Selection into, and academic benefits from, arts-related courses in middle school among low-income, ethnically diverse youth.

Abstract

It is critical for research on the effects of arts engagement to identify and carefully control for preexisting selection factors that differentiate those who do and do not get exposure to the arts. We prospectively followed a large and diverse sample of preschool children (n = 31,332; 61% Latino, 32% Black, 55% ELL, 81% free/reduced lunch) until they completed 6th, 7th, and/or 8th grade. School readiness was assessed during pre-K, and archival public-school data were collected in middle school. Overall, 40% of students took some kind of arts elective course (music, dance, drama, visual art) during middle school. Black students, males, students with disabilities, those previously retained, and those not English proficient had reduced odds of taking an arts class. Children with stronger school readiness skills at age 4 and stronger academics in 5th grade were more likely to enroll in arts-related courses. Importantly, controlling for prior variables associated with selection into the arts, including prior academic performance, students with exposure to an arts elective in middle school subsequently had significantly higher GPAs and math and reading scores, and decreased odds of school suspension, compared to students not exposed to the arts.

Predictors of Taking Elective Music Courses in Middle School Among Low-SES, Ethnically Diverse Students in Miami

“…However, even when available, Black students are less likely to enroll in orchestra compared to other racial-ethnic groups. Authors of other research examining ethnic differences in middle school arts participation more broadly, including music, visual art, drama, and dance, similarly find that Black students not only attend schools with fewer arts opportunities but that even when available, they are also less likely to select into arts opportunities (Winsler et al, 2019). Researchers need to investigate further why, even when given the opportunity, Black students are not choosing to enroll in school music and the arts compared to other groups.…”

“…School readiness was measured directly during the students' preK year by welltrained outside assessors or by the student's preK teacher, and parents and teachers reported on the child with the survey instruments described later (Crane et al, 2011;Winsler et al, 2008Winsler et al, , 2019. School system student records were collected for each child from kindergarten through eighth grade.…”

“…Participants of this study were children from the Miami School Readiness Project (MSRP; Winsler et al, 2008Winsler et al, , 2019, a large-scale, prospective longitudinal study that followed five cohorts of children who attended either community-based childcare with subsidies or public school preK programs at age 4 between 2002 and 2007 in Miami, Florida. Not all cohorts in the sample reached seventh or eighth grade by the 2013-2014 academic year, when data collection stopped.…”

Selection into, and academic benefits from, middle school dance elective courses among urban youth.

“…We used data from the Miami School Readiness Project (MSRP; Winsler et al, 2008Winsler et al, , 2019, a large-scale, university-community partnership using a prospective, cohort-sequential, longitudinal design. Research for this project received institutional review board approval.…”

Did consequential accountability policies decrease the share of visual and performing arts education in U.S. public secondary schools during the No Child Left Behind era?

“…Randomized control trials have found causal effects between arts engagement on the one hand and reduced disciplinary actions toward students and improved compassion and empathy, test scores, college aspirations, and executive function among children and adolescents, on the other (Bowen & Kisida, 2019;Holochwost et al, 2017;Schellenberg, 2004). In addition, quasiexperimental studies that control for student demographics and prior academic achievement have linked school-based arts engagement to better academic outcomes during middle and high school, improved wellbeing, and increased rates of high school graduation, aspirations to attend college, and college attendance (Cabrera et al, 2019;Catterall et al, 2012;Elpus, 2013;Winsler et al, 2020). School-based arts education is also critical to the skill development of aspiring artists or performers, particularly among children from under-resourced areas who would typically not have access to such experiences (Ruppert, 2010).…”