Professor Pat Thomson, CLA Senior Evidence Associate, surveys the latest international research on arts and cultural learning. Each month Professor Thomson puts a spotlight on a report that is particularly relevant for CLA, and which adds to the growing body of evidence on the value of arts teaching and experiences, in and out of school. This month we have a focus on the effects of arts education on school engagement, attendance and academic attainment, as surveyed in Boston Public Schools.
Bowen, D. H., & Kisida, B. (2024). Investigating Arts Education Effects on School Engagement and Climate. Educational Policy, 38(5), 1077-1107. (paywall)
This US study investigated the effects of arts education on school engagement and climate in Boston Public Schools, with a particular focus on attendance, student engagement, and school climate measures.
Bowen and Kisida conducted a comprehensive analysis using administrative and survey data from Boston Public Schools spanning 2008-2009 through 2018-2019. The substantial dataset consisted of 496,236 student-level observations across 169 traditional public schools, including student course enrolments, demographics, attendance, discipline records, and standardised test scores, along with school-level survey data from students and teachers on engagement and school climate measures. The study employed statistical models controlling for student and school fixed effects to examine how arts course-taking affected various outcomes.
The findings revealed three significant patterns.
Bowen and Kisida examined engagement. The research found that a 20-percentage point increase in arts course enrolment was associated with improved student-assessed learning engagement and better student assessment of teacher engagement. Teachers reported enhanced perceptions of student and parent engagement, along with an increased sense of respect from students and parents.
Students taking arts courses showed modest improvements in average daily attendance, with a 0.2 percentage point increase, translating to approximately one-third of a day per student in a 180-day school year. Larger positive effects were found for students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs), those with lower standardised test scores, and students with a history of chronic absenteeism. The researchers say,
“This effect translates into nine additional days of instruction for a class of 25 students. The positive effect on attendance is also reflected in a half of a percentage point decrease in the likelihood that a student is chronically absent. These attendance effects may appear small but are substantial when compared to effects of recent (US) interventions designed for mitigating truancy.” (p 2)
The researchers also looked at academic achievement. While there were no significant overall effects on English Language or maths achievement (as measured on standardised tests) for the full sample, some small positive effects were found for middle school students. The study revealed that effects were generally stronger for specific subgroups, including students with Individual Education Plans, those with lower test scores, students with a history of chronic absenteeism, African-American students, and elementary school students compared to secondary school students.
The researchers claim the research shows modest but consistent effects that demonstrate arts education improves school engagement and climate, with particular benefits for traditionally underserved students. They conclude that:
“Students receiving the arts in school attend more, are more engaged, and their parents and teachers are also more likely to participate and be actively engaged at school. As education administrators and policymakers seek ways to connect with students and their parents, these results suggest one strategy for improving school engagement and climate is through strengthening arts education.” (p 22)
The paper is freely available here.
