Why is Arts Education Important?

The Arts:

Engage students in learning.
Help children build thinking skills.
Enhance self-discipline, perseverance, hard work and creativity.
Provide a gateway to other subject areas.
Promote cross-cultural learning.
Teach the ability to utilize resources.
Enhance interpersonal skills of cooperation and teamwork.

The Arts Help Students Become:

Better Students
Innovators
Better Employees
Problem-solvers
Lifelong Learners
Collaborators

Current Research says:

In 1995, those who studied the arts more than four years scored 59 points higher on verbal and 44 points higher on the math portions than students with no coursework or experience in the arts.
The College Board, Profile of SAT and Achievement Test Takers, 1995

Arts education contributes significantly to general academic achievement, including achievement in science, mathematics, social studies, language arts, other subjects and to the development of general cognitive skills, self-expression and fluency.
The Schooled Mind: Do the Arts Make a Different Way of Knowing?

Arts education is related to certain fundamental indicators of education success. For example, the arts in early childhood help prepare children for their first years of school.
Evaluation of Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts

Arts education programs are related to safer and more orderly school environments.
Safe Havens: Portraits of Educational Effectiveness in Community Arts Centers

Arts education programs are related to keeping students interested and staying in school.
The Humanities Program Evaluation

Arts education programs make strong contributions to cross-cultural understanding.
North American Indian Music Instruction: Student Self Concept Influences Upon Attitudes, Cultural Perceptions and Achievement