MACT

I think it’s fair to say that most people involved in theatre at the community or even professional level got their first exposure to theatre during their time in our schools. March is designated as “Theatre in our Schools” month to call attention to and promote the positive effects theatre has on our children. Effects that will last throughout their lives, whether they continue involvement in theatre or not. In particular, the self-confidence and presentation skills learned in theatre will stay with them and benefit them through adulthood.

For the 31 days of March, here are 31 theatre arts related facts:

1. 95% of school administrators believe that theatre experiences improve students’ overall academic skills. 2012 EdTA-Utah State University Survey of Theatre Education Programs in U.S. High Schools
2. As of 2020, the last comprehensive national arts education report by the U.S. Department of Education is over 10 years old. Americans for the Arts
3. Audience-based participation in the arts and personal participation in creating art are both linked to higher levels of civic engagement and social tolerance. Journal of Civil Society, Leroux and Bernadska, 2019
4. Arts education helps to increase students’ ability to manage behavior, make decisions, and cultivate a positive concept of the self. William Penn Foundation, Holochwost, Palmer Wolf, Fisher, & O’Grady, 2016
5. 44 states require districts or schools to offer arts instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school level, but only 32 states define the arts in statute or code as a core or academic subject. National Center for Education Statistics, 2020
6. “I have found that using theatre exercises to develop skills in listening, trust, improvisation, imagination, and role-play can help scientists become better able to collaborate and communicate their work.” Patricia Raun, 2017 EdTA Conference
7. At-risk middle school students engaged in an after-school musical theatre program demonstrate improved confidence, creativity, resiliency, responsibility, collaboration, and sense of community. Capturing Student and Teacher Creative Growth through the After-School JumpStart Theatre Program, Year Two Report, 2017
8. In 2015, students who took four years of arts classes in high school scored an average of 92 points higher on their SATs than students who took only one-half year or less. The College Board 2016
9. Middle school teachers invested in an after-school musical theatre program gain creativity and problem-solving skills, sense of community, resilience, and theatre expertise. Capturing Student and Teacher Creative Growth through the After-School JumpStart Theatre Program, Year Two Report, 2017
10. High school students who earn multiple arts credits are five times more likely to graduate than students with low involvement in the arts. National Endowment for the Arts: The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth, 2012
11. Students attending live performances of theater (i.e., field trips and school performances) demonstrated higher levels of social emotional skills, and stronger command of the plot and vocabulary of the play they attended, versus viewing movie adaptations of the same plays. Educational Researcher, 2018
12. “We must not fail to create career pathways for students of the arts—career pathways that provide even more reason to stay in school for students confidently moving toward a bright future.” Dr. Kimberly Brown, The Arts and Dropout Prevention: The Power of Art to Engage, 2017
13. “An arts education has been shown to raise students’ ability to critique themselves, their willingness to experiment, their ability to reflect, and also to learn from mistakes.” Arts Education Policy Review; Robinson, 2013
14. High school students engaged in actor training develop a higher level of empathy, heightened understanding of what others are thinking and feeling, and are better able to control their own positive and negative emotions. Mind, Brain and Education, 2011
15. “Arts integration leads to deeper learning, including making connections between new learning and previously learned concepts, stronger analytical skills, and enhanced ability to synthesize information into global conceptual thinking.” Mobile Brain-Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity, MM Hardiman, 2019
16. A 2018 academic outcomes report revealed that “white students earned more credits in fine arts (2.0 credits) than Asian students (1.8 credits), and both groups earned more credits than Hispanic students (1.6 credits) and Black students (1.5 credits).” US Department of Education 2019
17. Arts students whose teachers receive professional development in balanced arts assessment demonstrate significantly greater achievement than students’ whose teachers do not. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 2014
18. “Only 15% of job success comes from technical skills and knowledge. The other 85% comes from well-developed soft-skills, things like the ability to listen, artistic sense, nonverbal communication, enthusiasm, and storytelling. Isn’t this the focus of our work in theatre?” Patricia Raun, 2017 EdTA Conference
19. Looking at the top 10 most-produced plays and musicals performed in high schools during the 2019-2020 season, 5 of the 35 playwrights/music teams identify as female (14%), and 30 as male (86%). EdTA Play Survey, 2020
20. Dramatic enactments of scientific concepts allow elementary students to connect to science learning through movement, language, social interaction, and collaboration. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 2010
21. Fourth-grade students whose language arts and social studies curricula integrated theatre into their classes are almost 100% more likely to pass a state-based language arts test. Youth Theatre Journal, 2011
22. 89% of surveyed business executives participated in the arts during their school careers. Unmasking Business Success, 2015
23. Arts students were 20% less likely to have an out-of-school suspension for each year of arts studied. Based on findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Kenneth Elpus, University of Maryland, 2013.
24. Participation in the arts is connected to reducing the proportion of students in a school receiving disciplinary infractions in K-8 schools. Kinder Institute’s Houston Education Research Consortium and the Brookings Institution, 2018
25. Out of 3,297 schools surveyed by EdTA during the 2019-2020 season, 85% reported canceling performances, and 28% said they canceled five or more performances due to COVID-19. EdTA Play Survey, 2020
26. This year, survey respondents reported a total audience of 3.6 million for their school theatre programs with an estimated 2.6 million additional audience members lost to COVID-19 cancellations. EdTA Play Survey, 2020
27. Most high school theatre programs rely entirely on box office revenue to support their activities. 2012 EdTA-Utah State University Survey of Theatre Education Programs in U.S. High Schools
28. Applied Theater techniques in the classroom increase students’ self-esteem and develop their ability to empathize with others. Creativity Research Journal, 2020
29. Arts education promotes academic self-efficacy and engagement in school, both predictors of persistence to graduation. Arts Education Review; Beveridge, 2010.
30. Disadvantaged students in grades 8-12 who receive an arts education are three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree than students who lack those experiences. National Endowment for the Arts, 2016
31. Students with high levels of arts involvement are less likely to drop out of school. The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies, 2012