Scott 1

KiLynn Scott

Mrs. Cramer

English Comp. I Pd. 2

16 Nov. 2018
The Arts: Improving Students

Expression is the key to figuring out one’s own emotions, and the arts are a key for

expression. The importance of the arts in school has been considered as less than the core

subjects such as, math, history, science, and English. All these subjects could show an improved

sense of comprehension, if a student were to take some form of an art. The arts include but are

not limited to: singing, dancing, playing an instrument, painting, sketching, fictional writing,

photography, acting, sculpting, and poetry. The students who take classes in one or more of the

art forms are usually portrayed as either the loner, who seems to be in a constant state of

rebellion, or the socialite, who has high grades and gets into the best colleges. The first model

image of an art student is usually considered as the most-likely to drop out of school and labeled

as troublesome or viewed as poorly behaved. The second model image is usually considered the

most likely to graduate and are labeled as polite or viewed as well-behaved. The arts are useful in

schools as they lower the amount of student dropouts, increase overall performance, and improve

student behavior.

To begin, the student dropout rate, something principals, teachers, and parents fear will

grow each year, can be lowered by participation in the arts. The school system is always working

to educate and prepare students. In studies done by: Fiske in 1999, Isreal in 2009, Scheuler in

2010, Catterall et al. in 2012; President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities in 2011,

Parsad & Spiegelman in 2012, and Elpus in 2013, all found that the arts improve outcomes such

as lowering the dropout rate (Brown 1). The studies explain that when a student was a part of
 Scott 2

some type of art, he or she was less likely to quit school. Behavior plays a part in student drop

out, yet the student involved in the arts tends to be heavily involved and engaged at school. The

level of engagement at school also increases academic performance in subjects such as math and

other core subjects, creating an environment where students are willing to stay and learn. The

arts improve the student’s understanding of key skills each subject needs, creating a greater

overall academic performance. The student now has something to work hard for, and therefore

the pupil’s academic performance improves. The arts are an interactive way of teaching a

student, which creates an environment where a student is enjoying himself or herself. This

creates a greater chance the student will become more involved with school, decreasing the

likelihood of dropping out.

In addition, the overall performance, a student’s efficiency and test taking skills, will

improve vastly, particularly in the arts. There was a study about the relationship between the arts

and the SAT scores, in which students who took four or more years in the arts had fifty-eight

points more than those with only half a year or less (Ruppert 9). Therefore, one can conclude that

the arts had an impact in these students’ test taking skills and comprehension of the material. The

arts also improved a student's understanding and the student’s skills needed for each core subject.

Abilities such as; “critiquing themselves, experimenting, reflecting, learning from their mistakes,

managing behavior, making decisions, maintaining a positive self-concept, etc.” (Brown 2). The

student needs to understand and master these abilities to succeed not only in class, but in life as

well. A student needs to have these skills to walk away from school with a better understanding

of how the real-world works. The NEA, in 2012, conducted another study, which showed that

students who were highly involved in the arts were five times more likely to graduate than those

who were not (Brown 1). The student, occupied with things that make him passionate, quickly
 Scott 3

becomes a well-behaved one. The student involved with an art form would be more likely to stay

in school, work hard in school, and graduate. The students involved in the arts have a higher

chance of succeeding and graduating, than those who are not involved with the arts.

Lastly, the behavior and discipline of a student can change drastically, from being the

best student to being one of the worst students, and vice versa. Take for example the story of

Carlos, ‘a real gangster.’ According to one of his teachers, Carlos was ‘the bad boy of the

neighborhood,’ a tough kid who ‘didn't take s--from anyone.’… The year would culminate in a

schoolwide performance. After three weeks of rehearsals, the teacher realized, Carlos had not

missed a single session... the teacher noticed later that day.... At the top of the ‘out of school

suspension' list stood Carlos's name!”(Bauerlein). This was a student who was one of the worst

behaved, and he would not have been involved like he was without the arts. This student, the

definition of a delinquent, had not skipped a single rehearsal even though he had been

suspended. He was getting involved in a school activity, and had he not become a part of the

performance, he might have become worse. Students who are a part of the arts tend to display

better behavior, are less likely to take illegal substances, and those involved in visual arts show

more school attachment than those in other art fields (Brown 3). The students involved in the arts

were well behaved and occupied, creating a more engaged and disciplined student which benefits

everyone.

In conclusion, by the arts being taught in schools lower the amount of student dropouts,

increase overall performance, and enhances student behavior. The students will be less likely to

drop out if they have some way of releasing pent up frustrations, something to keep the student

interested, and something to make them want to do well in school. The students’ overall

performance will increase as the arts build upon skills needed in the core subjects. The behavior
 Scott 4

and discipline of students will increase as they will have something to enjoy and keep busy with.

The students will be able to have a class dedicated on expressing themselves and learning about

how important figures from the past expressed themselves and their emotions too.
 Scott 5

Works Cited

Bauerlein, Mark. "Advocating for Arts in the classroom: academic discipline or

instrument of personal change?" Education Next, vol. 10, no. 4, 2010, p. 42+.

Opposing Viewpoints in Context,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A248661597/OVIC?u=pl1949&sid=OVIC&x

id=e86ce648. Accessed 28 Sept. 2018.

Brown, K. The arts and dropout prevention: The power of art to engage [White paper].

Clemson, SC: National Dropout Prevention Center/Network. (2017) Retrieved

from www.dropoutprevention.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/arts-and-dropout-

prevention-2017-10.pdf. Accessed 28 Sept, 2018

Ruppert, Sandra. Critical Evidence: How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement.

Washington, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies in collaboration with the

Arts Education Partnership, 2006.