11 Facts About Arts in Education

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1. Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance.^[National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, "Re-Investing in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools." The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Accessed February 28, 2014.]
2. Arts and music education programs are mandatory in countries that rank consistently among the highest for math and science test scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherlands.^["Lessons from PISA for the United States, Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education", OECD Publishing, 2011. Web Accessed February 28, 2014.]
3. Music programs are constantly in danger of being cut from shrinking school budgets even though they're proven to improve academics. Show educators how important arts are in your community. Sign up for Music March Out.^["Arts Education in Public Elementary and Secondary Schools, 1999-2000 and 2009-2010",National Center for Education Statistics, 2012. Web Accessed February 2014.]
4. The No Child Left Behind Act clearly mandates The Arts (music, art, foreign language, etc.) as a core academic subject.^[U.S. Department of Education, "No Child Left Behind, A Toolkit for Teachers." Accessed February 28, 2014.]
5. One study group showed that 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students who were taught a foreign language every day in school outperformed the students who were not exposed to a foreign language on their Basic Skills Test.^[Armstrong, P. W., J.D. Rogers, "Basic skills revisited: The effects of foreign language instruction on reading, math, and language arts." 1997. Web Accessed February 28, 2014. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ575427.]
6. Federal funding for the arts and humanities rolls in around $250 million a year, while the National Science Foundation is funded around the $5 billion mark.^[Rebaudengo, Giuseppe. "Saving the Arts in our Nation's Schools." Thinking in Public. Accessed February 17, 2015. .]
7. Researchers find that sustained learning in music and theater correlates strongly with higher achievement in both math and reading.^[Americans for the Arts. "SUMMARY OF KEY ADDITIONAL ARTS EDUCATION RESEARCH AND FACTS ." City of Providence. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.providenceri.com/efile/3411.]
8. In a study of a high-poverty schools in Chicago, the schools that were participating in the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) made huge strides in closing the gap between high- and low-income students’ academic achievement.^[Catterall, James S., and Lynn Waldorf. "Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education Summary Evaluation." Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education. Accessed February 27, 2014, http://www.capeweb.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/champions.pdf.]
9. Multiple studies have concluded that curricular and extracurricular art studies and activities help keep high-risk dropout students stay in school.^[National School Boards Association. "Prediction: Identifying potential dropouts." The Center for Public Education. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/Main-Menu/Staffingstudents/Keeping-kids-in-school-At-a-glance/Keeping-kids-in-school-Preventing-dropouts.html.]
10. New brain research shows that not only does music improve skills in math and reading, but it promotes creativity, social development, personality adjustment, and self-worth.^[Weinberger, Norman M.. "The Music in Our Minds." Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://nmw.bio.uci.edu/publications/Weinberger,%201998e.pdf.]
11. Research suggests that studying a second language is essential to the learning process, creative inquiry and critical thinking. Foreign language studies have proven to increase problem-solving skills and overall cognitive development.^[Deasy, Richard J.. "Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development.." United States Government Printing Office. Accessed February 25, 2014, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ERIC-ED466413/pdf/ERIC-ED466413.pdf.]