Briefly touched upon in my previous post, Art, and how students engage with it in the classroom, has an impact on the academic achievements met by said students. The Oregon Community Foundation (OregonCF) reported that those taking more Art classes more frequently than other students had better fluency, originality, and overall better “academic discipline”. OregonCF also found improved grades and SAT scores among students taking more Art focused classes.

The Nation Endowment for the Arts found similar correlations in their research between Art engagement and academic scores. They found improved Social Emotional Learning in younger children who participated in the Arts at an early age, and that High Schoolers who participated in the Arts had higher average grades and greater “post-graduation outcomes” than students who did not.

Marcia Gibson and Meredith Larson found in their report on the visual arts and academic achievement that along with improved social skills, younger children who read with Art integrated as a part of the story have significantly improved reading abilities when compared to their peers without Art integration. Along with this, they found education is more engaging for students of all ages when art in incorporated. Art provides another way for more students to engage with academic material, thus improving a school’s overall test scores and grades. The inclusion of Art in education is integral to making the classroom more accessible and enjoyable for all students.