Search Institute in Minneapolis MN has become a leader in research about young people’s success. They use the term ‘Spark’: The arts fit into that category. “Kids who know and develop their Sparks—and who have adults in their lives to help—have higher grades, better school attendance and physical health, empathy and social competence, concern for the environment, a desire to help others and a sense of purpose.”
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The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies This was Report #55 from the National Endowment of the Arts in 2012. The NEA overview report separates students by socio-economic bracket and quantity of arts experience, judged according to standards on page 9-10.
The single most startling piece of data to me/Priest is a graph on page 14 that shows that “High school students who earned few or no arts credits were five times more likely not to have graduated than students who earned many arts credits.”
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“The arts boost learning and achievement for students” summarizes a wide range of publications documenting the broad benefits of arts education for all students. From Americans for the Arts.
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