Dance is so much more - it's a universal language, it's math, it's science, history, physical education and it is art! According to a 2005 Harris Poll commissioned by Americans for the Arts, "93 percent of Americans agree that the arts are vital to providing a well-rounded education for children."  It has been proven that this type of children's performing arts program enhances the academic achievement of students.

 

Benefits from Arts Education

 

• Participation in music, the visual arts, and dance is linked to better performance in mathematics, science, and creative thinking.

• The arts nurture social skills and increase motivation to learn.

• Artistic exploration promotes the ability to pay attention for longer periods of time.

 

Arts Education in the Schools

 

• Arts education benefits all students, and the benefits are greatest for students who are educationally or economically disadvantaged.

• Partnerships among teachers, students, parents, and community groups are often strengthened by arts education.

• The No Child Left Behind Act identifies the arts as a "core academic subject."

 

Source: Sandra S. Ruppert, Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Achievement, National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and Arts Education Partnership, 2006.

 

Measurable Results of Our Programs

 

North Carolina Arts in Action uses the unique teaching techniques honed for more than 30 years by reknowned arts educator Jacques d’Amboise and the National Dance Institute, who currently reaches over 40,000 children annually in the United States and around the world. NC AIA teaching artists are thoroughly trained in these same techniques in both their initial in-depth training and on-going professional development with NDI – techniques that instill discipline, focus, tenacity and a high standard of excellence in elementary school children.
 

NC AIA’s impact has been validated by the Student Evaluation Analysis completed by The Link Group, a research firm based in Chapel Hill and Durham. Independently reported pre- and post- assessment research findings of the program indicate two important take-aways: 1. NC AIA has a positive impact on students’ attitude toward school, self-confidence, feelings of accomplishment, and ability to pay attention in class, as reported by students, teachers and parents. 2. Parents and educators are likely to recommend AIA to parents, educators and schools.
 

The data showed after participation in NC AIA programs:

• 95% of students feel better about what they can accomplish at school after completing the program

• 93% of students feel better about going to school on NC AIA days

• 90% report an increase in confidence

• 94% report an increase in focus during class

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Articles on Arts Education

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National Dance Institute's In-School Education Programs Evaluation
Executive Summary 
By Dr. Rob Horowitz, Associate Director of the Center for Arts Education Research at Teacher's College, Columbia University

Dr. Horowitz conducted an external evaluation of the National Dance Institute's (NDI) in-school program on partner schools, on student learning and classroom teachers, and elicited feedback from constituents on effective NDI teaching practice and program implementation. North Carolina Arts in Action is an affiliate program of NDI: New York.

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Study Links Art Classes to Academic Achievement
By Lori Olszewski, San Francisco Chronicle

A Stanford University professor has found that youngsters who dance, act, sing and paint in after-school arts programs are more likely to win academic awards and achieve, yet most American students have no weekly arts education.