Although strong arguments espousing the accolades of arts involvement are evident, the visual and performing arts continue to be underfunded and underused in K-12 schooling and teacher preparation. Valiant efforts from arts advocates have made inroads to reverse this negative trend, yet policies and practices that reflect a commitment to "arts for…

The focus of this literature search is whether, and if so to what extent, arts participation can be shown to advance cognitive and personal/social outcomes for school pupils who participate, and the possible subsequent positive effects on the more academic aspects of school life such as achievement and attainment. The generally held belief that…