Investigating the Causal Effects of Arts Education Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • AbstractThere is a paucity of research on the causal relationship between arts learning and educational outcomes. Investigating these relationships has become imperative as policymakers increasingly prioritize empirical evidence of educational impacts, which often leads to curriculum narrowing that favors traditionallytested subjects. Employing a randomized controlled trial with 42 elementary and middle schools in Houston, Texas, we find that randomly assigning arts educational opportunities reduces disciplinary infractions, improves writing achievement, and increases students emotional empathy. Students in elementary schools, which were the primary focus of the program, also experience increases in school engagement, college aspirations, and cognitive empathy. As the first largescale randomized control trial of arts learning in an authentic school setting, these findings provide strong evidence that the arts can produce meaningful impacts on students academic outcomes and socialemotional development. Education policymakers should consider these benefits when assessing the role of the arts in schools.

published proceedings

  • JOURNAL OF POLICY ANALYSIS AND MANAGEMENT

altmetric score

  • 80.7

author list (cited authors)

  • Bowen, D. H., & Kisida, B.

citation count

  • 2

complete list of authors

  • Bowen, Daniel H||Kisida, Brian

publication date

  • June 2023

publisher