The Benefits of Infusing the Arts in a College Preparatory Program

Abstract

An extensive body of work has demonstrated the benefits of participating in the arts, including when it is integrated into other disciplines, for young adults. In addition, this work highlights the likely advantages of engagement with the arts for students from low-income backgrounds as they transition into elite postsecondary institutions. Such findings have shaped the organization of the Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), a rigorous academic and cultural enrichment program which supports high-achieving, low-income public high school students, from the communities surrounding campus, prepare for admission to and success at selective colleges and universities. More specifically, PUPP provides its scholars with a studio art course during each of their three summers in the program and school-year trips to performances and museums. During their time in PUPP, scholars attend approximately 21 live performances and visit at least six different art museums.In this paper, we add to the literature on art integration by examining whether, and how, the views of PUPP scholars on the arts programming they receive change over their time in the program. We also assess the PUPP alumni's perceptions of the extent to which PUPP's art and cultural activities influenced them. Taken together, these analyses of survey data help us understand whether there are differences in student views by the amount of art programming they receive ("dosage") and if there are sustained benefits of the arts integration and programming PUPP students receive ("fade-out"). We supplement this quantitative data with information from focus groups with a variety of stakeholders."The arts are not just a nice thing to have; they define who we are as a people" (Swarns, 2009, May 18) -Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States and Princeton University Class of 1985In her I'm First video (The Obama White House, 2014, Feburary 4), Michelle Obama openly talks about some of the challenges she faced in her first year at Princeton University, such as not knowing how to pick classes or to bring the appropriately-sized sheets for dorm room beds. She acknowledged that her family did not have a history of participating in higher education, so being at a place like Princeton was quite new to her. As Mrs. Obama's story illustrates, finding success in college is a challenging endeavor, particularly for students who are the first in their families to attend. In this context, college access programs play an important role in bridging the divide between high school and postsecondary environments for many firstgeneration students. Many programs, including the one we study, support students in this transition by equipping them with not just the academic tools, but also with the cultural knowledge that is often assumed on college campuses. We study the importance of arts exposure and participation in a college access program for low-income, high-achieving students, with the aim of supporting selective college opportunity and success for first-generation a...

Quality education through teacher-student relationships: implementing social-emotional learning in teacher development

“…The years following the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic were challenging and even traumatizing for children and youth, because one of the main aspects of their development, namely, social integration, was absent from their lives due to the restrictions and the need to quarantine (Pedrosa et al, 2020). In addition to emotional distress, this situation caused a regression in their emerging social skills and widened gaps between cultural groups (Hoagwood et al, 2021;Millett et al, 2021). When schools reopened, the education staff reported high levels of social anxiety, emotional problems and a significant gap in learning skills among the students (Hoagwood et al, 2021).…”

“…In addition to emotional distress, this situation caused a regression in their emerging social skills and widened gaps between cultural groups (Hoagwood et al. , 2021; Millett et al. , 2021).…”