- Visual arts education enhances the educational experience of traditionally underserved students.
- Artistic/visual literacy is critical to a child’s comprehensive education in our increasingly multimedia age, where information is less through numeracy and the written word.
- Students in poverty are less likely to have access to art education in their school. The same is true for students enrolled in charter schools.
- High-arts, low-SES students were more likely to register to vote than low-arts, low-SES students -- and all students.
- 59 percent of high-poverty elementary schools have a dedicated room with special equipment as the primary space for visual arts instruction, compared to 76 percent of low-poverty elementary schools.
- Arts Integration is helping raise student achievement and has been helping its low-income students outperform their peers for years in some schools that implemented it.
- 93% of all communication is visual! And, our brains process images 60,000 times faster than text!
- Art Education is Essential because "... study of the visual arts enables all learners to understand their world and the culture and history of others." #Visual Arts Matters. (2020, NAEA)
- The Department of Education reports that access to arts education for students of color is significantly lower than for their white peers.
- Students from low socio-economic backgrounds, English language learners, and students with special needs—often underserved in public schools—realize particularly strong benefits through arts education. (Brouillette & Jennings, 2010; Brouillette, 2010; Carger, 2004; Montgomerie & Ferguson, 1999; Spina, 2006).
- English language learning (ELL) students’ comfort and proficiency in speaking English and vocabulary grew through discussion and dialogue about their artwork. These essential communications skills helped the ELL students advance in all areas of school (Craig & Paraiso, 2008).
- Arts programming fosters safe environments that allow participants from diverse backgrounds to engage in cross cultural dialogue, and promotes mutual respect and increased sensitivity towards cultural issues (Clover, 2006; Harland et al, 2000).
- Students from minority and low socio-economic backgrounds met or exceeded state testing averages when involved in arts integrated programming (Catterall, 2009).