“Wherefore ‘art’ thou?”-Shakespeare

The gradual fading of the arts in public schools will be detrimental to the education of students.

By Karen Tobias

Sam Houston State UniversityJuly 20, 2011

The goal of my research is to advocate the necessity of the arts

in public education.

Maintaining the Arts in Public Education Can:

Increase Reading Comprehension and FluencyRaise Standardized Test ScoresDeter At-Risk Students from dropping out

The Effects of Theatre Education

Theater Can Promote a Desire to Read!

Suzie Boss of Edutopia blogged “APT *American Place Theater+ has found that, “after a school performance, 85

percent of students want to read or re-read the book they have watched come to life (May, 2010, para. 10).”

GREG MORTENSON-Author and Humanitarian

He promotes literacy and education throughout Afghanistan and Pakistan through a program that “incorporates theater, storytelling, and other arts

(Barnette, 2010, para. 9).”

Verbal Skills and the Arts

According to Ruppert (2006), studies have shown that students who participate in

programs related to drama, music and art have developed strong verbal and communicative

skills. There is a direct correlation between the study of the arts and verbal fluency and reading

comprehension.

The Relationship Between the Arts and Student Success

“students with high arts involvement performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts

involvement (Ruppert, S. 2006).”

Critical Evidence

The Differentiation of SAT Scores and Attendance Based on a 2005 Study

Critical Evidence: How the ARTS

Benefit Student Achievement

Ruppert, S. 2006

Students Enrolled in: VERBAL

SCORE

MATH

SCORE

4 years of arts 543 541

3 years of arts 514 516

2 years of arts 508 517

1 year of arts 501 515

How can involvement in the arts affect high-risk

students in danger of dropping-out of school?

A Report by The Center for Arts Education stated:

“New York City publicschool students at schools with the lowest

graduationrates have the least access to instruction in

the arts (Israel, D. 2009).”

“Arts education has a measurable impact indeterring delinquent behavior and truancy

problems, andstudents at risk of not successfully

completing their highschool education cite their participation in

the arts as areason for staying in school (Israel, D. 2009).”

Budget cuts are forcing districts to reduce funding for music, theater and art

classes, an act which can adversely affect the

performance of students.

Small Schools Have it Rough trying to meet NCLB guidelines because:

Outdated FacilitiesShared Facilities

Broken Equipment or No EquipmentMaintaining Certified Arts Teachers

Shared Spaces Tattered Places

Shared Spaces and Tattered Places

Conclusion

Districts that have a strong policy and sentiment towards the arts will have higher graduation rates, higher standardized testing scores and will produce

students with a more thorough education.

Bibliography

American Alliance for Theater Education, 2009. The Effects of Theatre Education. http://www.aate.com/content.asp?contentid=223

Barnette, J., 2010. The power of performance: How theater can teach kids. The American Place Theater. Literature to Life. http://www.americanplacetheatre.org/news/archive/the-power-of-performance-how-theater-can-teach-kids

Israel, D., 2009. Staying in school. Arts education and New York City High School graduation rates. The Center for Arts Education, October, 2-7.

Ruppert, S. S., 2006. Critical evidence: How the arts benefit student achievement. National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, 3-14.