The Art of School Engagement: Strategies for Success

“Bring Round Arts Education: Positive Impact on Students’ Empathy, Discipline and Engagement in K-12 Schools”

According to a 2012 nationwide survey, the arts curriculum in K–12 public schools in the United States has been declining since the 1980s, with pupils of colour being severely impacted. This decline has been attributed to budget cuts and test score pressures. A well-rounded education must include the arts, which can also have a good impact on students’ behaviour, school participation, and social and emotional growth. An analysis of the Houston Arts Access Initiative, which brought teaching artists, performances, and workshops to the city’s underfunded public elementary and middle schools, was done to look at the benefits of arts education.

The study found that arts learning has positive effects on empathy, school engagement, student discipline, and writing achievement. Students’ emotional and cognitive empathy increased by 7.2 percent and 3.9 percent of a standard deviation, respectively. Students were 20.7 percent less likely to have a disciplinary offence at schools with greater arts education. Particularly for English language learners, writing exam scores climbed by 13% of a standard deviation, and school involvement increased by 8% of a standard deviation. However, the study found no discernible effects on test scores in science, maths, or reading.

The advantages of arts education include increasing students’ knowledge of different cultures and historical periods, fostering their interpersonal and social abilities, and offering chances for creative and vocational exploration. In-school arts education programs take various forms, such as in-school teaching-artist residencies, workshops for students and teachers, professional artist performances, and after-school programs. The Houston Arts Access Initiative was created to equitably advance student access to the arts and began by bringing teaching artists, performances, and workshops to under-resourced public elementary and middle schools. The initiative found that arts education positively affected meaningful educational outcomes and can inform strategies to restore and retain arts education in under-resourced schools.