LPS Annual Enrichment Fund

Arts Initiative

In a well-documented national study using a federal database of over 25,000 middle and high school students, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles found students with high arts involvement performed better on standardized achievement tests than students with low arts involvement. Moreover, the high-arts involved students also watched fewer hours of TV, participated in more community service and reported less boredom in school.

A child’s education is not complete unless it includes the arts. Recent studies show that schools with large numbers of impoverished students are aided and transformed into vibrant learning environments when the arts are infused into their culture and curricula.

Arts education measurably improves overall academic achievement and has proven to help level the “learning field” across socio-economic boundaries. In addition, high school students who take arts classes have higher math and verbal SAT scores than students who take no arts classes. The value of the arts in schools extends beyond individual student impact, however. Teacher retention and recruitment continues to be a daunting challenge for schools. However, when schools embrace the arts and become havens for innovation and creativity, they become places where teachers want to teach, and subsequently, students want to learn.

Students at LPS need exposure to the arts. Many of the students we serve have never visited a museum, touched a musical instrument, attended a theatrical performance, or been encouraged to express themselves through painting, dance, or drama. While the academic benefits of arts education are consistently demonstrated by researchers and policy-makers, LPS students stand to gain even more than improved achievement at school. Immersion in the arts can help them develop habits of mind and heart that can last a lifetime, enriching themselves, their families, and their communities.

Your support of the LPS Arts Initiative can help provide each LPS school with:

  • A choir or other signature traveling arts group
  • Visual arts programs, including teachers and supplies
  • Drama programs, including instruction, theater and set rental
  • Dance programs
  • Transportation and tickets to cultural events and activities

Every child benefits from the Annual Enrichment Fund. Even a small gift has a big impact. You can choose which enrichment area you would like to support and start making a difference in the lives of students throughout the Bay Area today.

To make your online donation today, please click here. To find out more about the Annual Enrichment Fund, please contact Dr. Ann Reidy, Development Director, (415) 695-0669 (x216).