College Board Reports Support Arts Standards

The College Board, in partnership with the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS), has released two new research reports designed to support the revision of the National Arts Education Standards:

A Review of Selected State Arts Standards examines the recently revised arts education standards (in dance, music, theatre, and visual arts) of eight states and districts; reviews media arts standards in four states or districts; and analyzes possible links between the new National Arts Education Standards and the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and math.
Child Development and Arts Education: A Review of Current Research and Best Practices is a literature review that analyzes research linking arts-based learning and human development, including physical and cognitive growth and academic skills such as long-term memory, reading, creative thinking, and writing fluency. The study also includes research on the social and emotional impact of arts participation.Visit the College Board for more information on these reports.
Nancy Rubino, senior director in the College Board’s Office of Academic Initiatives, said the Child Development and Arts Education study strongly demonstrated the impact of arts participation on student learning and development. “It is clear from the research we conducted in support of the Next Generation Arts Standards Project that learning through the arts provides the type of emotional, creative and expressive development that students can benefit from throughout their lives. If we as a nation are serious about building a road to success for every student, we must include the arts in curricular planning from the elementary through college levels.”

The College Board, an NCCAS member, has now conducted five research projects for the coalition’s Next Generation Arts Standards Project. NCCAS is committed to developing a next generation of voluntary, researched-based arts education standards that will build on the foundation created by the 1994 document (and the 2005 Standards for Learning and Teaching Dance in the Arts), support the 21st-century needs of students and teachers, help ensure that all students are college- and career-ready, and affirm the place of arts education in a balanced core curriculum.