Furthermore, A collection of research endeavors and surveys in "Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement, Arts and Education" by Albert Kronkosky, and Elizabeth Murfee's "Arts at the Core of Learning" provide evidence that validates the importance of art education in the school systems. In "Critical Evidence", Sandra Ruppert supports that learning experiences in art class contribute to the improvement of academic skills. In "Arts and Education", Kronkosky clarifies that art education helps develop cognitive thinking skills. Lastly, Murphee's "Art at the Core of Learning" provides factual support that art actually strengthens student's social skills. With this research at hand, it is crucial that the board of education requires art classes in America's school systems. Because of budget cuts throughout America's school systems and low rank in global test scores, many schools are completely eliminating art education, despite evidence that suggests it benefits performance in core subjects and develops cognitive skills necessary for everyday life. .
Could art education drive this nation back to the forefront of global education or is it indeed a hindrance to education? Learning experiences in the arts contribute to the improvement of academic skills, including the areas of reading, language development, and mathematics. A release of studies has revealed a considerable correlation between art education and academic performance. In fact, these studies have shown that high school students who are actively involved in art courses have higher standardized test scores than those who had little to no involvement in art courses. According to Lauren Stevenson's research, "students who took four years of arts coursework outperformed their peers who had one half-year or less of arts coursework by 58 points on the verbal portion and 38 points on the math portion of the SAT" (Stevenson 9).