Arts enrichment and school readiness for children at risk
Section snippets
Arts education
The role of arts education represents a subject of considerable controversy. Although most scholars and practitioners agree that arts education enhances artistic skills and development of the “whole child” (Zigler & Bishop-Josef, 2006), many debate whether it offers more (Catterall, 2003, Chapman, 2004). One prominent debate concerns transfer of training. Of the robust studies to date, few support claims that transfer is general, in that training in the arts bestows general intelligence (see
Kaleidoscope Preschool
Settlement Music School launched Kaleidoscope Preschool in 1990 to promote school readiness via arts enrichment, for young children at risk. The founders hoped that early arts experiences might develop artistic abilities and provide varied channels for acquiring school readiness skills. In particular, the founders expected that children from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds might benefit from the cultural relevance of arts education, and that those showing language-based learning delays
Present investigation
The present investigation includes two studies and addresses several questions regarding arts enrichment and school readiness for children at risk. Study 1 uses Kaleidoscope's curriculum-based checklists to examine pre-academic achievement within this arts enrichment program. Preliminary analyses for Study 1 assess the tenability of this type of integrated arts enrichment for early childhood by using teachers’ ability to report on the items included on the curriculum-based checklists as a
Method
This study examined pre-academic achievement for children attending Kaleidoscope's arts enrichment program. Parent interviews and child assessments provided information on variables of interest.
Method
This study compared receptive vocabulary for children attending Kaleidoscope versus those attending a nearby preschool, at the end of a year of program attendance. Individual parent interviews and child tasks provided information on variables of interest.
General discussion
Questions concerning arts enrichment and school readiness for children at risk motivated the present investigation. Study 1 used Kaleidoscope's curriculum-based checklists to assess the tenability of integrated arts enrichment for early childhood, the dose–response relationship for program attendance and achievement, and the possibility that arts enrichment might relate to equivalent achievement growth for students of varied racial/ethnic backgrounds and developmental levels. Study 2 used a
References (64)
Mozart and the mind: Factual and fictional effects of musical enrichment
- et al.
An ecological perspective on the transition to kindergarten: A theoretical framework to guide empirical research
Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology
(2000) - et al.
Teachers’ judgments of problems in the transition to kindergarten
Early Childhood Research Quarterly
(2000) - et al.
Continuity and change in levels of externalizing behavior in school of children from economically disadvantaged families
Child Development
(2003) - et al.
The relations between contextual risk, earned income, and the school adjustment of children from economically disadvantaged families
Developmental Psychology
(2004) - Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (2001). Commissioner's Office of Research and Evaluation and the Head...
- Administration on Children, Youth and Families. (2006). Commissioner's Office of Research and Evaluation and the Head...
- et al.
African American children and the educational process: Alleviating cultural discontinuity through prescriptive pedagogy
School Psychology Review
(1992) - et al.
Effective teaching strategies for middle school learners in multicultural, multilingual classrooms
Middle School Journal
(2007) - et al.
Eager to learn: Educating our preschoolers
(2001)
Perceived ecological congruence across family/school environments: Impact on the consistency of behavioral patterns and adaptation among children and youth
Journal of Community Psychology
The subservient, coequal, affective, and social integration styles and their implications for the arts
Arts Education Policy Review
Application of hierarchical linear models to assessing change
Psychological Bulletin
An investigation of classroom situational dimensions of emotional and behavioral adjustment and cognitive and social outcomes for Head Start children
Developmental Psychology
Learning in and through the arts: Curriculum implications
Bringing learning to life: A Reggio approach to early childhood education
Effects of early intervention on intellectual and academic achievement: A follow-up study of children from low-income families
Child Development
Cognitive and school outcomes for high-risk African-American students at middle adolescence: Positive effects of early intervention
American Educational Research Journal
Key issues for teaching English language learners in academic classrooms
Middle School Journal
Research and assessment on the arts and learning: Education Policy implications of recent research on the arts and academic and social development
Journal for Learning Through Music
No child left behind in art?
Arts Education Policy Review
Kaleidoscope: Profile of an arts-based early childhood program
Diverse teaching strategies for immigrant children
The cognitive and academic benefits of music to children: Facts and fiction
Educational Psychology
Brigance Preschool Screen-II
The fourth r: The arts and learning
Teachers College Record
Creative curriculum for early childhood
Income effects across the life span: Integration and interpretation
Family poverty, welfare reform, and child development
Child Development
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised manual for forms L and M
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test, 3rd ed.: Manual
Cited by (54)
Validation of the French and enriched version of the Feelings about School (FAS) with students aged 6 to 11
2024, Psychologie FrancaisePreface: The arts & early childhood
2018, Early Childhood Research QuarterlyIntegrating the arts into head start classrooms produces positive impacts on kindergarten readiness
2018, Early Childhood Research QuarterlyCitation Excerpt :The methodology in this study is scalable, and the results indicate a positive impact on Pre-K children’s preparation for academic success. This study is a more rigorous echo of previous studies in language development and emergent literacy (Phillips et al., 2010; Sousa, 2006; Tierney & Kraus, 2013) and social-emotional development (Brown et al., 2010; Brown & Sax, 2013; Lobo & Winsler, 2006), and an expansion to other key areas of early childhood development such as mathematics, science, social studies, and physical development. Due to school program constraints, the sampling plan in this study was a compromise between a random sample of treatment/comparison students versus a quasi-experimental design.
Cultivating interest in art: Causal effects of arts exposure during early childhood
2018, Early Childhood Research QuarterlyThe art of Head Start: Intensive arts integration associated with advantage in school readiness for economically disadvantaged children
2018, Early Childhood Research QuarterlyCitation Excerpt :Moreover, some empirical evidence suggests benefits of the arts for overall cognitive development (Schellenberg, 2005) as well as for the training of specific skills embedded in the arts, such as spatial-temporal reasoning (Rauscher & Hinton, 2011). Few robust studies have examined the impact of arts-integrated versus typical Head Start programming on the school readiness of children at risk via economic disadvantage (Bernhard et al., 2008; Brown et al., 2010; Brown & Sax, 2013; Lobo & Winsler, 2006; Rauscher, 2003). Results of the present study suggest benefits of arts-integrated Head Start for composite school readiness as well as for the specific areas of self and social awareness and understanding of texture and materials.
Advancing arts philanthropy practices for well-being
2024, Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing