November/December 1999
Does student involvement in the arts improve academic achievement? One study by a UCLA researcher found that students with "high arts involvement"-that is, those who took at least two arts classes per week and participated in extracurricular arts-did much better on standardized tests than students with "low arts involvement." Add to this a wealth of anecdotal evidence that the arts invigorate learning in a variety of ways and the verdict would seem to be clear. Yet some educators question the evidence, arguing that it is flimsy and exaggerated. Still others wonder if trying to connect arts and higher test scores undermines the unique role arts can play in students' social, educational, and personal growth. This article surveys the evidence and arguments.
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Two Schools Using Arts in Innovative Ways
These short profiles show how two schools that use arts to teach a variety of subjects. One is a suburban elementary school while the other is a high school set in a maximum-security facility for juvenile offenders.
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The Happy Meeting of Multiple Intelligences and the Arts
by Howard Gardner
According to Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, all of us as human beings possess a number of intellectual potentials. In this article, Howard Gardner discusses the connection between his theory and the field of arts education, which he calls a "happy accident." Gardner explores why arts education advocates embraced his idea of nurturing multiple intelligences in schools, and reaffirms the importance of arts education for all students.
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Making the Case for Arts in Schools
By David T. Gordon
A collection of seven research studies released simultaneously by top arts-education scholars offers an intriguing look at successful arts programs. Its major findings are highlighted here.
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Tinkering with Title 1
by Kelly Graves-Desai
The debate continues about how to reauthorize Title 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the federal program that provides $8 billion to K-12 schools with high proportions of economically disadvantaged students. This article looks at the current discussions on how well the 1994 amendments have been implemented and how they should be refined.
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