Art Smarts: How Participating in the Arts Pays Back in School

We’ve written before about the many, yes, many, benefits that come from participating in arts education, but as we’re approaching this new, exciting school year, and as we're being inundated with Back to School everything at Target, we’re inspired to talk about just a few of the specific ways participation in arts education affects and IMPROVES school participation, achievement, and life-long learning behavior.

​Higher Graduation Rates

How to keep kids in school and on the right track? Art classes.

​Studies, and one specifically from the Center for Arts Education, have determined that in  high schools where students have access to art programs have higher graduation rates than those that don’t. Specifically, at schools with a 85% or more graduation rate, students are more likely to have taken at least 3 art classes than those at schools with less than a 50% graduation rate.

From study after study, arts education is associated with a lower drop-rate, AND higher school participation.

​Higher SAT Scores

Yes, you heard that right, not just any test, but THE test that can determine which college your child gets into and what scholarships they get can be improved through arts participation.
 
Though there have been claims about and independent studies on the correlation between those in arts programs and high SAT scores for over 30 years, one study that sought out to test the claimed correlation found that it was an accurate claim and that “Those who take four years of arts courses have higher scores than those who take less than four years’ worth.” The more art, the higher the scores.  This study determined that “Those who study the arts are consistently higher academic achievers than those who do not study the arts.”

Specifically, Higher Scores in Verbal and… (take a guess now…) Math!

Art can have a major affect even on the seemingly most-unlikely subjects. With students who took four years of art classes, they out-preformed those who took only 1 ½ years or less of art by a significant 38 points on the math portion of the SAT and a whole 58 points on the verbal portion. 

Higher Critical Thinking Abilities
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Named one of the 21st Century’s most prized skill and a high-determining factor for success in both higher education and the workforce, critical thinking is the ability to use logic and reasoning in problem solving.
 
Art education teaches students to look at the world more closely, to observe, to hold off judgments, to examine and analyze the details, to draw connections, and to question what they see; it “develops skills for comparing, hypothesizing, critiquing and exploring multiple view points” - all parts of thinking critically that then help students use these observational and analytical skills in other areas on their lives and subjects in school.

Art education and the skills students learn and develop while in art classes lead them on to success, not only in their favorite painting or clay class, but in multiple school subjects, on important skills-assessment tests, and into higher education and the competitive workforce.
 
What they do today creates the foundation of tomorrow, for them personally, but also for the world we live in.
 
If your child is interested in expanding his or her horizons and broadening their skill sets, read more about our art classes here or take the plunge and jump into finding the best one for your child here. Don't forget we're available by phone or email for ANY questions you may have over our programs.