Arts Educational Benefits for Students With Disabilities

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session Two
  In Roundtable Session: Arts Education and Academic Outcomes (Table 4)

Abstract

The arts provide immense opportunities for student engagement. More so than other subjects, the arts regularly facilitate and validate diverse student perspectives and experiences through a variety of media. Such opportunities are critical for students with disabilities, who often encounter barriers with schools’ prevailing media of oral and written communication. Despite this contention, there is limited evidence to assess these claims. Using data from a 42-school RCT of arts learning opportunities’ impacts on educational outcomes, we examine their impacts on the 1,876 K-8 students receiving special education services. We find arts learning has substantial positive impacts on school discipline and transfer. These findings provide valuable contributions to the fields of arts and special education research and have meaningful policy implications.

Authors

• Daniel H. Bowen, Texas A&M University
  Presenting Author

• Brian Kisida, University of Missouri
  Non-Presenting Author