The Arts: Proven to Boost Test Scores, Creativity, Confidence and Self Esteem
Now in its 14th successful year in Utah schools, the Art Works for Kids model used by the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program demonstrates a powerful educational truth: children who have exposure to the arts as part of their curriculum outperform their counterparts on an academic level by 18 to 27 percent on standardized testing. What’s more, these “arts-rich” students show increased levels of creativity, confidence and self-esteem, which may prove to be the most valuable long-term assets of their educations.
On a national level, the Arts Education Partnership and the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities partnered to research the effect of arts on education and report their findings.
Some of the most important findings of the study include:
- Significantly higher test scores on standardized tests
- The arts reach students not ordinarily reached in ways not normally used. This keeps tardies and truancies, and eventually dropouts rates, down.
- Students connect better with one another, resulting in greater camaraderie, fewer fights, less racism and reduced use of hurtful sarcasm.
- The arts change the environment to one of discovery. This can reignite the love of learning in students tired of being filled up with facts.
- Arts provide challenges for student at all levels, from delayed to gifted—students can find their own levels automatically.
- Students learn to become sustained, self-directed learners, not a repository of facts useful only for the next high-stakes test.
- Students of lower socio-economic status gain as much or more from arts instruction as those of higher socio-economic status.
Source: Eric Jensen, Art With the Brain in Mind. Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 2001.
The Local Effect
In 2010, Dan Jones & Associates released survey results concluding that the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) had a profound positive impact on students from participating schools. The survey evaluated the program’s impact on the overall quality of education, as perceived by principals from participating schools. More than 50 Utah elementary schools were a part of the evaluation, spanning the geographic and social economic spectrum&emdash;from affluent suburban areas to rural communities and schools that serve Title 1 inner-city populations.
After just two years of the four-year pilot program, which was designed to measure increases in learning retention and ability in the core subjects, 100 percent of respondents reported that the effect of the program was either "definitely positive" (85 percent) or "probably positive" (15 percent). BTSALP art specialists were received positively by 100 percent of students, 98 percent of parents and 88 percent of core curriculum instructors. Additionally, principals across the board noted that the program increased self-esteem, confidence, social skills and civility while decreasing negative aggression in their students.
The results of research completed in Utah schools implementing the Art Works for Kids approach mirror those reported in the Arts Education Partnership study.
For 14 years, Jackson Elementary has invested in an integrated arts education program centered on music education, experience and performance.
Other significant academic and behavioral findings from those surveyed included:
- 68 percent reported the program’s impact on math was positive
- 69 percent reported the program’s impact on language arts was positive
- 84 percent reported a positive impact in other subject areas
- 70 percent noted a positive impact on both discipline and attendance
- 86 percent reported BTSALP helped with student engagement
- 73 percent said the program helped improve civility