Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development
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Arts Education Boosts Academics, Study Shows
LA TIMES
THE ARTS
Tuesday, May 21, 2002

Arts education, an endangered species in the nation's strapped public school systems, has far-reaching benefits, a new study concludes. According to the Arts Education Partnership--whose research was coordinated by UCLA--students exposed to drama, music and dance find that those courses also improve their performance in academic subjects.

Studying music improves math achievement, cognitive development and boosts SAT verbal scores, while the visual arts improve a child's reading and writing skills--especially among poor students or those requiring remedial instruction.

"Notions that the arts are frivolous add-ons to a serious curriculum couldn't be further from the truth," said James Catterall, a UCLA education professor who coordinated the study, the first to compare the impact on other academic disciplines.

Though President Bush has requested $11 million to support arts education projects, teachers often complain that those are the courses first cut in schools with budget deficits.

The Arts Education Partnership is a coalition of more than 100 arts, education, governmental and philanthropic groups nationwide.