Access to High School Arts Education - Why Student Participation Matters as Much as Course Availability

Oct 15, 2026

There is renewed interest in arts education within U.S. public-school curricula due to the intrinsic value of the arts and its perceived impact on achievement, as well as the belief that creativity fosters innovation and economic growth. However, basic access to arts education remains poorly understood. Using individual-level administrative data, the study develops access indices to identify high schools rich in the arts. Findings show course quantity does not guarantee student participation, so evaluating only course counts misrepresents arts access.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Access measurement approach

Key findings

Policy implications

education policy analysis archives A peer-reviewed, independent, open access, multilingual journal Arizona State University | Volume 21 Number 83 November 4th, 2013 | ISSN 1068-2341 | | --- | --- | Access to High School Arts Education: Why Student Participation Matters as Much as Course Availability M. Kathleen Thomas Mississippi State University Priyanka Singh Education Research Center at The University of Texas at Dallas Kristin Klopfenstein Education Innovation Institute at University of Northern Colorado & Thomas Henry U.S. Food and Drug Administration U. S.A. Citation: Thomas, M. K., Singh, P., Klopfenstein, K., & Henry, T. (2013) . Access to High School Arts Education: Why Student Participation Matters as Much as Course Availability. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 21 (83) Retrieved [date], from [http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1224](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/1224) [Abstract:](Abstract: There is renewed interest in the role of arts education in the curriculum of U.S. public)[ There is renewed interest in the role of arts education in the curriculum of U.S. public](Abstract: There is renewed interest in the role of arts education in the curriculum of U.S. public)[ ](Abstract: There is renewed interest in the role of arts education in the curriculum of U.S. public)schools not only because of the intrinsic value of the arts and its believed impact on achievement, but because cultivating creativity is thought to promote innovation and fuel economic growth. Still, we know little about basic access to arts education. Using individuallevel administrative data from The University of Texas at Dallas Education Research Center (UTD-ERC), we develop several distinct indices of access to identify high schools rich in the arts. We find that high schools offering an extensive number of courses in the arts do not Journal website: [http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ ](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript)[ Manuscript](http://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/ Manuscript) received: 8/31/2012 Facebook: /EPAAA Revisions received: 8/22/2013 Twitter: @epaa_aape Accepted: 8/23/2013 Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 21 No. 83 2 necessarily enjoy high rates of student participation. Policymakers who examine access based only on course counts in the arts will identify predominately large, non-rural high schools as having arts-rich environments. Evaluating arts programs along a single dimension, as is common in federal reports and other studies, fails to provide an accurate representation of access to arts education. Any examination of access to arts education should jointly consider course availability and student engagement in the arts. Policymakers can follow our approach and develop similar indices to assess the current state of arts education in their states. Keywords: Art education; music education; theatre arts; dance education; disproportionate representation; secondary school curriculum; course selection (students); Texas; 2010; factor analysis El acceso a la Educación Artística en la Escuela Secundaria: ¿Por qué la participaciónestudiantil es tan importante como la disponibilidad del curso Resumen: Existe un renovado interés en el papel de la educación artística en el currículo de las escuelas públicas de Estados Unidos, no sólo por el valor intrínseco de las artes y su impacto en el rendimiento, sino porque el cultivo de la creatividad se cree promueve la innovación y el crecimiento económico. Sin embargo, sabemos muy poco sobre el acceso básico a la educaciónartística. Utilizando los datos administrativos a nivel individual del Centro de Investigación en Educación de la Universidad de Texas en Dallas (UTD-ERC), desarrollamos varios índices deacceso para identificar las escuelas secundarias con mayor acceso a las artes. Encontramos que las escuelas secundarias que ofrecen un gran número de cursos de artes no disfrutannecesariamente de altas tasas de participación de los estudiantes. Las au

FAQs

Why is arts education gaining renewed attention in U.S. public schools?

It is valued for the intrinsic benefits of the arts and its perceived impact on achievement, and creativity is thought to promote innovation and economic growth.

What problem does the study address about arts education access?

It notes that little is known about basic access and that relying only on course counts does not accurately reflect student participation in arts education.

How should policymakers evaluate access to high school arts education, according to the study?

Policymakers should jointly consider course availability and student engagement, using indices similar to those developed in the study.

Oct 15, 2026

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