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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY - Richard Bagley

Benefits of Art Education

Thomas, R., Arnold, A. (2011). //The A+ Schools: A New Look at Curriculum Integration//, Visual Arts Research, V. 37(1) 96-104. This article contains an analysis of art-enhanced school systems in North Carolina and compares them with general public school results. The analysis shows little difference in academic performance but an improvement in the affective domain increasing creative expression and interest in school. I found this article useful as a counterpoint to the many studies showing the art education I fact does increase academic performance. Since it is widely based and the students were not self-selected, it raises the issue of whether high-performing students in other studies who had significant art exposure chose art because they were high-performing, not became high-performing because of art, Catterall, J., Chapleau, R., Iwanaga, J. //Involvement in the Arts and Human Development, Champions of Change, The Impact of the Arts on Learning//, Report of The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (1999). This article is based on a longitudinal study in which over 25,000 students were followed for over 10 years. It presents very strong correlations between involvement in art education and general academic performance. The data also shows that increasing art exposure increases academic performance and that the most significant gains occur amomg students from lower socio-economic groups. This article is one of several collected and published under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Education by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. It was particularly useful for its data-heavy analysis of large groups of students over a wide spectrum of measures of academic performance. Paine, S., (2010) //Arts are a Vital Part of Education//, Editorial, Charleston Gazette (W.Va.)
 * 1) Peer-reviewed journal
 * 1) Peer-reviewed article
 * 1) Editorial

This article salutes “Art Week” and exhorts school districts to increase their support for the arts, citing both increased general academic performance and the need for the skills developed in art education itself to compete in today’s economy. The editorial summarizes U. S. Congressional actions and their West Virginia counterparts. I found the editorial to contain a well-reasoned and passionate srgument for including art education as part of a state’s core curriculum. Miller, L. (2011). Theatre Arts Programs: Impact of Cognitive Development in Elementary School Students, []. This Master’s Thesis focuses on theatre arts and finds significant correlation between theatre arts participation and a wide range of academic and semi-academic achievements. Her research shows that every thing from participation in community service and holding class office to winning awards for math or science is higher among theatre arts participants. This article is tremendously useful for its insights and data and also as a reference work for the large numbers of other studies cited, used, and summarized. I particularly valued the emphasis on theatre arts because there is far more information on visual and music arts. Glass, R., Nemeth, P. (2003). //You Gotta Have Art!,// American Teacher, 87, N6, p. 10-11,18. This article is directed to teachers and includes a summary of Department of Education art education standards, plus both statistical and anecdotal accounts of effective art education practices. I found this article useful for the information contained on teaching standards and also for some of the clever ideas teachers have used to teach art and to use art in the classroom.
 * 1) ERIC
 * 1) General Article