Findings from a recent American Institutes for Research study shows arts integration also has great potential for improving student learning in multiple disciplines. The award-winning series, The Global Search for Education, published by CMRubinWorld, asked expert educators from around the world: How can we maximize the value of art and music in education and how can it be blended with more traditional subjects?

“It is time to turn the traditional hierarchy… on its head and develop a generation of true thinkers and problem solvers through prominent art education for all,” because “Cloud computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and driverless vehicles are already creating a world where job unavailability is becoming common for millions. This makes a creative mindset more important than ever,” says educator and author Richard Wells in New Zealand

Pauline Hawkins in the United States asks, “If schools embraced this idea of art therapy, would we have as many children and teens suffering from stress and anxiety?” And she poses the question, “If art is therapeutic, why do we give it so little importance and relegate it to an elective in secondary schools?”

Educator Dana Narvaisa in Latvia offers examples of her school’s efforts to blend the arts with other subjects, and notes, “We are constantly monitoring students’ level of motivation and we have discovered that student engagement rises in every subject if the tasks and outcomes are meaningful and useful for them.”

Read the Full Article Here

Please think about these 5 facts:

1. Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance.
2. Arts and music education programs are mandatory in countries that rank consistently among the highest for math and science test scores, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
3. Music programs are constantly in danger of being cut from shrinking school budgets even though they’re proven to improve academics. Show educators how important arts are in your community. Sign up for Music March Out.
4. The No Child Left Behind Act clearly mandates The Arts (music, art, foreign language, etc.) as a core academic subject.
5. One study group showed that 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students who were taught a foreign language every day in school outperformed the students who were not exposed to a foreign language on their Basic Skills Test.