By Kathleen J. Tate, Ph.D.
Professor and Program Director of Teaching, School of Education, American Public University
The role of visual art, music, dance, and theatre in K–12 education is changing and gaining renewed attention. Initiatives such as Rhode Island School of Design’s promotion of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) emphasize that the arts belong at the center of conversations about effective practice in elementary education. Advocates argue that the arts are not optional extras but essential to developing creativity, innovation, and the future workforce.
STEAM supporters outline a logical chain of benefits:
- Arts education fosters creativity;
- Creativity drives innovation;
- Innovation generates new industries;
- New industries create jobs that sustain future economic well-being.
Albert Einstein is often cited when discussing imagination and learning: “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” In today’s competitive global economy, nurturing imagination and creativity through arts education supports broader innovation across fields and industries.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has emphasized that arts education is more important than ever, noting that creativity is essential in the global economy. The arts promote creative thinking and problem solving, and when integrated across subject areas they enhance learning in mathematics, science, language arts, and social studies. For these reasons, many educators and policymakers call for stronger integration of arts into core curricula.
Arts-based Teaching Models in Elementary Schools
Goldberg (2011) recommends teaching about, with, and through the arts. Many elementary schools offer rotation models where students periodically attend music, visual art, and physical education classes. Those programs typically focus on learning about the arts, exposing children to artistic techniques and concepts.
Community programs across the country provide additional arts opportunities. Examples include citywide partnerships that connect schools with local arts organizations, lesson resources, and teacher professional development. These programs aim for a deeper approach—teaching about, with, and through the arts—so that the arts become an integrated part of classroom learning rather than an isolated subject.
The long-term goal is for elementary teachers to enter and remain in the profession with the skills to design and implement integrated lessons that include multiple subject areas and the arts, sometimes incorporating STEM content. Arts integration can be implemented school-wide or at the classroom level. Whole-school models often expand arts instruction and build interdisciplinary programming with community partners and visiting artists. Classroom-level models may involve an artist in residence collaborating with a teacher to plan and deliver arts-based lessons. The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities recommends collaboration among stakeholders, the growth of arts-integration practice, increased opportunities for in-school teaching artists, and stronger evidence gathering to support arts education policy.
Why Arts-based Teaching?
Research and reviews of the literature indicate that arts-based teaching improves relationships and fosters more cooperative and creative problem solving within communities and schools. Schoolwide approaches can boost parent engagement while classroom-level initiatives often enhance school climate by increasing attendance, participation, and communication. Overall, arts-based instruction produces positive cognitive and affective outcomes. Students show greater interest, motivation, and enthusiasm for learning, and they develop creativity, self-direction, and complex thinking skills.
Many skills needed in STEM overlap with abilities cultivated by the arts. Sousa and Pilecki (2013) identify shared skills such as:
- Curiosity and inquiry;
- Accurate observation;
- The capacity to perceive objects in multiple forms;
- The ability to construct meaning and express observations clearly;
- Effective collaboration and teamwork;
- Spatial reasoning;
- Kinesthetic awareness.
Research also finds positive links between music instruction and academic progress, and evidence suggests that participation in the arts improves both short-term and long-term memory, stimulates creativity, supports social development, and reduces stress. These benefits contribute to whole-child development and support academic success across subject areas. Providing children with time and opportunity for arts experiences helps them grow in more comprehensive and balanced ways.
Arne Duncan states:
I believe that all students should have the opportunity to experience the arts in deep and meaningful ways. The opportunity to learn about the arts and to perform as artists is an essential part of a well-rounded curriculum and complete education. The study of drama, dance, music, and the visual arts helps students explore realities, relationships, and ideas that cannot be conveyed simply in words or numbers. The ability to perform and create in the fine arts engenders innovative problem-solving skills that students can apply to other academic disciplines and provides experiences working as a team. Equally important, arts instruction supports success in other subjects. Visual arts instruction improves reading readiness, and learning to play a musical instrument or to master musical notation helps students to succeed in math. Reading, math, and writing require students to understand and use symbols — and so does assembling shapes and colors in a portrait or using musical notes to learn fractions. Experiences in the arts are valuable on their own, but they also enliven learning of other subjects, making them indispensable for a complete education in the 21st century.
Given these benefits, it is time for schools, districts, community organizations, state agencies, artists, universities, and other stakeholders to work together more intentionally to ensure teachers design instruction that teaches about, with, and through the arts. Stronger partnerships, professional learning, and policy supports can help integrate the arts into everyday classroom practice and prepare students with the creative capacities needed for future success.
References
Goldberg, M. (2011). Arts integration: Teaching subject matter through the arts in multicultural settings (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH). (2011). Reinvesting in arts education: Winning America’s future through creative schools. (Report).
Rooney, R. (2004). Arts-based teaching: A review of the literature. (Literature review).
Sousa, D. A., & Pilecki, T. (2013). From STEM to STEAM: Using brain-compatible strategies to integrate the arts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
About the Author
Dr. Kathleen J. Tate has more than 19 years of experience as a special education teacher, researcher, and professor. She is Professor and Program Director of Teaching in the School of Education at American Public University. Dr. Tate earned a B.A. in Soviet and East European Studies with a minor in Economics and an M.Ed. in Special Education from the University of Texas, and a Ph.D. in Elementary Education from Florida State University. She holds lifetime Texas teaching certificates in Elementary (1st–8th), PreK–12 Special Education, and 1st–8th Theatre Arts, and has completed graduate coursework for Visual Impairment Certification (PreK–12).
Dr. Tate has classroom experience teaching students with diverse disabilities in inclusive and resource settings across elementary grades and has served on tenure-track faculty at Auburn University and the University of West Georgia. She has developed university courses in creative arts and creative drama, including a graduate course in elementary arts integration for an M.Ed. program. Her scholarship includes peer-reviewed publications and work on topics such as humane education, mixed-methods research, underserved populations, multimodal teaching and learning, and integrated thematic instruction.