Arts Education and Black and Latinx Student Achievement: Evidence from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009

Previous studies examine quantitative connections between arts education and academic achievement, utilizing standardized test scores as measures of student performance. While the benefits of the arts for all students net of family socioeconomic status and school location have been highlighted, more research is needed to examine its effects on racially and ethnically marginalized populations, specifically Black and Latinx students. Currently, a small pool of literature has sought to tackle this gap, though not much progress has been made beyond isolated studies (Walker, 1995; Walton, 2018). Acknowledging the Eurocentric tendencies of U.S. educational institutions, we draw on cultural citizenship and equity pedagogy theories to understand how arts education may facilitate a sense of belonging, foster academically-oriented identities, and create school environments that validate the cultures of nonwhite students. Utilizing data from the National Center for Education Statistics’ High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we test the hypothesis that Black and Latinx high school students who complete arts coursework achieve higher overall grade point averages (GPAs) and lower rates of dropout in comparison to Black and Latinx students who do not, thus reducing racial disparities in academic outcomes. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that both Black and Latinx students enrolled in arts coursework experience higher grade point averages than their peers who do not complete arts coursework. When controlling for family socioeconomic status and other correlates of achievement and attainment, linear regression models show arts coursework associates with greater increases in GPA for Latinx students compared to students from other racial/ethnic backgrounds. While still in its preliminary stages, logistic regression models controlling for school type and socioeconomic status showcase a significant association between Black and Latinx students partaking in arts coursework and lower reports of ever dropping out compared to Black and Latinx students who do not take arts coursework