The Amazing Power of Arts in Schools!

By Dr. SJ Worley

The Arts are respected, in most schools, but often not considered an educational tool. This is a sad misconception. Over and over studies clearly show that Art Programs have a major influence in many areas of students education: motivation, achievement and completion of both high school and college!

One of the most exciting studies that reinforces the powerful influence of these Arts programs is from California Arts Advocates. Here is what their work shows:

‘Students with access to arts education are

• five times less likely to drop out of school,

• four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement

• four times more likely to receive a bachelor's degree’

Julie Baker, executive director of California Arts Advocates. Oct. 10, 2022 : Too many California schools fail to provide mandated arts education; let's fix that. J.Flores, EdSource.org

Here are some examples of current Arts Programs in Schools that are having an impact :

• Music: Band, Choir, Orchestra, Song writing, String Quartets

• Theatre: Drama, Puppetry, Comedy, Set Design, Lighting, Dance and Music.

• Visual Arts: Computer Graphics, Videography, Drawing, Mixed Media, Film, Painting, Sculpture

• Literary Arts: Poetry, Newspaper Journalism, Play writing, Story telling

• Song Lyric Writing

• Dance: Performance, Gymnastics, Drill Team, Cheerleading, Jazz, etc.

Creativity is indisputably the highest level of thinking. Imagination is the garden where creativity grows. Art is an academic tool that allows creativity the maximum flexibility in human expression. Each level of thinking is used as students reach the top!

Professor William Bloom at the University of Chicago and his students began a research study in 1956 that they continued for 45 years. They wanted to understand the sequence of thinking levels humans progress through and from easiest to hardest, from lowest to highest. They began with Evaluation at the top but, Create won the top spot after almost a half century of study and research.

In 1929 Albert Einstein spoke about the power of imagination over knowledge. Einstein is considered one of the greatest minds of his century, a Nobel Prize winner for Physics. He spoke boldly about imagination at a time when knowledge was King! His Theory of Relativity remains a constant in the fields of Science, Math and Physics. He promoted the power of imagination and creativity even considering himself an ‘Artist’ in describing his own imaginative thought.

Einstein said: “I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

“What Life Means to Einstein”, by George Sylvester Viereck , p.117 ,Oct. 27th, 1929

Students are our future. Let’s give them the opportunities to reach the highest levels of thinking and achieve academic success. Support the Arts in Public School.

Dr. SJ Worley. Smartart4schools.com