The Edge Effect: Arts Impact on Learning and Living in the 21st Century

"What do you remember learning in school?" For most of us, regardless of our age, the "I remember when I..." is almost always followed by a description of something that we made/painted/performed/recited/creatively moved or pounded out a beat to.... We remember the experience because it was connected to all parts of us - the mind, the hand (or body), and the heart.

I have lost count of the number of times I have received the same type of answer when asking middle school students to describe something they have learned. I never forget the sparkle I see in their eyes and the enthusiasm I hear in their voices as they recount learning about something as they danced and moved, sang, acted, drew or constructed. Their responses are not surprises to me, but rather, confirmations of the many central roles the arts (dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) perform in our lives and learning.

Getting the edge in education

When a child learns in and through the arts, not only do they learn essential, core academic skills recognized by federal and state law, but these students reach higher levels of achievement in the other measurable academic areas. SAT scores reveal that Verbal and Mathematical scores are higher among students in the arts than those who took no arts course work.

Much of the growing body of educational research reveals that learning in and through the arts improves student success across the subject areas and:

• Reaches students who struggle to succeed in school (disadvantaged children, English language learners, special needs students) and increases their performances. Through the arts we celebrate all of our students' cultural and diversity needs.
• Motivates students to learn and become more involved in school, and increases students' attendance and engagement
• Promotes students' self confidence and fosters better relationships
• Nurtures creativity and curiosity

In these days of high stakes testing with an emphasis on math, reading, and writing, many times schools succumb to pressure to focus on the immediate stresses and emergent needs at the expense of other critical components of a comprehensive education. Our children will benefit when we remember that education's mission is to teach the whole child and to prepare them to be successful and productive in this 21^st century.

The arts equip our students with the creative, competitive edge in our global economy. Leaders in the business world identify insight, imagination, and ingenuity as the aspects that will determine this advantage. We are moving out of the Information Age and into the Conceptual Age, where the defining skills of analytical, logical and sequential thinking are not enough. The capabilities of inventiveness, empathy, pattern recognition, and meaning-making will guide our economic and social future.

A recent national poll by the Lake Research Partners identified that almost nine out of ten American voters believe that "the imagination is a key ingredient to innovation and student success." 88% of voters indicated that "arts are essential to building capacities of the imagination that lead to innovation in science, technology and business." Almost 75% of voters agree that "building capacities of the imagination is just as important as the ‘so called' basics for all students."

The skills needed for the future are integral to the arts. In our competitive, interdependent world it is vital that we understand that the arts are a primary, necessary learning tool to improve skills of critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, innovation, communication and collaboration, flexibility, initiative, and responsibility.

The arts are essential to the development of every child at each grade level, and offer children advantages now and in their futures. Today you can begin to ensure that all children receive multiple learning opportunities in all of the arts throughout their K - 12^th grade years. Whether you are a parent, a business person, an artist, or a community member, you can ask our schools:

• "How are all of our children (K-12) learning in and through the arts in our schools?
• "How are our teachers (generalists, non-arts educators, and arts specialists) learning to deliver standards-based arts' instruction?
• "Do our schools use local and state assessments (like the Washington State Classroom Based Performance Assessments (CBPAs) so that students can demonstrate what they know and can do in the arts?

Creating a curriculum that involves the mind, the hands and the heart, primarily by developing foundational elementary arts programs (both as arts classes and arts-integrated learning within other subject areas) can impact overall achievement and ready all learners' abilities to be involved in a world that requires creative solutions to challenging problems.

We have an incredible opportunity to ensure that we do not lose sight of the broader purpose of education that reaches beyond achievement in ‘the basics'. We cannot help but wonder what our schools (and society) would be like if all children had the opportunities to be deeply engaged in all subjects through arts integrated learning and arts classes; strengthen individual academic achievement, regardless of diverse and differentiated needs; meet the demands of the global 21^st century; and develop a joy in participating in the arts by creating, performing and responding.