Author's Central Ideas
What is Tom Jacobs' main point in this article?
What is "Taking arts electives in middle school helps students get better grades and do better in school"?
How many students did researchers follow in this study?
What is "More than 30,000 Florida students"?
How does the research about low-income students support the author's argument?
What is "It shows that arts classes help ALL students, not just smart or wealthy ones"?
What does the word "bolster" mean in this article?
What is "To strengthen or support"?
What does the author want to convince readers to believe?
The author wants readers to understand that arts education is important and should be protected.
According to the author, what concern do some parents have about their kids taking arts classes?
What is "Parents worry that arts classes will distract from academics and hurt their grades"?
What two types of test scores improved for students who took arts classes?
What are "Standardized reading and math test scores"?
Why did the researchers choose to study middle school specifically?
What is "Middle school is when students' brains are developing and it's the first time they can choose full elective arts courses"?
What was the source of the data that researchers used for this study?
What is "The Miami School Readiness Project"?
Why does the author think arts education is important beyond just grades?
The author believes that arts education is a matter of fairness and justice for all students.
Why does the author believe this study is important and different from other research?
What is "It follows the same students over time and accounts for differences between students, so we can see if arts classes actually cause better grades"?
What percentage of students in the study took an arts elective?
What is "40 percent"?
How does the finding about Black students connect to the author's main argument?
What is "It shows that some students have less access to arts classes, which supports the idea that arts education is a social justice issue"?
According to the article, what other benefits do arts classes provide besides better grades?
What are "Sharper brains, more creativity, and teaching kids how to work together"?
What is the overall structure of this article?
The author explains the study's methods, results, and then calls for action to protect arts education.
What does the author suggest about access to arts education at the end of the article?
What is "Access to arts education should be seen as a social justice issue because not all students have equal access"?
What was the "chicken-and-egg question" that made it hard to prove arts help students?
What is "Did arts classes make students smarter, or do smarter students just choose to take arts classes?"?
How do the benefits mentioned in the last paragraph (creativity, brain development, teamwork) connect to better grades?
What is "These skills help students learn better, work together, and succeed in all their classes, which leads to higher grades"?
Of the 40 percent of students who took an arts elective, what percentage took it for only one year?
What is "65 percent"?
Why did the researchers follow students for such a long time?
The researchers tracked students from kindergarten through eighth grade to see if arts classes actually helped them improve.
How does the author's tone change from the beginning to the end of the article?
What is "It changes from questioning whether arts help (at the start) to strongly supporting arts education (at the end)"?
Name three skills that researchers measured in preschool to create a baseline for the study.
What are "Cognitive skills, language skills, and social skills" (or motor skills)?
Explain how the author uses the study's findings to build his argument that arts classes should be protected.
What is "The author shows that arts classes improve grades, test scores, and behavior, so schools should keep these programs to help all students succeed"?
Besides higher grades and test scores, name two other positive outcomes for students who took arts electives.
What are "Less likely to get suspended from school" and any other benefit mentioned (better social skills, better behavior)?
What method does the author use to develop his argument?
The author uses research data and quotes from scientists to support his ideas. (Logos)