In-school arts education and academic achievement: A child fixed effects approach

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to estimate the within-child associations of in-school arts education and achievement in reading and mathematics, using four waves of data (kindergarten, 1^st-grade, 3^rd-grade, and 5^th-grade) from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Fixed effects techniques were applied to adjust for the confounding effects of all stable child characteristics. Arts education (minutes per week of art and music instruction) positively predicted academic achievement and growth in reading and mathematics from kindergarten to 5^th-grade. Moreover, the positive associations increased in strength as students progressed to later grades.

KEYWORDS:

• Achievement
• art
• ECLS-K
• fixed effects
• music

Acknowledgments

Grateful acknowledgments go to Daniel Hart, Paul Jargowsky, and Chris Nave for their technical advice and review of this article. Opinions stated are those of Abigail Todhunter-Reid and do not necessarily reflect those of the affiliated parties.