Date of Award

Fall 12-2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

EdD Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Department

Education Leadership, Management and Policy

Advisor

Jill Patterson, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Daniel Gutmore, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Linda Freda, Ed.D.

Keywords

Visual and Performing Arts, Graduation Rates, Education

Abstract

Emerging issues, including limited financial resources, funding from public sources, and the increasing demand for academic excellence and achievement, are forcing high schools to reassess how current resources are allocated within their institutions. Public schools continue to look to become more efficient and strategic in the allocation of their available resources for promoting academically focused and successful students. The value of programs that are not directly connected to the standardized testing system currently in place, such as arts education, are often overlooked when school districts make their financial decisions. This is problematic because the benefits afforded to students through the participation in visual and performing arts courses are present both inside and outside of the classroom. To those points, the purpose of this study is to examine if an association exists between the types of arts programs available to students, average school wide participation rates, and graduation rates. There were three key findings from this study. Those key findings were that a positive relationship exists between average 4-year participation rates in visual and performing arts and average 4-year graduation rates, that socioeconomic status was an indicator of the number of courses and concentrations offered in a district, and that a school’s DFG did not impact the depth of courses offered. These findings have implications for future policies, practice, and research studies.

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