School Arts = Higher Scores

Integration boosts standardized test results

The Developing Reading Education with Arts Methods (DREAM) was put in place for third and fourth graders in 10 school districts with a $1 million grant from the US Department of Education. Three years later the results of this integrative program has shown an “87-gain average gain on the state standardized reading test for third graders in 2010-11″.

The work is being led by the California State University San Marcos and the San Diego County Office of Education. Laurie Stowell is a professor of literacy education and said “Art is just another way to make sense of the world, and that’s what reading and writing is about …”

You can read the entire article and findings in the U~T San Diego, February 18, 2012, written by Pat Flynn at http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/feb/10/student-scores-improve-with-unique-arts-program/