Arts in Schools

Study after study has proven that the arts are not only important in themselves but that they improve students’ abilities in other subject areas. According to a 1988 study, students taking four years of music, dance, drama or visual arts scored 34 points higher on verbal SATs and 18 points higher on the math SATs than those taking less than one year of arts instruction. Still many people, including policy-makers, continue to act as if arts education is a frill.

It is not a coincidence that the decline in arts education programs in California mirrors the high school dropout rate and the plummeting SAT scores.

ALAN ZITER, Member of the board, California Confederation of the Arts