The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies says, “As a nation, we are close to reaching a collective understanding that all students benefit from the opportunity to learn about and experience the arts. Study of the arts in its many forms…is increasingly accepted as an essential part of achieving success in school, work and life.”

So we know that art is a great thing to have in schools, but why?

The arts are considered crucial to providing a well-rounded and versatile education for children and teens, as it encourages the improvement of a student’s attitude towards school. Beyond that, 83% of Americans agree that arts education helps to teach young students how to effectively communicate with adults and peers. In the same poll on the attitudes of Americans toward arts education, 79% agreed that bringing the arts into schools is helping to fill the lack in public education today.

Research done by Critical Links evidences the connection between students learning the arts and a wide spectrum of benefits of both social and academic nature. This same research also shows that what students are taught through art can also help them in other departments such as math and reading. This is known as the concept of transfer, meaning “learning in one context assists learning in a different context.”

A study done by the University of California at Los Angeles found that in standardized tests, the majority of the higher grades were achieved by students involved in the arts. One reason for this doesn’t concern how the mind is affected by art, but rather that students heavily involved in some form of art spend less time watching TV and more time doing community service.

The 2005 SAT 1 results show an increasing linear relationship linking test scores and art classes taken by a particular student. These results are displayed in the table below:

These results show that as students’ experience with art increased, their scores followed appropriately.

Though many American schools are focused on standardized testing and rote memorization, incorporating art into the curriculum is necessary for a well-rounded education system.