LANE TECH COLLEGE PREP ART DEPARTMENT

Why Are the Arts Important?
by Dee Dickinson

They are languages that all people speak that cut across racial, cultural, social, educational, and economic barriers and enhance cultural appreciation and awareness.

They are symbol systems as important as letters and numbers.

They integrate mind, body, and spirit.

They provide opportunities for self-expression, bringing the inner world into the outer world of concrete reality.

They offer the avenue to "flow states" and peak experiences.

They create a seamless connection between motivation, instruction, assessment, and practical application--leading to deep understanding.

They are an opportunity to experience processes from beginning to end.

They develop both independence and collaboration.

They provide immediate feedback and opportunities for reflection.

They make it possible to use personal strengths in meaningful ways and to bridge into understanding sometimes difficult abstractions through these strengths.

They merge the learning of process and content.

They improve academic achievement -- enhancing test scores, attitudes, social skills, critical and creative thinking.

They exercise and develop higher order thinking skills including analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and "problem-finding."

They are essential components of any alternative assessment program.

They provide the means for every student to learn.  

Did You Know?

Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement

3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools

4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair

3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance

4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem  

Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently

Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently

Read for pleasure nearly twice as often

Perform community service more than four times as often  

("Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations," Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph , November 1998)  

The facts are that arts education...

makes a tremendous impact on the developmental growth of every child and has been proven to help level the "learning field" across socio-economic boundaries

(Involvement in the Arts and Success in Secondary School , James S. Catterall, The UCLA Imagination Project, Graduate School of Education & Information Studies, UCLA, Americans for the Arts Monograph , January 1998)

has a measurable impact on at-risk youth in deterring delinquent behavior and truancy problems while also increasing overall academic performance among those youth engaged in afterschool and summer arts programs targeted toward delinquency prevention  

(YouthARTS Development Project, 1996, U.S. Department of Justice, National Endowment for the Arts, and Americans for the Arts)  

Businesses understand that arts education...

builds a school climate of high expectation, discipline, and academic rigor that attracts businesses relocating to your community

strengthens student problem-solving and critical thinking skills, adding to overall academic achievement and school success

helps students develop a sense of craftsmanship, quality task performance, and goal-setting—skills needed to succeed in the classroom and beyond

can help troubled youth, providing an alternative to destructive behavior and another way for students to approach learning

provides another opportunity for parental, community, and business involvement with schools, including arts and humanities organizations

helps all students develop more appreciation and understanding of the world around them

helps students develop a positive work ethic and pride in a job well done  

(Business Circle for Arts Education in Oklahoma, "Arts at the Core of Learning 1999 Initiative")