VDM Mamrak, R: Improving Schools through the Arts

Budget cuts and mandatory high-stakes testing have caused many American public schools to reduce art instruction. In addition to the reduction of art instruction in formal curricula, incorporation of art into classroom teaching strategies has also declined. While many schools neglect art to focus on subject areas addressed by mandated tests, others have embraced the arts as an instructional strategy to improve test scores. Improving Schools through the Arts presents a case study of A Mississippi school that has seen dramatic improvement in standardized test scores and overall student achievement by infusing art throughout its curriculum. Art is used in every class every day. The study investigated the process through which art infusion takes place in that school. It focused on the reasons the school infuses the arts throughout the curriculum, the administrator's role in the infusion process, and specific classroom strategies for art infusion. The study should be helpful to school administrators looking for innovative, comprehensive school improvement strategies as well as classroom teachers interested in enhancing their practice through the arts.