What is the importance of an arts-rich education on later overall education attainment? Research presented yesterday by Dr. James S. Catterall from the UCLA Center for Culture, Brain and Development, showed that those who had intensive involvement in the arts in grades 8-12 were more likely to attend college and complete degrees. In his talk at Actor’s Theatre, sponsored by Louisville’s Art and Cultural Attractions Council, Dr. Catterall showed the correlation between arts education and involvement to increased student achievement and higher levels of community engagement in adult life, such as voting. Particularly relevant to 55K, a rich arts education led to a significantly greater likelihood to get an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. (See chart). Importantly, these effects were even greater for low-income students.
He also shared interesting findings from neuroscience. It turns out the same parts of the brain that indicate empathic behavior also light up when the person is involved in an arts activity. So kids involved in the visual and performing arts are building skills in collaborative problem solving, teaming and communication (particularly listening) – all the attributes employers say are important in the 21st century workplace.
Learn more about this connection in Prof. Catterall’s book, Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art (2009 Imagination Group/I-Group Book.)
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