Arts education can have a huge impact on student achievement and engagement. The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities recently released a report of the first federal program to use arts education to transform low performing schools. The program, called Turnaround Arts, found intensive and integrated arts education improved reading and math proficiency, improved attendance, decreased suspensions, and improved student and parent engagement.
As shown in Turnaround Arts schools, arts education provides a way to engage students who struggle in school. Art deepens students’ engagement with subject matter, makes subjects more interesting, and strengthens confidence. However, many schools are underfunded and do not have the resources necessary to develop arts programs.
The Jimmie Johnson Foundation/ Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Champions Grant Program has provided grants to K-12 public and charter schools to address critical needs in arts education. With the help of a Foundation grant, Grossmont High School in Jimmie Johnson’s hometown of El Cajon, CA is creating a new studio art space with kilns and a mixed media laboratory to integrate art into the curriculum and increase student access to career paths in the arts.
For more information on the Jimmie Johnson Foundation/ Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Champions Grant Program and its impact on education, CLICK HERE.
Study Cited: Stoelinga, Sara Ray, Yael Silk, Prateek Reddy, and Nadiv Raheem, comps. Final Evaluation Report: Turnaround Arts Initiative. Rep. Washington DC: President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, 2015. Print.