State Education Standard State Education Standard

January 2020 — Volume 20, No. 1

The Role of Arts Integration and Education in Improving Student Outcomes

By Yinmei Wan, Meredith Ludwig, Andrea Boyle, and Jim Lindsay

State boards of education rely on educators and researchers for evidence about the value of approaches in arts education—as in all other disciplines—to help them weigh needs against the investment and the opportunities for good outcomes for all students and their communities. Yet there is only a modest body of rigorous research to inform education policy decisions related to arts education or arts integration.


The Role of Arts Integration and Education in Improving Student Outcomes





Also In this Issue

Children play xylophones. Image credit: Blanca Velazquez-Martin

The Art of Early Childhood Education

By Eleanor D. Brown

Arts integration shows promise for school readiness, emotion regulation, and stress reduction in the youngest, most vulnerable students.





Image credit: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research

How Arts Education Supports Social-Emotional Development: A Theory of Action

By Camille Farrington and Steve Shewfelt

Instructional practices rooted in action and reflection could transform how all disciplines build students' competencies.





Painted Desert Sunset. Image credit: iStock

Advancing Arts Education in Arizona

By Catherine "Rusty" Foley

Arizona leverages partnerships, ESSA funding, and a diploma seal to bolster equitable access to arts learning.





Hands of young potter, creating earthen jar on the circle. Image credit: iStock

Arts in Turnaround Strategies

By Valerie Norville

A+ Schools and Turnaround Arts schools commit to a model of school improvement.





Using Arts Data to Match Community Organizations to School Needs

By Valerie Norville

Six communities follow Chicago's lead in developing arts education census data and maps.





Choir behind microphones. Image credit: iStock

Using ESSA to Leverage Arts Education Policy

By Lynn Tuttle

Several states are using ESSA to increase access and quality in arts instruction.





Students making mosaic. Image credit: iStock

The ESSA Arts Indicator in Illinois: A Study in the Art of Policymaking

By Jonathan VanderBrug

Arts educators bring creativity and process expertise to their work on statewide accountability.





Boy builds gumdrop and toothpick structure. Image credit: iStock

The Role of Arts Integration and Education in Improving Student Outcomes

By Yinmei Wan, Meredith Ludwig, Andrea Boyle, and Jim Lindsay

If research is to inform state policy, important gaps in research should be filled.





Arts as a Core Academic Subject. Image: ECS

Expanding Access to High-Quality Arts Instruction

By Mary Dell'Erba

Advancing research and innovative policies can move states toward universal access to a quality arts education.







Featured Items

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School Improvement and Accountability

The authors in this issue share what they have learned about what is most likely to move the needle on student learning and how to ensure states and districts are directing resources toward what matters most for improving outcomes
Two female teachers sitting at a table, having a discussion in the lobby area in the school they work at in Gateshead, North East England. They are talking about school issues together while using a laptop. i

Preparing Principals to Lead Innovative High Schools

By better aligning principal preparation, licensure, and support systems, state boards of education can unlock the potential of innovative high school models.

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