The Socioemotional Benefits of the Arts: A New Mandate for Arts Education

The William Penn Foundation commissioned a study to move beyond the anecdotal and see if and how students benefited from being involved in some of its grantee arts programs. The research by WolfBrown, working with Johns Hopkins University, showed that participating in the arts help students develop traits that contribute to later success in life. Younger students especially showed measurable growth in characteristics like tolerance for other points of view, an understanding that hard work can develop their knowledge and abilities, and their motivation to achieve.