolving story of America. As Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first youth poet laureate, expressed, “All art is political. The decision to create, the artistic choice to have a voice, the choice to be heard, is the most political act of all.” 50 How we respond to the deficit in arts education in America—how we prepare our future leaders to refine and use their own voices—will help define our course for generations to come.

47 Arts education can also serve as a prevention, intervention, transition, and healing experience for students in the juvenile justice system, where barriers to arts engagement often exist. The Education Commission of the States suggests expanding the arts for incarcerated youth, who disproportionately lack access when removed from their communities and schools. Education Commission of the States, Engaging the Arts across the Juvenile Justice System (Denver: Education Commission of the States, April 2020).
48 Many other types of intergenerational arts programs exist that provide opportunities for participants from different generations to develop positive reciprocal relationships. These interactions begin to break down existing stereotypes of ageism and offer a pathway to healthy aging and meaningful community relationships. Intergenerational public schools in Cleveland, Ohio, have been in operation since 2000 and emphasize the importance of experience and relationship-based learning. Adults and elders volunteer at schools, where they engage with young people through the arts and other learning opportunities. Examples of such intergenerational arts projects span multiple disciplines, including theatre (see, for example, Richard Chin, “ This ‘Peter Pan’ Production Truly Is Ageless ,” NextAvenue , April 8, 2016), visual art, and ecology (for example, “ Students’ Concerns for Nature Featured in Art Show ,” Sauk Trail Wolves , n.d.). Many other resources are located on the Generations United website , a national organization that fosters intergenerational learning relationships, linking schools with elders in a variety of sites across the country.
49 David Farbman, Dennie Palmer Wolf, and Diane Sherlock, Advancing Arts Education through an Expanded School Day: Lessons from Five Schools (Boston: National Center on Time and Learning, June 2013), 19–31.
50 Carren Jao, “ Poetry Is Political: Amanda Gorman’s America ,” KCET , January 20, 2021.

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Visual Literacy and Art Education: A Review of the Literature

"What is currently being done by art and design researchers and educators to engage learners in the pursuit of visual and media literacy? This paper looked specifically at visual arts education and related fields to determine what trends, motivations and criticisms exist that either encourage or dissuade scholars from taking up or promoting visual literacy. Several prominent themes were found under the banner of ‘Visual Literacy’ that are discussed in detail; The Rise in Visual Information and Consumption, The Inseparability of Visual Literacy and Popular Visual Culture, The Importance of Learning to Deconstruct our Visual World and The Role of Technologies and New Media. The major themes are then followed by further discussion on The Benefits of Visual literacy as well as implications for future study. "

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The power of the arts in learning and the curriculum: a review of research literature

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Published: 23 April 2021
Volume 41 , pages 93–100, ( 2021 )

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Saunders, J.N. The power of the arts in learning and the curriculum: a review of research literature. Curric Perspect 41 , 93–100 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-021-00138-4

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Studies, Findings, and Resources

NAEA Research Commission

July 5, 2020

Research Reports

ArtsEdSearch ArtsEdSearch is the nation’s hub for research on the impact of the arts in education. You can find summaries of relevant studies by using the search box, or by browsing research by outcome.

Advancing Arts Education Through an Expanded School Day: Lessons from Five Schools (June 2013) This is a joint study by the National Center on Time & Leaning and the Wallace Foundation. Researchers focused their work on five questions: 1) How does the school take advantage of arts education? 2) How does the school balance its human resources to accommodate teachers’ professional experiences and students’ learning? 3) How does the school integrate the arts into academic subjects? 4) What skills and competencies do educators expect students to develop? 5) What has been learned about the arts in schools?

Despite differences among the schools, there are three common approaches to arts education: 1) Educators view arts classes as a core element of their educational program; 2) The central role of the arts is reflected in how educators organize their day; and 3) Educators value that the arts affect students’ engagement and achievement in school.

Arts Education for America’s Students, A Shared Endeavor The National Art Education Association (NAEA), in partnership with 12 national arts and education organizations, has released Arts Education for America’s Students, A Shared Endeavor , a statement outlining the importance of high quality arts education and those responsible for providing it to students. A Shared Endeavor articulates the purpose and value of art education in the balanced curriculum of all students, asserts its place as a core academic subject area, and details how sequential arts learning can be supported by rigorous national standards and assessments.

AERA SIG Communication of Research Included are links to approximately 125 electronic journals in the field of education that are scholarly, peer-reviewed, full text and accessible without cost.

Americans for the Arts - Reports and Data To make a case for the arts and expand arts programs and initiatives in your community, you need the power of data to inform your decisions and build support for those decisions. Find a wide array of information and data-rich resources, publications, reports, fact sheets, and tool kits to help you do just that.

Americans for the Arts - Research Studies & Publications We know how hard you work to build arts programs in your community. Americans for the Arts produces a number of annual publications, e-newsletters, and reports to help you make the case for arts funding, educate lawmakers and citizens, and lead effective advocacy campaigns. We also conduct and produce research, surveys, and reports about the arts in America to provide quantitative, measurable impact of our field. See: Americans for the Arts Publications; Arts & Economic Prosperity IV; Arts Index; and Creative Industries.

Measures of Teaching Effectiveness The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has released its third and final research report on Measures of Teaching Effectiveness. Media coverage of the release has been extensive. In addition to the three reports, a set of guiding principles (see below) has also been issued. The MET project’s reports and publications are available on the project’s website.

NAEA-AAMD Research Study: Impact of Art Museum Programs on K–12 Students The NAEA Museum Education Division and its partner, the Association of Art Museum Directors, have completed a large-scale impact study investigating the question, What are the benefits to students of engaging with original works of art within the context of object-based art museum programs that take place during the formal school day? We hope to build on and significantly amplify the limited prior research that exists about the impact of art museum programs on participants. Our goal is to explore, at a large scale, how engaging directly with original works of art within the distinctive physical and social setting of art museums and through constructivist pedagogies, might lead to or heighten a range of student outcomes. The Samuel H. Kress Foundation provided a generous grant award to support the planning year for this impact study, which began on August 1, 2014.

National Endowment for the Arts Releases Study of Arts and Early Childhood Research In their first years, children experience rapid and important emotional, physical, and cognitive growth. What role do the arts play in early childhood development? A new report from the National Endowment for the Arts looks at research on how the arts affect young children from birth to age eight. The news is good, but several research questions remain, according to this literature review.

The Arts in Early Childhood: Social and Emotional Benefits of Arts Participation: A Literature Review and Gap-Analysis (2000-2015) The Arts in Early Childhood synthesized findings from 18 recent reports in psychology and education research journals. These studies focused on the social and emotional outcomes of young children who participated in art forms such as music, dance, theater, drawing, and painting. These quantitative studies looked at typically developing populations, as well as children with autism spectrum disorder. For more information go to www.arts.gov .

President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities Releases Arts Education Study Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools Reinvesting in Arts Education makes a compelling case for arts education and the essential role it will play in preparing students for success in the knowledge and innovation economy. This report shows us the link between arts education and achievement in other subjects. It documents that the process of making art –– whether is it written, performed, sculpted, photographed, lmed, danced, or painted –– prepares children for success in the workforce not simply as artists, but all professions. Most importantly, it makes a compelling argument for creating arts-rich schools and engaging artists in ways that complement the study of other subjects such as literature, history, science, and mathematics.

The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education (June 2009) This study, “The Qualities of Quality: Understanding Excellence in Arts Education” was authored by staff at Project Zero at Harvard University, and commissioned by the Wallace Foundation with additional support from Arts Education Partnership. The study was designed around three questions: 1) how do arts educators in the United States define high quality arts learning and teacher? 2) What do educators and administrators look for as markers of excellence? And 3) how do foundational and daily decisions affect pursuing and achieving quality?

Results follow a series of trends including that quality is tied to values, identity, and meaning; quality has overlapping dimensions, including learning, pedagogy, community dynamics, and environment; and the pursuit of quality is affected by who is teaching, where teaching takes place, what is being taught, and how programs are assessed.

SNAAP Releases Study on Arts Graduates The Strategic National Arts Alumni Project has released its findings from the fall 2010 survey of over 13,500 alumni of 154 arts high schools, arts colleges and conservators, and arts schools and departments within universities. The report is entitled Forks in the Road: The Many Paths of Arts Alumni. Respondents include graduates form fine arts, theater, dance, music, creative writing, media arts, film, design and architecture programs. The results provide insights into the lives and careers of arts graduates including what they studied in school, satisfaction with their educational training and experiences, the various jobs they have held, their involvement in the arts outside of work, and additional demographics. The findings are very positive. For example, 92% of those who wish to work currently are, with most finding employment soon after graduating. The study found that most 80% of professional fine artists were very satisfied with the opportunity to be creative at work.

Government Documents

ArtScan ArtScan, a project of the Arts Education Partnership, is a searchable clearinghouse of the latest state policies supporting education in and through the arts from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

STATE OF THE STATES 2016 - Arts Education State Policy Summary The State of the States 2016 summarizes state policies for arts education identified in statute or administrative code for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Information is based on a comprehensive search of state education statute and codes on each state’s relevant websites. Complete results from this review are available in an online searchable database at www.aep-arts.org .

10 Years of Arts Integration from the U.S. Department of Education In the past 10 years, the Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination (AEMDD) and Professional Development for Art Educators (PDAE) grant programs have unleashed the creative minds of students, deepened their learning experiences in core academic subjects through arts integration, and enhanced the knowledge and skills of teachers to meet high standards in the arts. Both programs emphasize collaborations between school districts and non-profit organizations that result in a well-rounded education for all students as well as greater student engagement across the curriculum and increased school attendance by both students and teachers. In addition, AEMDD projects, using rigorous evaluation measures, have documented gains in academic achievement by students involved in arts-integrated teaching and learning compared to their peers.

Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies (National Endowment for the Arts) Having the arts in young people’s lives is essential; we know that intuitively. Parents sing to their babies, dance with their toddlers, and occupy children with crayons and paper. And there was a time in this country when schools did their parts: bands, choruses, theatricals, and art studios used to fill the days alongside the 3 Rs, gym, social studies, science, and the rest. But over the past four decades, budget pressures andan increasing focus on just reading and math have crowded the arts out of too many school days. What’s lost? The chance for a child to express himself. The chance for the idiosyncratic child who has not yet succeeded elsewhere to shine. A sense of play, of fun, of discovery. James Catterall and his fellow authors have shown that something else is lost, too: potential. Students who have arts-rich experiences in school do better across-the-board academically, and they also become more active and engaged citizens, voting, volunteering, and generally participating at higher rates than their peers.

Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools: 1999-2000 and 2009-10 This report presents selected findings from a congressionally mandated study on arts education in public K–12 schools. The data were collected through seven Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) surveys during the 2009-10 school year. This report provides national data about arts education for public elementary and secondary schools, elementary classroom teachers, and elementary and secondary music and visual arts specialists. Comparisons with data from the 1999–2000 FRSS arts education study are included where applicable.

Browse the supplemental tables of this report
Download, view and print the report
Download, view and print the supplemental tables
Download, view and print the Arts Flyer
Errata sheet for the report

Additional Supplemental Table : Number and percent of students in public elementary and secondary schools without instruction designated specifically for music, visual arts, dance or drama/theatre, by school poverty level: school years 2008-09 and 2009-10 Additional Supplemental Table : Percent of public elementary and secondary schools with instruction designated specifically for music, by school type: school years 2008-09 and 2009-10 Additional Supplemental Table: Elementary Schools With and Without Music Specialists

Improving the Assessment of Student Learning in the Arts–State of the Field and Recommendations, Commissioned by NEA Given the increased focus on assessment and accountability since the 1990s, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) identified the need to capture the current status of arts assessment. In 2005, the NEA began requiring a narrative statement of assessment practices to apply for arts education funds. Project applicants needed to explain their assessments methods and types of tools used to measure student knowledge and skills. Through several grant cycles, it became clear to NEA staff that applicants did not necessarily differentiate between program evaluation and assessment of student learning. As such, the NEA commissioned WestEd to examine current trends, promising techniques, and successful practices being used to assess student learning in the arts throughout the country, as well as identify potential areas in which arts assessment could be improved. Although the original intent of the study was to identify strong models of assessment practices that could serve as examples for possible replication, the study found that such models were not available and are in fact a need of the field. Thus, this report provides a description of the current state of arts assessment, including a review of the high-quality literature available, common practices being used to assess student learning, and needs of the field to improve arts assessment.

The Nation’s Report Card: Arts 2008 This report presents the results of the 2008 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) arts assessment. It was administered to a nationally representative sample of 7,900 eighth-grade public and private school students. Approximately one-half of these students were assessed in music, and the other half were assessed in visual arts.

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector.

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What you need to know about culture and arts education

Despite the obvious essential linkages between culture and education, they are still not sufficiently integrated into education policies and school curricula in many countries globally. These two fields are often considered as separate policy entities and trajectories. Culture and arts education, the result of the two complementary ecosystems, has the potential to bridge this gap.

UNESCO convened the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates from 13 to 15 February 2024 where the first-ever global framework in this area was adopted. Here is what you need to know about this essential issue.

Why is culture and arts education essential?

Learners engaged in culture and arts education have better academic and non-academic learning outcomes. Engagement in various art forms , such as music, dance, and visual arts, can enhance academic achievements, reading skills, creative and critical thinking, agility and collaboration skills. Engagement in such education also correlates with improved attendance, stress reduction, resilience, perseverance, and classroom behaviours.

Culture and arts education expands the essence of learning and makes it fun by going beyond classrooms and traditional educational approaches from lifelong learning, to technical and vocational education and training (TVET). The theatre stage can be a learning space, NFT art can be a promising career, and indigenous ways of knowing and being can, and should, find their way in the curriculum.

Culture and arts education makes learning meaningful by connecting rural with urban, local with global. It plays a crucial role in valorizing and preserving one’s own culture, heritage and traditions while at the same time reflecting on them in the modern world, in the digital era, understanding everyone’s contribution and uniqueness.

What are the forms culture and arts education can take?

Culture and arts education encompasses learning about, in and through culture and the arts. Therefore, it can occur across subjects, at all levels of education and in various settings. For example, this process is no longer confined to classrooms: museums, art galleries, libraries and cultural heritage sites are considered equal places of learning, whereas artists, cultural professionals and practitioners play an essential role in transmitting knowledge. Culture and arts education engages learners with built and natural heritage, living expressions, and the cultural and creative industries, promoting intercultural dialogue and linguistic diversity, both online and offline.

By incorporating indigenous knowledge and practices, arts education validates and enlivens diverse cultural perspectives. In Indonesia, school students on Java Island can learn more about their heritage from arts education programmes that familiarize them with the traditional art of shadow puppet storytelling called wayang kulit , from UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.

How can culture and arts education build skills for the future?

Culture and arts education opens up new employment opportunities. 50 million jobs are created by cultural and creative industries worldwide, and more young people are now employed in the sector than in any other economic activity. While not its primary focus, culture and arts education cultivates skills such as observation, collaboration, and reflection that are conducive to creativity and adaptability, which are increasingly valued in the modern job market.

It also builds vital socio-emotional skills to thrive in the world of tomorrow. Research shows that such education fosters compassion for others and empathy. It allows learners to introspect, take different perspectives and develop different ways of understanding the world. Participation in arts activities has also been linked to higher civic engagement, social tolerance, and respectful behaviours towards diversity.

How can culture and arts education contribute to peace and sustainability?

By connecting local with global and fostering dialogue among generations and cultures, culture and arts education can contribute to peaceful, just, inclusive and sustainable societies. It also offers transformative avenues for reimagining ways of living harmoniously with the earth and preserving social cohesion, which is paramount during times of interrelated global challenges, such as social isolation or environmental crises. For example, freely accessible digitized archives of the leading museums helped learners in different parts of the world connect with other cultures and enrich their learning experiences.

How does arts education address socioeconomic disparities in education?

Integrating culture and arts education into education systems can help bridge the achievement gap between higher and lower-income students. Research indicates that students from low socioeconomic backgrounds who engage in arts education demonstrate higher academic performance, graduation rates, and motivation to pursue further education.

Culture and arts education can unveil new opportunities and career paths for learners of all ages. For example, technical and vocational education and training in arts and crafts could be a critical social lift, opening new employment opportunities in the context of persisting social inequalities and crises. For example, UNESCO’s Transcultura program me awards scholarships to young cultural professionals in 17 countries so that they can gain new skills and pursue careers in cultural and creative industries.

What is the role of UNESCO?

Since its creation, UNESCO has been championing major forward-looking policy transformation processes in culture and education, reaffirming them as global public goods at the forefront of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the key highlights include the UNESCO MONDIACULT Conference, initiatives within the Transforming Education Summit and the revision of the Recommendation on Education for Peace, Human Rights and Sustainable Development.

As a logical next step after the adoption of the 2006 Lisbon Road Map on Arts Education and the 2010 Seoul Agenda, UNESCO convened the World Conference on Culture and Arts Education to mobilize political commitment around culture and arts education as a powerful lever to transform learning and shape critical skills for future generations.

As a result of the Conference, UNESCO Member States adopted the new UNESCO Framework on Culture and Arts Education . This guidance document provides a set of principles all stakeholders can follow for shaping and further institutionalizing culture and arts education. It outlines specific goals such education should pursue and concrete dimensions where synergetic links between culture and education should be fostered for the benefit of all learners.

World Conference on Culture and Arts Education
UNESCO’s work on Culture and Education

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Arts education in the classroom: 7 reasons why it’s important

by Team Varthana
Posted on January 6, 2023
in Classroom Management

Although there’s a lot of information available on how important arts integration is in creating well-prepared learners and leaders, a lot of institutions consider arts education a luxury and skip it from their curriculum in order to focus on or complete the syllabus.

However, there is also a visible trend of many other schools turning their focus onto overall student development, with art being an integrated part of the curriculum. Arts education helps students think outside the box and explore topics in an unfamiliar way.

What is Art Education?

Students who receive an arts education have access to a creative outlet that can help them solve problems more effectively. It encompasses a variety of disciplines, including drawing, painting, sculpture, music, theater, dance, photography, and digital media. They acquire the ability to think creatively and approach subjects in different ways while also fostering their cognitive, emotional, and social development.

Significance of Art Education in Students’ Lives

1. creativity.

Art enhances creativity, which in turn fosters problem-solving skills. By participating in arts and learning activities, children develop confidence in their abilities and learn new things. Arts also promote risk-free exploration, and it is this freedom that inspires confidence. It allows children to see things from their viewpoint.

For instance, Students tasked with creating a mural for their school use their imagination to design a piece that represents their school environment or community. This project encourages them to think outside the box and develop original ideas.

2. Improve Academic Performance

Students who study arts show improved language, reading, and math skills, as well as a greater ability for higher-order thinking skills such as analysis and problem-solving. Students also develop skills such as resilience, courage, and an improved mindset to help them learn professionally, perform well academically, and have a successful life after high school. Learning art is not only through creativity but also improves learning in fields such as mathematics and science and in the field of literature. Any skill that students learn through art education allows them to apply the same in academics, resulting in improved academic performance.

For example, when a student learns to play an instrument, they are not just developing their reading comprehension skills but also enhancing spatial-temporal skills, which are crucial for understanding complex mathematical concepts.

3. Self-Reliance

Students become self-reliant when they start depending on their own strengths, knowledge, skills, and resources rather than the strengths of others. Creating art can confirm one’s uniqueness while also providing a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. Furthermore, arts education has been proven to support a sense of social identity, encourage goal-directed behavior, and increase social resilience.

For example, offering access to a variety of resources, such as art books, online tutorials, and materials, and encouraging students to pursue independent research projects. A student interested in digital art might explore different software programs and techniques on their own time.

Also Read : How teachers can use the best tools and resources available to create a modern classroom?

4. Teamwork

A unique approach to teaching teamwork and communication skills is the use of visual , and performing arts. The larger the creative team, the more valuable the art project is for open-minded people who are willing to learn, expand, integrate, and succeed.

Collaboration creates a sense of comradeship and belonging to the community as young artists work towards a common goal. Researchers have found that students who worked collaboratively on an art project and engaged in a discussion were more thoughtful than those who worked alone.

For example, a theater production requires students to work together, from actors and directors to set designers and stagehands. This collaborative effort teaches them to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and appreciate teamwork.

5. Decision-Making

Art education is how children can be encouraged to choose their own subjects, colors, and interpretations of art. This allows children to make their own decisions in various areas of life. It will open up children’s imaginations and ensure that they have plenty of time to practice their decision-making skills. They may make mistakes, but they will learn to overcome them and move on from their failures. This will help the child develop the courage to make decisions without developing the fear of failure.

For example, during a painting project, students might be given the autonomy to select their materials and designs. They learn to make decisions about which materials best suit their vision and how to execute their ideas effectively.

6. Leadership Skills

When children are encouraged to make their own decisions, they begin to understand that they can update and interpret the world around them. These skills will make the child a leader rather than a follower. Arts education encourages higher-level thinking to explore academic subjects and life outside of school. No matter what profession or career the child chooses when they grow up, leadership qualities will ensure that they succeed in their chosen field.

For instance, in a visual arts class, students analyze famous paintings, learn to observe details, question techniques, and interpret meanings. This practice sharpens their ability to think critically and solve problems creatively.

7. Motor Skills

Motor skills in the classroom give students the ability and skill to work independently. Drawing lines, picking up small objects, tearing paper, and holding a pencil are examples of their importance. This is especially true for young children, because art classes exercise and strengthen the small muscles in the child’s fingers, hands, and wrists, making it easier to learn to write.

For example, activities like drawing, painting, or sculpting improve hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills, which are essential for younger students as they develop physically.

Understanding the Crucial Role of Arts in Education

Understanding the importance of art in education, the focus on creativity becomes vital to a comprehensive learning experience. Art offers students a distinct way to express themselves, promoting critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Beyond its visual appeal, incorporating art into education enhances students’ communication abilities, stimulates innovation, and fosters a greater appreciation for different viewpoints. The inclusion of art not only adds depth to the academic journey but also develops skills necessary for navigating the complexities of the modern world, making education a dynamic and well-rounded journey.

This table highlights the crucial role of arts in education and emphasizes why arts are a necessary and fundamental part of education, focusing on the broader educational goals and purposes.


Creativity and Imagination	Encourages students to think creatively and develop original ideas.	Students create a mural representing their environment or community, using imaginative designs.
Academic Performance	Provides cognitive benefits that enhance performance in other academic subjects, integrating arts as a foundational element of a well-rounded curriculum.	Learning music improves spatial-temporal skills beneficial for understanding complex math concepts.
Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills	Teaches students to analyze, interpret, and solve problems creatively.	Analyzing famous paintings to understand techniques and meanings, sharpening critical thinking.
Confidence and Self-Esteem	Builds confidence through successful artistic expression and positive feedback.	A student excels in drama class, gaining confidence that translates to other academic areas.
Emotional Expression and Mental Health	Provides a medium for expressing emotions and managing stress.	Art therapy programs help students express emotions through drawing or sculpting, reducing stress.
Collaboration and Social Skills	Key for teaching collaboration and social interaction, which are fundamental skills in education.	Theater productions require students to work together as actors, directors, and set designers.
Cultural Awareness and Appreciation	Crucial for developing an understanding and appreciation of diverse cultures and historical contexts, integral to a comprehensive education.	Studying art from different cultures, such as African masks or Japanese ukiyo-e prints, fosters cultural sensitivity.
Preparation for Future Careers	Essential for equipping students with skills necessary for careers in creative industries.	Students interested in designing gain essential skills through art education.
Development of Fine Motor Skills	Fundamental for developing fine motor skills in younger students, which are critical for overall physical development.	Drawing and painting improve fine motor skills crucial for younger students’ development.
Personal Enjoyment and Fulfillment	Offers personal satisfaction and a lifelong hobby.	Students find joy in playing an instrument, painting landscapes, or dancing, leading to lifelong passions.

Benefits of Art Education for Students

Involving students in diverse art forms goes beyond fostering creativity, but acts as a driving force for refining observation, interpretation, and evaluation skills, empowering students to approach challenges with a thoughtful and smart mindset. Art education aspires to develop students capable of navigating complexities, thinking independently, and making meaningful contributions to society. Let us understand what students gain from arts education. Here are the positive outcomes and benefits that result from engaging with the arts.

Improved ability to brainstorm and come up with unique solutions in various contexts.
Better grades and understanding in subjects like math and science due to improved cognitive abilities.
Enhanced ability to analyze complex situations and develop creative solutions in everyday life.
Increased confidence in presenting and defending their ideas in various settings.
Better hand-eye coordination and dexterity.
Reduced stress and better emotional management through creative expression.
Improved teamwork and communication skills in group settings.
Increased personal joy and fulfillment from participating in artistic activities.
Greater cultural sensitivity and appreciation for diversity.
Preparedness for careers in fields such as design, music, theater, and visual arts.

Active participation in arts means learning skills and relevant tasks in the process of creativity. Being an active participant in arts means learning to create and appreciate visual aesthetics that contribute to a better understanding of culture and the world around us!

1. Why is arts education important in the classroom?

By engaging with the arts, students enhance their cognitive abilities, improve academic performance, and develop fine motor skills. It is important in the classroom because it fosters creativity, critical thinking, and emotional expression, essential skills for holistic student development. It encourages students to explore diverse perspectives and histories and supports social and emotional learning by providing outlets for self-expression and collaboration.

2. What are the benefits of integrating arts into the curriculum?

Integrating arts into the curriculum offers numerous benefits that enhance students’ overall educational experience. It encourages creativity and imagination, allowing students to think outside the box and develop innovative solutions. Academic performance improves as it enhances cognitive abilities and supports learning in subjects like math, science, and literacy. It also fosters critical thinking and problem-solving skills, essential for navigating complex challenges. Social skills are strengthened through collaborative projects, while exposure to diverse artistic traditions promotes cultural awareness and sensitivity.

3. How does arts education contribute to overall student development?

It enhances critical thinking and problem-solving abilities through the analysis and creation of art, encouraging students to explore various perspectives and solutions. It fosters emotional intelligence by providing a safe space for self-expression and emotional exploration, promoting mental well-being. It cultivates cultural awareness and appreciation, broadening students’ understanding of diverse cultures and histories. Finally, arts education shapes well-rounded, creative, and empathetic individuals prepared for both academic and life challenges.

4. What role does creativity play in arts education?

Creativity plays a crucial role in arts education, serving as the driving force behind exploration, innovation, and expression. It encourages students to think imaginatively and approach problems with a vibrant perspective, fostering originality and inventive thinking. Through creative processes in various artistic disciplines such as visual arts, music, theater, and dance, students learn to experiment, take risks, and adapt to new ideas. This strengthens their problem-solving skills and adaptability in other areas of life. Creativity allows students to express their individuality and emotions, contributing to their personal and emotional growth.

5. What impact does arts education have on student engagement and motivation?

It captures students’ interest through hands-on, creative activities that connect with their personal experiences and passions. Engaging with the arts allows students to express themselves freely and see tangible results from their efforts, which boosts their confidence and enthusiasm for learning. Moreover, arts-integrated lessons often involve collaborative projects that foster a sense of teamwork and shared purpose, further motivating students to participate actively. It has a profound impact on student engagement and motivation by making learning more dynamic, interactive, and enjoyable.

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Home > School of Liberal Arts and Education > SEED > Vol. 1 > Iss. 1 (2016)

Scholarship and Engagement in Education

Benefits of art education: a review of the literature.

Kimberly Lloyd , Dominican University of California Follow

Though extensive studies exist regarding the use of the arts in general education settings, a comparable amount of research is still needed to support the need for the use of the arts in special education settings. This review of the literature examined the role of the arts in general education and special education. The studies revealed that the arts provided benefits to students in both the general education and special education settings in academic, social and behavioral areas.

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OUR PUBLICATIONS > Arts in Education and Creativity: A literature review

Arts in Education and Creativity: A literature review

Authors: Mike Fleming

Institution: Durham University

Full Reference: Fleming, M. (2010) Arts in Education and Creativity: A literature review. 2nd ed. London: Creativity, Culture and Education.

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This literature review offers an historical and theoretical overview of arts education, its place in the English curriculum, and its relationship with creative learning and creativity education. It centres on official policy discourse and attempts to outline key moments and movements in the history of arts education over the last 120 years. One of the author’s key messages is that we should not lump all the arts together, short synopses of four discrete arts disciplines make this argument very clearly.

The review discusses the concept of creativity in arts, looking at how the term has been used and interpreted and what this signals about the arts in education. The author concludes that ‘a vibrant and successful future for the arts in education must lie partly in effective support from politicians and policy makers but also in developing understanding and practice through continued debate and dialogue.’

Author: Mike Fleming

Full reference: Fleming, M. (2010) Arts in Education and Creativity: A literature review . 2nd ed. London: Creativity, Culture and Education.

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New York’s First Black Librarians Changed the Way We Read

How the women who ran libraries during the Harlem Renaissance built collections and, just as important, communities of writers and readers.

A black-and-white photograph of Black men and women gathered around a desk at a library. Two women are seated behind a wooden counter and facing away from the camera. The others are either reading books or filling out forms. In the background are high windows and shelves of books.

By Jennifer Schuessler

It was a banner day in the history of American libraries — and in Black history. On May 25, 1926, the New York Public Library announced that it had acquired the celebrated Afro-Latino bibliophile Arturo Schomburg’s collection of more than 4,000 books, manuscripts and other artifacts.

A year earlier, the library had established the first public collection dedicated to Black materials, at its 135th Street branch in Harlem. Now, the branch would be home to a trove of rare items, from some of the earliest books by and about Black people to then-new works of the brewing Harlem Renaissance.

Schomburg was the most famous of the Black bibliophiles who, starting in the late 19th century, had amassed impressive “parlor libraries” in their homes. Such libraries became important gathering places for Black writers and thinkers at a time when newly created public libraries — which exploded in number in the decades after 1870 — were uninterested in Black materials, and often unwelcoming to Black patrons.

Schomburg summed up his credo in a famous 1925 essay , writing, “The American Negro must remake his past in order to make his future.” In a 1913 letter, he had put it less decorously: The items in his library were “powder with which to fight our enemies.”

But powder needs someone to load it. That is, books need librarians.

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Student Success
Life After College

Listen: How Colleges Are Making Career Development an Undercurrent of Education

The latest Voices of Student Success episode explores how career integration can boost students’ outcomes, addressing concerns about the return on investment in higher education.

By Ashley Mowreader

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A student in business attire smiles while shaking a woman's hand.

Embedding career development and professional skills into curriculum can boost students’ career preparation and help them see the return on investment in their education.

Delmaine Donson/E+/Getty Images

Recent public polls have found American’s confidence in higher education is waning , but current college students say they still see the value of the investment they’re making in their future.

April 2024 data from Inside Higher Ed ’s Student Voice survey found a majority of students say their college education is highly (39 percent) or somewhat valuable (45 percent). Translating their education into careers is one area students still need help with, with one-third of students never engaging with their career center.

Colleges, universities and national groups are looking to help students make the most of their degrees through professional skill development and embedding careers into curriculum.

In this episode, hear from Shawn VanDerziel, CEO of the National Association for Colleges and Employers, about the national state of career curriculum in higher education, and Jim Duffy, associate dean of co-curricular education from Gettysburg College, to learn more about the college’s new strategic plan, which incorporates career development throughout the student experience.

An edited transcript of the podcast appears below.

Inside Higher Ed : Where are you seeing career centers engaging with students earlier in their time at college? What is that overall trend nationally?

VanDerziel: We certainly are seeing that colleges and universities are working with students much earlier. In fact, we’ve done some surveying around this, and we know that about 62 percent of schools are actually integrating career or career-related competency work even as early as in first-year student experiences . We also know that about 73 percent of our schools are including some element of career readiness into classroom presentations and that many of them are collaborating with faculty to ensure that it’s happening on an ongoing basis on their campuses.

So even outside of first-year student experiences, we’re seeing that career is coming to the forefront of what campuses are doing, even before students start.

They’re talking with the parents, are talking with the students in campus tour experiences, they’re talking about it in the orientation experiences—for both the families as well as the students—about how they are going to experience career-related readiness from the very beginning of their college experience.

Inside Higher Ed : We’ve seen career conversations tie in also with the value of higher education or what good does a college degree do for a student. Where are you seeing, on the employer side, [in] that conversation about needing college students to have these skills embedded throughout their degree programs?

VanDerziel: So, there long has been this reporting that there is a major skills gap between what colleges are producing with college students and what college students are coming out with and what employers need or want. We’re on a mission to solve that.

Employers do report some gaps , but we believe—and based upon our research—that much of the gap has to do with the articulation and the communication related to competencies and skills the students are learning.

While they’re going through their college experience, so whether that be in the classroom or in co-curricular activities, that they’re just not identifying those skills and abilities and competencies that they’re building and being able to translate that for employers.

But also, there’s an issue with employers not being able to identify how they can bring out the best in students within that interview process. Particularly when those students may not have very much experience other than their classroom experience and a few other co-curricular activities. So there’s a bridge that we’re trying to create right now between those two.

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Inside Higher Ed : What does that look like at the practical level, trying to bridge that skills gap?

VanDerziel: What it means for us is really thinking about the competencies that are being developed by students, with students, both in the classroom and outside the classroom, throughout their experience.

So we have a competency model that we have developed; there are eight competencies that are widely being adopted right now across campuses. And the importance of it is that if these become campuswide, students will be able to identify what they’re actually learning.

Examples I would give you would be, many classes, students have to do project work, they have to do analytical work, they have to present their findings, they have to work in a group and therefore there are a lot of competencies that are being learned.

So they’re learning critical thinking, they are learning teamwork, they are learning written and verbal communication skills. However, we need to be really direct with students about those experiences, that they’re not just completing a research project or a research project with a group of people. But how that translates to the world of work, so that once they go and do that interview, or they are completing their résumé, that they’re able to articulate all of those experiences and to articulate it in a way that an employer will understand and that they’ll value.

Inside Higher Ed : It’s almost like creating a shared language model, it seems, where everybody’s using consistent phrasing and identifying all these things that students, like you mentioned, are already doing, but just putting a name and making it more visible to the students that that’s happening. Would you say that that’s the case?

VanDerziel: That’s exactly right. We just need to make it much more practical for students and not assume that they understand that “Hey, you did classroom presentations … you’ve really been honing your verbal communication skills or presentation skills.”

They might not be seeing that as being quite as relevant for an employer, as it was just in the academic environment, but it absolutely translates. So let’s help them to understand how that translates to the workplace.

Inside Higher Ed : Something else I’m seeing is experiential learning being introduced to first-year and earlier college students. Where are you seeing that pop up? And what is the value of experiential learning as part of that career development journey?

VanDerziel: Internships and experiential learning are critical to a student’s experience and their outcomes success.

So we know that students with internships—particularly paid internships— will have more job offers upon graduation . We know that a paid intern will get, like, 1.6 job offers, versus a student who didn’t have an internship, 0.7 job offers. So it’s a pretty dramatic difference—it’s over double.

We also know that students who have those experiences will also be paid more in their first year salary out of college, so it makes a huge difference. Employers tell us, in all of our surveying, that internship experiences are the No. 1 thing they’re looking for.

We hear a lot about employers who are saying, “We are doing a skills-based hiring model. We’re no longer that interested in just screening candidates or early career candidates by GPA,” as an example.

We know that only about 44 percent of employers are screening by GPA these days . So that means, what are the rest of those employers doing? Well, they’re saying they’re doing skills-based hiring. What they’re actually doing with skills-based hiring is saying, “What experiences can I see on a résumé that a student may have that can demonstrate certain kinds of skills and competencies that will relate to my workplace?” That gets substituted with internship and experiential education experiences. So it’s so important, because if there are two equally qualified candidates, the internship experience is going to win every single time.

Inside Higher Ed : Skills-based hiring is something that’s come up a little bit as, again, as we’re talking about the value of higher education and what a college career can do. It’s coming up to say, “Oh, employers value skills-based hiring.” Would you say that that is instead of the college degree or in combination with the college degree?

VanDerziel: It’s absolutely in combination with the college degree. Our surveying has shown that there are conversations that have been had with employers around the value of higher education, the value of the degree, but by and large, those professional-level, entry-level jobs; they’re not dropping the college degree requirement. Where they’re dropping the college degree requirement are on jobs that didn’t need the degree to begin with.

There has been a long history of degree inflation with jobs. And what employers are really doing is evaluating that, the degree inflation. But what they’re also saying is that a very effective way for students to learn skills, to build skills and competencies, is through a degree program and through higher education.

However, there is, again, this language barrier that happens, this communication barrier, and a practicality that sometimes is missing. And that’s what we really have to bridge with and for those employers. But no, they’re not giving up on the college degree. Our research has clearly shown that.

Inside Higher Ed : We mentioned equity earlier as part of NACE’s core mission. And one of the benefits of embedding career development in the curriculum is that there is an equity lens to it; all students are getting this experience throughout their career. I wonder if you can talk about that element as well and why it’s important for all students to receive this kind of career development.

VanDerziel: If we just talk about first-generation students, as an example, they just don’t have the same social capital, they don’t have the same history of higher education, they might not know the steps that need to be taken.

And so it’s particularly important for us to think about career preparation from the very beginning of a student’s time on the campus, because we need them to understand things like the importance of internships , the importance of building a repertoire of skills and being able to communicate about those. But gaining experiences where they can show what they’ve demonstrated, so that inventory is so very important for those students. And they’re not going to take that inventory, because they don’t know how important it is, unless we’re very direct about it.

So all of those experiences that they’re having, whether it be in the classroom or out again—and when I say out, I mean, student activities, leadership experiences that they’ve had, work-study, that they’re doing part- time jobs that they have. Those all add up to critical elements that an employer will eventually look at.

We need to help them to understand how important that is. And then we also need to help them to understand that there are people there to help them with their career journey, right? So let’s think about career exploration generally … Students don’t exactly know what they’re going to do with their degree, whereas they’re going through the program, and some wait way too long to consider it.

They’re in their senior year and they go home every summer, and parents and others are saying, “What are you going to do? What are you gonna do?” “Well, I don’t know, we’ll see, we’ll see.” That’s often the answer, or the answer may be a particular kind of job, a very specific kind of job, because it’s the only thing that they’ve known.

So it’s incumbent upon us to help students to think really broadly about how they can use their education to their advantage, to find their passion, to find the right place for them, that there are many different kinds of industries out there, that there are many different kinds of jobs where their degree can be applied.

Not all students are going to naturally do that on their own. And so it’s really helpful when we integrate career into all elements of campus life.

We also did a study with breakthrough tech for on women in STEM. And one of the things that we found was that women who use career services who are in STEM majors actually have more job offers than men if they use the career center. So from a data standpoint, they exceeded their male counterparts. But those that didn’t use it did much worse than their male counterparts.

Inside Higher Ed : That’s interesting—what’s the hypothesis as to why?

VanDerziel: There are probably many reasons for it; a lot of it probably has to do with a social capital. So having the information that they need to make the right decisions about their careers, and also the building of competencies around the job search and confidence in the job search, that someone or something intervened, that made a difference in that job search process.

So that could be anything from help on a résumé that made it better advice on negotiating. It could be a variety of things. But we know that those outcomes were much better in those cases.

Inside Higher Ed : So, “use your career center” is the bottom line?

VanDerziel: Yes, use your career center. That’s right.

Inside Higher Ed : We often see the career center as the hub of this work on campuses. But where would you say are the spokes? Who are those other departments or stakeholders who should be involved in this?

VanDerziel: So we just released a faculty survey on the integration of career into the classroom. And we found that 92 percent of faculty say that students in their disciplinary area have asked them career advice in the past year alone.

Faculty are key stakeholders in the career journey, so the integration of what’s happening in a career center and their expertise is so important to translate to those faculty members, as they are guiding students in their journey as well.

But we also know all of the other areas are just as important anywhere where student is building skill, building social capital. [It] is really important for career to be integrated. As we talked about earlier, whether it’s student activities and student recreation, there’s teamwork being held, there are leadership experiences that are being gained. And so it’s really important that we bring everyone along on the journey together to do that.

All of higher education is under scrutiny for its career development. But those most called into question are often liberal arts colleges that focus on interdisciplinary learning and the development of the whole student rather than a targeted career pipeline. At Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, campus leaders developed a brand-new strategic plan, the Gettysburg Approach , to emphasize not only the value of a liberal arts degree but also the ways it can equip students for the workplace. Here’s Jim Duffy, associate dean of co-curricular education at Gettysburg.

Inside Higher Ed : Can you sort of give us the 30,000-foot overview? What is this new initiative at Gettysburg and what does that look like on campus practically?

Duffy: It all begins with the Gettysburg Approach. The Gettysburg Approach is the way we deliver our undergraduate holistic experience. It’s broken up into four anchors.

The first anchor is knowledge—so breadth and depth of knowledge both in and out of the classroom. The second anchor is enduring skills. Some folks refer to these as durable skills or soft skills, but these are skills that we’ve surveyed employers about and they’ve told us, “These are the ones that we’re looking for in graduates.” And those seven skills are creativity, adaptability, intercultural fluency, problem solving, teamwork, leadership and communication.

Communication has risen to the top; I don’t think that’ll surprise anyone. We recently had some conversations with employers who said it increasingly rises to the top. We cover that both in and out of the classroom. In the classroom, we have—through our curriculum—communication conventions, both in the general ed curriculum and in our major curriculum. And then when you look to the co-curricular side, we recently had our leadership showcase where we had three panels of students who were able to use their oral communication to reflect on what they had done over the year.

The third anchor is the personal advising team. And this is really important, because this is where the student gets that network of support they need to succeed. Our personal advising team is made up of a faculty adviser, a co-curricular adviser , a career adviser, and then, at the conclusion of the sophomore year, the student has an option to have an alumni mentor.

And then the last piece of the Gettysburg Approach is the guided pathways , and this is how we deliver those high-impact experiences. They’re broken down into introductory exploratory and consequential experiences.

So what this approach does is it provides students with opportunities to engage both in and out of the classroom and to make intentional connections through conversations with their advisers so they can articulate the value of their Gettysburg College degree when it comes time to go to grad school or to take that next career step.

Inside Higher Ed : That’s something that we’re hearing a lot from employers, that students may have these skills, or they may have gotten this depth of knowledge, in their college career, but they don’t know how to talk about them or articulate them. There’s a gap there, if you will. How does the Gettysburg Approach seek to get in front of that gap and prepare students to talk about these experiences?

Duffy: We actually surveyed alumni about this before we launched the Gettysburg Approach. And this was the one of the top things that alumni talked about, “I did all these things in college, I can make some connections, but I can’t make them at a deeper level.”

And so in order to do that, the personal advising teams are really core to that. Because the pathways, if you think about the pathways that we have—which are experiences that we offer outside of the classroom —what we’re really trying to do is make intentional connections to what they’re doing inside of the classroom.

For instance, a first-year student who’s searching for a major is very curious and they want to try out a bunch of different things. On the co-curricular side, they’re going through introductory experiences. These are short experiences that students can engage in to get a better sense of what we have to offer. As an institution, we’re offering over 128 clubs and organizations. And in addition to that, we have a leadership center, a Center for Public Service and Eisenhower Institute, we have all these options. And it can be very overwhelming for first-year students if they just look at it on paper.

But when we take an intentional approach to advising them, we can show them all of the opportunities that are available to them and what they may want to check out or look into. Then, as you migrate through the pathways, our exploratory experiences are the next step.

So now that I’ve gone through an introductory experience in leadership, for example, I may say, “Oh, I want to pursue that.” And I may want to do our leadership certificate, or I may want to enroll in Gettysburg College’s leadership certificate program. It’s a little bit of a higher level of engagement. And, again, intentional connection. That may be coupled with an interest in majoring in public policy, for example.

And then our last category of the pathways is consequential experiences, which is akin to the capstone experiences that students go through on the academic side. Those consequential experiences have impact on community. Using that same thread, a student may elect to be a leadership mentor—that’s a student on campus who delivers leadership guidance, programming and experiences to other students.

What’s at the core of this is making connections, but making them at an intentional level so that students not only understand them while they’re here, but that they can articulate and share those examples with grad schools, employers and the like.

Inside Higher Ed : Something else that I really liked about the Gettysburg approach is that it’s all students—this isn’t an opt-in program or something that students have to seek out on their own. It’s something that’s promised to them. What are the challenges, the resources that you have to invest in to get the whole campus behind an initiative like this, to sort of get everybody geared up for this?

Duffy: I think one of the good things about the way we rolled this out was that we’re kind of doubling down on what we really do well, right? So we know we offer a rigorous classroom and academic experience; we know that we offered a significant number of co-curricular experiences that students can engage in and that variety speaks to what our students want, because students can create their own clubs and organizations.

So the foundation for it was there. I think the personal advising team pulls it together, and calling out those enduring skills that are based on what employers tell us pulls it together. But as far as resources, I think the big thing was, we’ve added a few advisers in our co-curricular adviser [team], we’re about to hire a third co-curricular adviser here shortly. And so those are the folks that really get to sit down and talk to the students and explore their interests.

Inside Higher Ed : Something else that we’re seeing among the general public is this doubt on the return on investment in higher education. A lot of small liberal arts colleges are turning towards careers, really emphasizing some of these outcomes that students are learning to point to, [that] no college is still worth it and that it’s still important. How’s Gettysburg getting in front of those conversations with its students and its parents to talk about that this is still a valuable experience?

Duffy: We talk about it a lot with our outcomes.

We can display that with what our students are doing once they complete the degree here. But from a practical sense, while they’re on campus, we’re committed to getting students into the Center for Career Engagement early and often. And so that has led students to do more through our Center for Career Engagement.

I think some students in their first or second year may think, “Wow, why do I need to go there?” but really, the Center for Career Engagement is providing a number of services—major exploration all the way to general interests.

The other thing that I think is important on this return-on-investment question—I talked about this quite a bit—is, for students it’s just as important to know what you don’t want to do as it is to know what you do want to do. And the only way you can figure that out is by taking advantage of the experiences that we have to offer.

We have a significant alumni base, over 30,000 alumni, plus parents and friends of the college, who offer career experiences to our students. That’s in addition to the traditional internships and externships that we make available to students. So it’s really an intentional effort to get students into career early.

Career is also the one required pathway—there’s five pathways, and in order to complete the pathways, you have to complete the career pathway and one of the other four. We’re really making a concerted effort to ensure that students get the experiences that they need to do what it is that they want to do.

We have a robust research program that our faculty offer over the summer. So for the students who are really focusing on grad school, it’s a great opportunity for them to stay on campus over the summer and explore those options. Likewise, for those who are more on the career-oriented side, we have plenty of internship and externship opportunities available as well.

Inside Higher Ed : That’s something we talked about a little bit earlier, that every student is going to go through this process, even if they don’t know it. And we know based on NACE research that students who engage with their career center are more likely to get jobs, are more likely to have paid internship experiences and things like that. What has been the value of just having this proactive approach to engaging with students on these different topics?

Duffy: I think this is a good time to talk about our guaranteed career-ready experiences.

We tell students that when you come here, there are career-ready experiences that you can engage in and that are available to you. And some of the examples of those are off-campus and on-campus internships, working on a long-term Center for Public Service project, global study and travel through the Center for Global Education, campus leadership roles—we have a significant number of those—and the faculty-mentored research that I mentioned earlier.

Those are just a few examples. What we want students to know as they arrive at Gettysburg is that this is all possible; “I’m likely going to be here for four years, and these are the things that I can accomplish during those four years in addition to majoring and minoring [in] specific subjects.”

So really, what we want to do is we want to provide students with what I refer to as structured flexibility, right? Here are all the things that are available to you, here they are in an organized way, but it’s up to you, and through your faculty and co-curricular adviser, how you’re going to navigate your way through these experiences and how they’re best going to suit what it is that you want to do at the conclusion of your time here.

Inside Higher Ed : There almost seems to be an equity piece in that right there. You don’t tell students that they can’t do it. It’s instead like this menu of what you want to do and what you can do.

Duffy: I appreciate you saying that, because with the pathways we even have, we’ve told students, “If there’s an experience that you don’t see on the pathways that you’re either doing or that you want to do, tell us. We’ll work with you to figure out where that should fall in the pathways and how we can best support you through that experience.”

Much like on the academic side, we have an individualized major program. So something similar to that.

Inside Higher Ed : Faculty have such a critical role in developing students for whatever their next step might be after graduation. How are faculty incorporated into the Gettysburg Approach?

Duffy: They’re incorporated in a variety of ways. I mean, obviously, through knowledge, they’re at the core of that, the breadth and depth of knowledge is predominantly achieved through the classroom.

Then those connections are made on the co-curricular side, out of the classroom. I think one new initiative that I can talk to you about is our faculty liaison program through our Center for Career Engagement. It allows us to work closely with a few faculty members and train them so that they can work with their departments and their areas to better inform students about career opportunities that are available.

What we do here at Gettysburg is we create this ecosystem for students where they can get support anywhere, anytime. And faculty are a big part of that, because [students] see faculty on a daily basis.

We talked earlier about that personal advising team, and that’s great to have that personal advising team. But we know students are going to have other adult mentors as well. That may be coaches, faculty members, other staff members. So it’s really an all-campus approach to supporting our students.

Inside Higher Ed : If there’s a lesson learned here, or something that you would want to share with a peer institution who is looking to gain some knowledge from you, what would you share has worked really well or something that you’d want other schools to consider?

Duffy: Well, one thing I would share is patience. Like any other pilot program, it’s constantly changing, which is good, because we’re taking feedback from students, from faculty, from staff, and we’re trying to make it better. You have to be really flexible about that.

I think if there’s one piece of advice I would give, it’s to engage the entire campus community. We did a really good job of that when we, last year, before rolling out the pathways, I met with 10 seniors and mapped their experience to the pathways to get a better sense for what it would look like. We did open sessions for staff, we had our vice president for college life went around all the academic departments to engage them and get feedback, and then went back again to make sure we had the right feedback from them. In order for it to work, it’s got to be a campuswide effort.

And I think the other thing I would say is, you have to be willing to hear the feedback and to act on that feedback. So even after taking all those initial steps, shortly after the program started, we got some feedback. Again, that was a little bit different than what we had heard before. And now, you know, we’ve started to act on that as well. Then going into going into the upcoming year, we’ll make some additional changes to fine-tune some things. It’s one of these projects that’s ever evolving.

Listen to previous episodes of Voices of Student Success here .

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Literature's role in the English Curriculum
Drama And Art in Education B .ed first year
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Importance/Need of Drama in Education l B.Ed l Art Education l Smita Minz
Unit1 Meaning and Concept of Art and Arts in Education #arteducation #deled #tutorstheory #education
How Can Looking at Art Help You Become More Visually Literate? (Part 5 of 8)

COMMENTS

PDF Art for Life's Sake: The Case for Arts Education
The Case for Arts Education. education was already in a state of crisis and dire need before the fraught year of 2020, and the pandemic has intensified that crisis exponentially. We regard our report as a celebration of the arts, a gesture of optimism, and, above all, a call to action.
The Importance of Art Education in the Classroom
In addition, a recent study conducted in Houston public schools showed that students who participated in arts education see the following benefits: Improved writing achievement. Reduced disciplinary infractions. More student engagement. Improved college aspirations. No drop in standardized test scores.
New evidence of the benefits of arts education
Empirical evidence supports these claims: Among adults, arts participation is related to behaviors that contribute to the health of civil society, such as increased civic engagement, greater ...
Art for Life's Sake
Arts education plays a vital role in the personal and professional development of citizens and, more broadly, the economic growth and social sustainability of communities. Its loss or diminution from the system would be incalculable. ... "So, when we studied literature, we studied these ancient mo'olelo—these stories, histories, ...
Visual Literacy and Art Education: Review of the Literature
increasingly image based and penetrates almost all aspects of contemporary life; brought. to us by a myriad of media and technological devices which are not bound by. the constraints of physical ...
Visual Literacy and Art Education: A Review of the Literature
Chung (2005) also urges that art education play a central role in giving children the critical tools necessary to properly understand 17 Visual Literacy and Art Education what is being visually conveyed and thereby aid them in making informed decisions in an image saturated environment , p. .
PDF Benefits of Art Education: A Review of the Literature
Though extensive studies exist regarding the use of the arts in general education settings, a comparable amount of research is still needed to support the need for the use of the arts in special education settings. This review of the literature examined the role of the arts in general education and special education.
The power of the arts in learning and the curriculum: a review of
This section provides a brief snapshot of the vast literature exploring Education and The Arts, with a particular focus on broad international and Australian studies that highlight both impact and outcomes. ... Martin, A., Mansour, M., Anderson, M., Gibson, R., Liem, G., & Sudmalis, D. (2013). The role of arts participation in students ...
Arts education: an investment in quality learning
1 Arts Education: An investment in quality learning This paper reviews key research on the impact and outcomes of Arts Education to demonstrate how closely aligned its concepts and approaches are with the idea of quality education outlined in Sustainable Development Goal 4. It is designed to contribute to UNESCO's Education and Culture section ...
What is literature for? The role of transformative reading
The question of the transformative purpose of the arts and of literature, more specifically, or the idea that the arts (including literature) is for transformation is not new. ... Contribution to a special issue The role of writing in literature education, edited by Tanja Janssen and Irene Pieper In L1 - educational studies in language and ...
Studies, Findings, and Resources
1) Educators view arts classes as a core element of their educational program; 2) The central role of the arts is reflected in how educators organize their day; and. 3) Educators value that the arts affect students' engagement and achievement in school. Arts Education for America's Students, A Shared Endeavor.
What you need to know about culture and arts education
Learners engaged in culture and arts education have better academic and non-academic learning outcomes. Engagement in various art forms, such as music, dance, and visual arts, can enhance academic achievements, reading skills, creative and critical thinking, agility and collaboration skills.Engagement in such education also correlates with improved attendance, stress reduction, resilience ...
Arts and Literacy: the Specific Contributions of Art to the Development
issues emerging at the crossing of art education, language arts and literature; on the demands of initial and continuing education of non-specialist teachers; on multi-media and multi-users digital tools. ... discourse an d research is d oo med to failure. • e nearest concept in this role is perhaps "ma îtrise d e la lang ue" (mastery of ...
THE ROLE OF LITERATURE IN THE CLASSROOM
pleasure reading. The findings align with concerns raised by scholars about the role of literature in lan-guage arts, revealing a rather reductionist use of literature across classrooms. Despite strong arguments and empirical support for students reading literature in school, such practices are poorly reflected in class-rooms in this study.
A Systems View: The Role of Art in Education
A Systems View: The Role of Art in Education. Julia Marshall Department of Art, College of Liberal and Creative Arts, San Francisco State University, ... Studies in Art Education, 55(2), 104-127. Google Scholar. New, J. (2005). Drawing from life: The journal as art. New York, NY: Princeton Architectural Press.
7 Reasons Why Arts Education is Important for Students
Significance of Art Education in Students' Lives. 1. Creativity. Art enhances creativity, which in turn fosters problem-solving skills. By participating in arts and learning activities, children develop confidence in their abilities and learn new things. Arts also promote risk-free exploration, and it is this freedom that inspires confidence.
Benefits of Art Education: A Review of the Literature
Though extensive studies exist regarding the use of the arts in general education settings, a comparable amount of research is still needed to support the need for the use of the arts in special education settings. This review of the literature examined the role of the arts in general education and special education. The studies revealed that the arts provided benefits to students in both the ...
Arts in Education and Creativity: A literature review
This literature review offers an historical and theoretical overview of arts education, its place in the English curriculum, and its relationship with creative learning and creativity education. It centres on official policy discourse and attempts to outline key moments and movements in the history of arts education over the last 120 years. One ...
What Is (the Matter) With Art Education?
The materiality of art education, the object-centeredness of the field, and the use of materials to make those objects and images used to be more central to art education than what much of the recent scholarship suggests. Shifting away from how and what was mattered (made into objects and images) seems to have given way to how and what matters ...
The Benefits of Arts Education for K-12 Students
While arts programs often fall victim to budget cuts, they can be an important contributor to students' overall success at school. Arts education can help kids: Engage with school and reduce ...
Arts in education
Arts in education is an expanding field of educational research and practice informed by investigations into learning through arts experiences. In this context, the arts can include Performing arts education (dance, drama, music), literature and poetry, storytelling, Visual arts education in film, craft, design, digital arts, media and photography. It is distinguished from art education by ...
PDF UNIT 1 UNDERSTANDING ARTS AND ARTS EDUCATION (THEORY) Notes
layers of the mind, Sculpture mirrors the inner self - —— This is Art education .This is why we need Art education .Art education is the area of learning that is based upon • The visual, tangible art • The performing arts 1.2.2 THE VISUAL An artist uses paper, canvas, clay, metal, paint etc. which can be moulded or
Creativity-Fostering Teacher Behaviors in Higher Education: A
Only Sawyer (2017) included empirical studies in higher education, but only in art and design. An explicit focus on teacher behaviors and student-teacher interaction, the context of higher education, and perspectives across disciplines are all missing ( Hernández-Torrano & Ibrayeva, 2020 ; Kupers et al., 2019 ).
On the Concept of Youth in Art Education: A Review of the Literature
I analyze how the concept of youth frames, produces, and buttresses arguments about the role of art education in society and the need for particular approaches to curriculum and instruction. My literature review is organized around four themes: Youth as (1) transition, (2) culture, (3) difference, and (4) image.
Boys Are Struggling. Male Kindergarten Teachers Are Here to Help
Nearly all the men said part of their role as male teachers was to show students, especially boys, a different model of masculinity to prepare them for a world in which gender roles are less ...
New York's First Black Librarians Changed the Way We Read
Tracie D. Hall, who from 2020 to 2023 served as the first female Black executive director of the American Library Association, started her career in the 1990s at the Seattle Public Library, where ...
Podcast: Careers embedded in higher education
The latest Voices of Student Success episode explores how career integration can boost students' outcomes, addressing concerns about the return on investment in higher education. Recent public polls have found American's confidence in higher education is waning, but current college students say they still see the value of the investment they're making in their future.