Opinion: All Utah students deserve access to arts education

The arts are a valuable educational tool, but the students who need this resource the most still don’t have much access. Data shows a considerable number of students — primarily from high-poverty, underperforming schools — lack significant access to arts education. This demographic often comprises students of color, English language learners and those with special needs — groups that research suggests benefit significantly from exposure to art education. Consequently, the students who stand to gain the most from arts programs are the ones who are least likely to receive them.

Art education helps students, schools and communities by creating engaging learning opportunities for diverse groups of people, fostering the development of collaboration and communication skills and facilitating cross-cultural understanding.

The arts create engaging learning opportunities for diverse groups of people. Engaging in arts education provides students with a means to relate new information to their personal experiences and communicate their understanding to others, making the learning experience more meaningful. Those students who usually show disinterest in conventional classes are more inclined to participate in classes that incorporate arts, and attendance rates tend to be higher for students who receive instruction that integrates the arts compared to those who do not.

Another example of how art increases student engagement is the medium of dance/movement. Dance is a multi-sensory experience, and the engagement of multiple senses within learning experiences helps students of all abilities be more engaged and form connections with content. When considering students with disabilities developing their language skills, sensory perception, cognition and physical ability, dance/movement lessons can play a considerable role. Additionally, dance education addresses emotion, language, learning styles and assessment.

Art education fosters the development of collaboration and communication skills. According to Lauren Stevenson’s research, within the realm of the arts, students acquire the skill of expressing their intentions, engaging in constructive criticism and actively listening to the ideas of their peers. Through the process of creating art, students gain firsthand experience of being integral contributors to a community, collaborating as a team to identify and accomplish shared objectives.

Another example of the arts contributing to students developing communication and collaboration skills is the medium of music. Patricia Shehan Campbell’s research suggests that music integration encourages new ways of thinking and helps students form more connections with content, which leads to increased knowledge, self-confidence and self-expression.

Education in the arts facilitates cross-cultural understanding. Stevenson explains that participation in artistic activities cultivates pro-social behaviors and social tolerance, equipping students for life in an ever more global and culturally diverse environment. Activities such as ensemble performances and collaborative community mural painting, involving individuals from varied backgrounds, hold special significance in promoting the development of cross-cultural understanding.

Additionally, numerous educators in the arts advocate for the idea that a key goal of arts education is to nurture general attitudes and cognitive skills, with a particular emphasis on fostering creative thinking and the ability to establish meaningful connections. Researchers describe the learning experiences that result from involvement with the arts as “rich and complex for all learners, engaging them on many levels and helping them learn and grow in a variety of ways.”

Art education provides opportunities for engagement for people from various backgrounds. Art includes students with disabilities, students who speak different languages and come from different cultural backgrounds. Hence, it is crucial to prioritize the implementation of art education programs in low-income schools. This ensures that students from diverse backgrounds all have access to additional educational support and enriching learning experiences.

Izabela Comer is a graduate student studying art education in the MTFA program at the University of Utah. Having completed her bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2020, Izabela has since been working with students preK-12 and has become a major advocate for art integration in education programs. Upon completing her master’s degree, Izabela plans to design art integrated curriculum that strives to create a safe space for all students to empower and further develop their creative abilities and express themselves in a multitude of ways.

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