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Nobody is born a racist. Children only begin to recognize difference in skin color and other physical traits around the age of 3. By the age of 5, however, they’re capable of developing negative biases based on these differences. And if they come from an environment with little to no exposure to other races and cultures,...

Is it possible that the skills mastered in arts education could be transferrable to other areas of the curriculum? It certainly seems that way. But this shouldn’t come as any big surprise. After all, if you’re over the age of 40, you probably still remember the function of a conjunction thanks to Schoolhouse Rock. And...

Creativity has always been a key part of being human. 40,000 years ago, people were making art. Of course, this said “art” consisted mostly of rudimentary drawings of animals or outlined hands of the sort young children fill in with turkey parts during Thanksgiving.  Plus, back then, creativity was more of a necessity. Early humans...

Every year, Randy Cohen compiles a list of the top ten reasons to support the arts for that given year. 2019 has been no different. So who is Randy Cohen? Only the Vice President of Research and Policy at Americans for the Arts since 1991. That’s who. So yeah, Cohen knows his stuff. He’s considered...

Any educator worth his or her salt wants their students to be successful in life. So they work hard imparting to their students the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure this success. Or, at least, success in college and the career world. And that’s the tricky part. Because that success is still largely determined by...

Arts education teachers – and arts integration teachers in particular – are often asked, “how can you tell if the students are actually learning anything? In other words, how does one go about assessing arts education? It’s not as clearcut as a scientific formula or a math equation. But there are actually plenty of ways....

If you regularly read our blog, then you must be some sort of wizard. And if you’re an avid follower, then you have surely gotten wind of the cognitive and social benefits of arts education. Dr. Mike Mitchell, principal of Arts Academy in the Woods in Fraser, Michigan, is back this week to dazzle us...

Our most recent blog post highlighted the many years of research backing the importance of arts-integration for academic achievement. And that research just keeps on coming. Earlier this year, it came out of the esteemed Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland. Mariale Hardiman and colleagues from the university’s School of Education and Center for Talented Youth enlisted 350...

Are you curious about the benefits of arts education? Especially when it comes to the latest research? If you’ve been following our “First Mondays with Dr. Mike Mitchell” blog posts, then you’re at least somewhat qualified to talk about the harrowing history of arts education. And you’re also aware that as principal of an arts...

There are so many myths about arts education and what students learn at an arts academy high school. Some folks believe that an arts academy education means drawing and painting all day without so much as a thought about academics. Others liken it to the movie or TV series Fame – forgetting that this is,...