深度研究 | 美国艺术高中品牌特色研究报告_社会热点_资讯

深度研究 | 美国艺术高中品牌特色研究报告

*文末附有研究报告全文英文版本

English verison is at the end of the text

编者按：京领研究院深度研究系列，旨在研究规律，启发实践。

为什么美国高中重视学生艺术？

艺术教育对学生发展有重要意义。

【更全面的发展路径】

哈佛大学心理学家霍华德加德纳(Howard Gardner)在1983提出的多元智能理论(Frames of Mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligences)中指出：人们不仅具有智力，还具有多种智能，包括音乐智能、人际关系智能、空间视觉智能和语言智能等。这一理论在教育工作者中很受欢迎，许多教师在教学哲学中利用多种智能，并努力将Gardner的理论融入课堂。[1] 在这一理论支撑下，学生有更多不同的渠道和维度去发展自己的能力和潜力，有机会获得更加全面、立体、更适合自己的发展路径。

【良好的体验】

参与艺术对人类体验至关重要。审美体验与身心健康息息相关，往往可以让我们减轻压力、提高记忆力，并感觉与社会联系更加紧密。对艺术的欣赏也在宏观层面上对人们的生活产生重大影响。伊利诺伊大学芝加哥分校公共管理系的研究人员将作为观众或创作者的参与和更高水平的公民参与及社会容忍度联系起来。这项工作表明，学习如何绘画、唱歌或只是欣赏他人的作品可以帮助我们不仅变得更快乐、更健康，而且成为更好的人。[2]

【提升创造力】

在受过高等教育的专业人群中，创造力是使人与众不同的顶级技能之一，也是二十一世纪雇主评选的前五项技能之一。艺术教育允许学生表达自己并跳出框框思考。接受丰富艺术教育的学生在创造力评估方面比接受很少或没有接受艺术教育的学生表现更好。向孩子们介绍创造性表达的可能性永远不会太早。艺术教育向孩子们介绍解决问题的技巧，帮助他们以新的方式看待世界，并提供创造性的认识方式。

【养成批判性思维和决策能力】

艺术培养了更高层次的思维和智力技能，通过艺术，孩子们学会观察、解释、看不同的观点、分析和综合。制作艺术作品的过程包含概念和解释性思维，以及观察、推理和解决问题的能力。创作过程中，孩子们使用逻辑和解决问题的方法来制定如何达到预期结果的策略。在观察和分析著名作品时，批判性思维技能也在发挥作用。年轻学习者的富有想象力的活动可以提高社交互动和情绪调节的技能。到了高中，年轻艺术家可以批判性地思考自己和他人的作品，建立独特的观点。学生能够学习通过将艺术思想与社会、历史和文化背景联系起来，加深理解。

批判性思维技能是大学准备和终身学习的关键。当学生学习阅读笔记、创作音乐、演奏乐器、记住舞步、创作绘画和表演戏剧时，他们也在学习如何发展新的概念、积累词汇和理解新语言。我如何通过我的舞蹈表达这种感觉？我该怎么演这个角色？学习如何做出选择和决定会延续到他们的教育和生活的其他方面——因为这在成年后是一项宝贵的技能。

【培养专注和毅力】

艺术教育为学生提供了很多机会通过真实的表演来展示他们的技能，提高了学生参与度。乐器、创作绘画、跳舞或合唱，都能让孩子了解到他们的坚持、练习和耐心对成长和进步很重要。当他们坚持绘画、唱歌或学习戏剧中的一个角色时，注意力是必不可少的。专注对于在课堂上学习和以后的生活和工作至关重要。经过努力练习，学生知道努力和坚持是有回报的。随着他们的成长，这种心态肯定会很重要。尤其是在他们的职业生涯中，他们可能会被要求不断发展新技能并完成困难的项目。[3]

【发展领导力】

参与艺术的学生能够培养领导技能，包括决策、战略制定、规划和反思。他们还准备通过培养强烈的认同感和对自己有意义的方式影响周围世界的能力的信心来有效地使用这些技能。[4]

【提高学业成绩】

艺术不仅能培养孩子的创造力和领导力，他们从中学到的技能也会影响学业成就。比如，视觉艺术向学习者传授色彩、布局、视角和平衡——在学术工作的演示（视觉、数字）中所必需的所有技术。另外可能让人想不到的是，艺术可以帮助学生学习数学。艺术需要测量、数字操作和比例思维，所有这些都培养数学思维。学生还可以学习模式（音乐节奏和舞蹈模式）、空间和几何关系（视觉艺术模式）以及三维技能（制作粘土模型）。学习艺术的学生在数学评估方面的表现优于非艺术同龄人。艺术综合数学教学还有助于掌握计算和估计技能，以及分数等具有挑战性的概念。[5] 有足够的数据和经验可以支持这样一种信念：学习和参与艺术是改善所有学术领域学习的关键部分。

通过多个教育研究联盟的合作，相关部门获得了学生层面的人口统计数据、出勤和记录以及考试成绩。以及从几十所学校收集的关于学生学校参与度和社交的原始调查数据。研究发现，艺术教育经历的增加对学生的学业、社交和情感成果有显著影响。这些发现提供有力的证据，表明艺术教育经历对学术和社会发展产生重大的积极影响。总的来说，艺术能为学生带来广泛的优势。[2] 艺术教育帮助学生发展语言技能、社交技能、决策、冒险、创造力和领导力等；将学生与他们自己的文化以及更广阔的世界联系起来。

美国艺术高中品牌特色的体现

京领研究院选取2021年Niche全美最佳艺术高中榜单(2021 Best Schools for the Arts in America)为参照对象进行研究分析。该榜单严格评估了美国教育部的学生学术和生活数据，以及数百万Niche用户自报的考试成绩、大学数据和评分数据，并通过学校的Niche合作伙伴账户直接更新数据。其中，美国教育部的统计数据是各个学校自报的最新数据。榜单具体排名指标情况如下：[6] [7]

（点击查看大图）

根据榜单中前100名学校的地理位置，京领研究院分析并制作以下图表，以展现这些学校在美国各州的数量分布情况：

（点击查看大图）

由图可见，排名前100的艺术高中在加利福尼亚州、纽约州、佛罗里达州、得克萨斯州、麻萨诸塞州这五个州的占比较大，最少有5所，最多能达到33所；其他州平均只有1到3所跻身百强之列。

为清晰呈现这些学校在美国的空间分布情况，京领研究院利用谷歌地图(Google Maps)标记出前100艺术高中所在州及该州对应的百强艺术高中数量，如下图所示。根据美国最传统的行政区划 [8]，可以发现，占比较大的五个州（红色标记）分属于美国的太平洋海岸区（加利福尼亚州）、中大西洋地区（纽约州）、东南地区（佛罗里达州）、西南地区（得克萨斯州）、新英格兰地区（马萨诸塞州）。

（点击查看大图）

上述5个地区排名靠前的艺术高中均在全美前25之列。除此之外，全美前10名的艺术高中里有两所学校（分别在伊利诺伊州和密歇根州）属于五大湖区。因此，为了尽可能覆盖全美主要地区的优质艺术高中，京领研究院将学校数量较多的5个地区（太平洋海岸区、中大西洋地区、东南地区、西南地区、新英格兰地区）的前3名艺术高中及五大湖区排名前10的两所艺术高中作为本篇报告的研究对象，对这些学校在艺术品牌特色建设上的培育理念、支持维度、学生发展这三大方面进行了深入分析。

本次报告共涉及美国6个地区、7个州、17所学校（排名均在全美前30左右）。在下表中可以看见各学校的基本情况（学校排名及基本信息均源自Niche官网）：

（点击查看大图）

美国艺术高中对学生的培育理念

美国艺术高中在学生艺术素养的培育理念中，更多的强调个性，创造，探索，求知欲，信心，热情，卓越品质，责任，社区意识，思想独立性，对外界的敏锐性，道德，性格深度，批判思维，领导与合作能力，深度学习，持久影响力，全球视角，敬业精神等。根据这些关键词在以上学校理念表述中的出现的大约频次，京领研究院制作以下词云：

基于这些共通的理念，这些优秀的艺术高中还拥有各自特色的观念表述。京领研究院将关键句提炼如下：

洛杉矶郡艺术高中[9]

■ 生而创造。

■ 为多样化的、年轻的艺术家提供独特的学习、创造和茁壮成长的空间。

■ 激励学生探索自我，探索自己的身份，探索如何用创造热情去造福人类。

艾迪怀德艺术高中[10]

■ 鼓励和培养艺术家；培养艺术家成为公民；为来自世界各地的创造者提供栖息之所。

■ 促进跨文化理解与和平；重新审视艺术家对社会的责任。

■ 艺术是人类最伟大的老师，既是自我发现的途径，也是解决社区和全球问题的途径。

奥克伍德学校[11]

■ 提供丰富的艺术、科学和人文教育体验，挑战学生的创造力、智力和体能；提供学习型社区，培养思想独立性、智力完整性、对他人需求的敏锐性，为学生参与民主社会做好准备。

■ 激发学生热情，让学生全身心地投入学习；引导学生掌握对学术、艺术和体育的追求，成为独立的品行端正的思考者。

■ 培养性格深度，包括培养学生的同理心、想象力、道德勇气、责任感、谦逊等；促进个人成长和积极的社区生活，鼓励学生履行和承担更大的自主性和责任。

■ 帮助学生获得自我认知，了解自己的优势和需求；欣赏每个人的独特品质，为之提供多种机会，获得成功。

■ 培养学生的社区意识；创造多样化和包容性的学习成长环境。

■ 给学生以积极和快乐的教育体验，引导基于相互尊重、信任、关心、激励的师生关系。

布克·T·华盛顿表演与视觉艺术高中[12]

■ 发现并重视学生个性、个人创造力；培养洞察力、悟性和创造力；培养学生能够用自己的艺术形式清晰、具体表达个人想法的能力；培养个人成就和独立的价值观；培养独立、创造性的工作能力，成为未来问题解决者和领导者。

■ 培养团队责任感、忠诚和社区意识；强调社会、公民和道德责任；注重个人价值感加上对社会责任感的无价性。

■ 提供优秀的艺术课程，使学术课程内容与艺术专业课程相协调；提供利于发展和培养创造性艺术人才的教育氛围；提供个性化、人性化的教育，激发学生智力、艺术和技术独创性；为学生进入高等教育或职业生涯做好准备。

金德表演和视觉艺术高中[13]

■ 通过在多样化的环境中培养艺术和学术上的卓越品质，培养成就创造性未来所需的信心和热情。

格里芬学校[14]

■ 在充满活力和参与机会的社区中培养个人潜力和求知欲。

设计与建筑高中[15]

■ 用设计去教育。

■ 通过视觉艺术的跨学科挑战学生，培养有才华的学生成为自信和创新的思考者，为设计领域的高等教育和职业生涯做好准备。

■ 在设计和学术方面提供高水平的综合教育。

新世界艺术高中[16]

■ 用创新挑战学生，使其成为州、国家甚至国际艺术领域的先行者。

■ 为学生提供卓越的教育和艺术培训。

亚历山大德雷夫斯艺术高中[17]

■ 提供世界一流的艺术与学术教育，用卓越和公平的教育让每个学生发挥最大潜力。

■ 帮助学生找到自己的定位，并成为多元化社区的一部分。

芝加哥艺术高中[18]

■ 以蕴含求知欲、批判思维和创造力的课程与文化教育来转变新生艺术家，传授学生跨社区的领导和合作能力。

因特劳肯艺术高中[19]

■ 通过卓越的教育、艺术和文化项目吸引和激励全世界的人们，通过通用的艺术语言提高生活质量，促进世界友谊。

■ 释放下一代创造性变革者的潜力和能力，以持久的信心引领充满灵感的生活。

■ 核心价值观：激励、培育、变革、启发、持久；核心宗旨：点燃对艺术的终身热情。

■ 五大关键能力：专注、健康和适应力，创新能力，全球和文化视角，社区与公民艺术，综合的解决办法。

克雷斯格礼堂(Kresge Auditorium)舞台

图源：因特劳肯艺术高中学校官网

圣安学校[20]

■ 教育是对世界丰富、微妙的探索与质疑，而不是仅为达到目的的手段。

■ 为了让每个孩子都能茁壮成长，用持续的交流沟通和教师报告替代分数、排名和奖赏。

艺术与设计高中[21]

■ 激励、教育、帮助有天赋的学生充分准备成为杰出的艺术家。

■ 在学生、员工和家长中培养社区意识，促进强烈的道德价值观和职业风范。

■ 培养学生作为关心国际社会、有爱心的公民，在视觉艺术领域做出成绩、发挥创造性和创新性。

拉瓜迪亚艺术高中[22]

■ 提供音乐学院艺术和大学预科学术的专业准备。

胡桃山艺术高中[23]

■ 教育和训练富有创造力和求知欲的年轻艺术家，在世界产生持久影响力。

威斯顿剑桥高中[24]

■ 提供强调深度学习、有意义的人际关系的进步教育。

■ 激励学生探索自我，探索将对学校、社区和社会做出怎样的贡献。

■ 以学生为中心；提供超越传统课程局限性的挑战；培养主动学习能力；提供公平和包容的学习环境。

巴克斯顿高中[25]

■ 教育学生成为有道德和敬业精神的世界公民。

■ 帮助年轻人成长为思想家、社区成员、创造者和实干家。

美国艺术高中对学生的支持维度

从支持维度上看，美国艺术高中主要从软件资源和硬件资源两大方面给予学生支持。软件支持主要包括师资力量和资金支持；硬件支持主要指学校提供场地、设施、设备等艺术学生学习和练习所需要的空间和物件。此外，部分学校还有自己探索出来的创新举措，包括学生管理措施和校外实习资源。以下将进行详细介绍。

#2.1 学校软件支持

艺术学生在学校最直接的学习对象是教师；学校提供艺术教育的前提是资金到位，因此师资和资金是学校非常重视的两大软件资源，也是学校自身首先能提供给学生的两大软件支持。

2.1.1

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师资力量

经调研发现，在美国艺术高中任职的教师不仅是各自艺术领域经验丰富的佼佼者，更是拥有相关艺术专业硕士学位、甚至博士学位的优秀人才。在优秀教师的指导和感染下，学生不仅能收获知识，更能开拓眼界，丰富人生体验。以下为部分学校关于自己所拥有的卓越教师团队的描述：

（点击查看大图）

2.1.2

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资金支持

Niche全美艺术高中榜单前25名的学校中，公立学校就有12所，占比48%。这个比例能侧面彰显出公立艺术学校的教育质量和水平。然而，为了更好地培育和发展学生的艺术素养，仅依赖地方政府的教育经费支持是远远不够的，难以覆盖实际艺术教学活动中的全部支出。因此，公立学校会成立自己的基金会或非营利机构，通过多种途径筹集资金，以此弥补实际成本与政府资助的差距。下面是部分公立艺术高中在资金上对学生的支持体现：

（点击查看大图）

#2.2学校硬件支持

宾州州立大学的一篇研究文章指出，过去一个世纪有大量研究发现，学校设施对教师的教学和学生的学习效果都有着深远影响。虽然改善设施需要付出财政成本，但这类投资收益往往超过最初的财政成本；因此，决策者应该更加关注设施的影响，并立足于长期成本效益去努力改善学校设施。[26]

对于学习艺术的高中学生而言，先进的设施、充足的场地空间更是无比重要。美国艺术高中也力求为学生提供最好的硬件支持，包括但不限于：私人剧院、专业剧场、舞蹈工作室、排练室、录音棚、电影制作室、画室、3D打印机等。以下为部分学校对学生在设备、设施、场地等方面的支持体现：

（点击查看大图）

#2.3 创新举措

在调研过程中，京领研究院发现部分学校有区别于其他学校的创新举措，包括时间层面的学生管理措施和利于学生升学及未来职业发展而链接的校外实习机会。

2.3.1

●

学生管理

就读艺术高中的学生可能会面临一个共同挑战：时间管理。他们既要攻克各类必修学术课程的困难，又要完成所修读的艺术专业课程的要求；既要完成课堂任务和课后作业，又要为学校考试和毕业升学做准备；既是课堂上的学生，又是校园活动的推动者。对此，有的艺术高中会为学生探索新的课程表安排，尽可能地帮助学生平衡学术和艺术上的时间，或者满足有能力的学生进一步拓展自己的需求，比如胡桃山艺术高中和艾迪怀德艺术高中就分别提供了相应的计划：

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每周日程表

图源：胡桃山艺术高中官网

2.3.2

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校外实习

除了课堂上的学习，美国艺术高中还会充分考虑学生未来升学和就业的需求，因此，会为学生积极链接校外企业、机构，给学生争取尽可能充分的社会实习机会，让学生能够将课堂所学灵活运用于实际的市场需求。

其中，艺术与设计高中为学生提供的职业与技术教育(CTE)高中实习计划在纽约市规模最大且最成熟。在过去一年，该校就为超过100家企业和机构提供了200多名学生。京领研究院采用思维导图，简洁地展示了学校对这项高中实习计划的相关描述，包括：实习计划对学生、学校、企业三方的益处，建议学生参加的职业教育与技能培训活动，以及建议学生在职前所应具备的基本素养和能力：[21]

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美国艺术高中的学生发展

从学生发展的角度看，美国艺术高中的学生不仅能从丰富的艺术专业方向中选择自己感兴趣的方向去学习，还能选择学校的AP或者honor课程等，增加自己大学预备学术课程的强度和难度。从学校和Niche公布的数据来看，艺术学生们不仅有具备一定竞争力的学术成绩，更是收获了顶尖大学或文理学院的青睐。在职业发展上，这些学生也有着除了艺术道路的其他各行各业的选择。下面将从艺术高中为学生提供的多元的专业方向、学生展现出来的卓越的学术表现、升学选择、职业路径选择这四个方面进行阐述和分析。

#3.1 多元的专业方向

京领研究院对研究对象的艺术专业开设情况进行了数量统计（详见下方表格）。从各学校开设的艺术专业数量上来看（左侧表格），美国艺术高中至少会为学生提供4个艺术专业方向，也就是开设数量最多的4大传统艺术方向：音乐、戏剧、舞蹈、视觉艺术；最多的学校会给学生开设9个艺术专业方向，可以满足更多学生对不同艺术的追求。

从所有学校开设的艺术专业类别的数量上来看（右侧表格），可以发现，美国高中有追随时代潮流和市场需求的趋势，即在传统艺术方向基础之上，会尽可能开设新兴艺术方向，包括开设数量较少的摄影、动画、建筑专业，以及所调研学校中只出现了一次的部分专业：设计与建筑高中的工业设计（产品和运输设计）、视觉传达/ 网页设计（印刷和数字图形）[15]，艺术与设计高中的漫画制作、平面设计、插画专业[21]，还有巴克斯顿高中的版画、视频制作[25]。

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#3.2 卓越的学术表现

艺术高中的学术课程学习就一定会受影响吗？事实上，艺术高中在培育学生的艺术素养时，不仅重视各个学生艺术方向的学习，同样也注重提升艺术生的学术表现，包括设置丰富的课程体系，提高学生的学业成绩，指导学生的升学选择，以及职业探索，让艺术生们在高中毕业后不仅收获优秀的学业成绩，心仪的大学录取，更能为日后的职业发展做铺垫。

3.2.1

●

丰富的课程体系

以艺术为特色的美国高中学生只上艺术相关课程吗？调研显示，美国艺术高中不仅有着完善且先进的艺术教育培养体系，还非常重视并不断探索如何科学地将学术教育与艺术教育相结合，增强二者的联系性，而不是作为两个孤立的方向，让学生既能发展艺术方向，又能兼顾大学预备课程。除此之外，艺术高中还会像综合类高中一样为学生提供其他能力和素养的培育环境和条件，比如体育运动、社团活动、社区服务、科学研究项目、暑期项目、国际交流访问、领导力提升、人际关系、道德发展等。

以学术教育为例，根据Niche和学校官网公布的数据统计发现，将近65%的艺术高中会给学生提供AP课程(英文全称Advanced Placement，中文译为美国大学预修课程)。AP课程是由美国大学理事会在高中阶段开设的具有大学水平的课程，可以使高中生提前接触大学课程，避免高中和大学初级阶段课程重复。目前，已有40多个国家的近3600所大学承认AP学分为其入学参考标准和该项考试为考生增添的大学学分。美国各大学在录取时已将AP成绩看作衡量学生学习和研究能力以及应付高难度大学课程能力的重要指标之一。[27]

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没有提供AP课程的学校并不是不重视学生的学术教育，而是为学生探索并提供了其他课程类型或学术机会。比如，奥克伍德学校不仅设置了非常严格的大学预备标准课程，还提供了丰富的个性化项目帮助学生拓展兴趣，包括独立研究(Independent Studies), 专题(Special Topics), 沉浸式学习(Immersion), 科学、技术、工程、艺术和数学计划(STEAM), 社区青年伙伴关系(Community Youth Partnership)。对于11~12年级的学生，更有机会学习高阶课程(Advanced Studies)，可以进行更加严谨、探究型和深度的学科学习。这类课程由本校老师研发，属于加州大学荣誉认可课程(UC Honors-approved classes)。[11]

3.2.2

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优秀的学业成绩

艺术学生的学业成绩会很差吗？根据各艺术学校在Niche上报的和在学校官网公布的往年学生数据可以发现，美国艺术高中学生的SAT或ACT考试的表现较为良好。SAT考试(Scholastic Assessment Test)或与其具有同等效力的ACT考试(American College Test)都是美国大学本科录取参考的标准化考试。

其中，部分学校的学生表现还很突出，比如奥克伍德学校和威斯顿剑桥高中的学生SAT平均分都在1350左右（总分为1600），ACT平均分约为31（总分为36）；圣安学校的学生成绩平均表现则更加优秀，SAT平均分为1440，ACT则为32。[11] [24] [20]

学校户外项目风景照

图源：奥克伍德学校官网

在学生学术成绩平均分GPA的表现上，由于多数学校不提供GPA，虽然无法了解到艺术高中生普遍的GPA表现，但部分提供GPA的学校所展现出来的学生学术表现还是高于平均水平的，比如奥克伍德学校学生的GPA平均分就达到3.71（4.0制）。[11]

#3.3 多种升学选择

美国艺术高中的学生毕业后都进入艺术相关院校吗？根据京领研究院的调研和统计，不少艺术学生还会选择除艺术类院校以外的美国综合性大学、文理学院，甚至其他国家的综合性大学。根据以下六所学校公开的大学录取信息，京领研究院统计了每所学校中属于常春藤联盟（下文简称“藤校”）和全美综合性大学前30（参考U.S. News 2021年排名）的比例，如下图所示：

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从图中可以看出，在亚历山大德雷夫斯艺术高中的学生进入或被藤校录取的比例最高，达到14%；进入全美前三十的比例也最高，达到40%。其他学校录取数据中含藤校和全美前三十的比例也不算低，可见艺术高中的学生不仅能得到美国顶尖综合性大学的青睐，更有很大的概率进入竞争激烈的藤校。在统计中还发现，学生们选择哈佛大学、哥伦比亚大学、耶鲁大学、康奈尔大学、南加州大学、纽约大学的比例相对较大。

#3.4 多元职业路径

艺术高中的学生最后都从事的艺术相关职业吗？其实不然，据芝加哥艺术高中的校友数据统计，近三分之一的校友在高中毕业后选择了非艺术类的专业方向，从商科到物理再到计算机科学，以及介于之间的各类学科；在职业发展上，有的成为了企业家、律师、物理学家，有的则继续读博深造。[18]

圣安学校在过去半个世纪里一直致力于教育本身，以充分发掘每个学生的潜能为导向。它的毕业生们作为舞蹈家、医生、诗人、物理学家、音乐家和数学家等，在各自的领域继续追求卓越，发挥自身价值，这也有力地证明了坚持教育基本原则的圣安让它每个毕业生都能有持续的学习热情，并在各个领域保持创造力。[20]

下面是因特劳肯艺术高中6位校友的感言，可以感受到，他们早年的高中艺术学习经历切实地给自己的职业生涯带来的无比深远的影响和无可替代的价值。[19]

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总结和展望

京领研究院对美国艺术高中的数量、分布及品牌特色进行了深入研究，调研中我们发现，美国具有艺术品牌特色的高中，在加州、纽约州、佛州等地区分布集中；这些品牌特色突出的高中都力求为学生提供最好的软硬件支持。同时，艺术高中的学生面临与普通高中学生不同的挑战，因此学校会采取针对性的举措来支持协助学生克服困难，实现学业和技艺精进的目的。具有艺术品牌特色高中的学生，在学校丰富的课程体系和学术支持之下，在提高艺术素养的同时，仍然能获得优秀的学业成绩，因此在高等教育的选择上，具有多种升学选择，不仅受到顶尖艺术类院校的青睐，同时也具有冲击顶级综合性学府的竞争力；在后续的职业道路上，学生也具有多样职业路径，往往有更多的人生选择，和更丰富的人生体验。

京领作为高端国际化教育资源与服务平台，世界国际化学校排名评价、品牌传媒、科研教育推动者，致力于深度挖掘国际学校办学特色，为学校的综合性发展提供优化建议，推动人才培养和提升学校办学实习，提高学校影响力和竞争力。

艺术素养是高级人才不可或缺的素养之一，艺术人才也是未来不可缺少的人才之一。艺术不像很多学科那样看重量化结果，艺术强调过程、强调感知、强调想象与创造。具有艺术品牌特色的学校，提供给学子的不仅是艺术理解和训练专业技能，更是综合素养的培养，比如更高的品味、尽善尽美的追求、坚韧不拔的毅力、表达表现能力等。不论是艺术氛围还是艺术升学成果，都是国际学校艺术教育水平的体现。[28]

随着青少年发展目标的日益多元以及对于个性化体验的期望，具备清晰的品牌定位与突出特色已成为国际学校未来的发展趋势。具有品牌办学特色的学校能够拓宽学生的成长道路，发掘学生的独特性，激活学生的内在驱动力，使其成为更好的人。具有品牌特色的学校在人才培养上具备优势，能够吸引更多优秀家庭和学子，从而打造出提升学校整体竞争力的强劲引擎。

参考资料

[1] Cherry, Kendra. “Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” Verywell Mind, Dotdash, 17 July 2019, www.verywellmind.com/gardners-theory-of-multiple-intelligences-2795161.

[2] “THE IMPORTANCE OF ART EDUCATION IN THE CLASSROOM.” Online Master's in Art Education Program at UF, University of Florida, 1 Aug. 2021, arteducationmasters.arts.ufl.edu/articles/importance-of-art-education/.

[3] “WHY IS ARTS EDUCATION IMPORTANT FOR 21ST-CENTURY LEARNING? 5 REASONS TO GO FROM STEM TO STEAM.” Art in Action., artinaction.org/resource/arts-education-important-21st-century-learning-5-reasons-go-stem-steam/.

[4] “IMPORTANCE OF ARTS EDUCATION.” Blog Post, Featured, Liberty Classical Academy, libertyclassicalacademy.org/importance-arts-education/.

[5] Kisida, Brian, and Daniel H Bowen. “New Evidence of the Benefits of Arts Education.” Brookings, The Brookings Institution, 12 Feb. 2019, www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/02/12/new-evidence-of-the-benefits-of-arts-education/.

[6] “2021 Best Schools for the Arts in America.” Niche, Niche.com Inc., www.niche.com/k12/search/best-schools-for-the-arts/.

[7] “The Best High Schools for the Arts Methodology.” Niche, Niche.com Inc., www.niche.com/about/methodology/best-schools-for-the-arts/.

[8] “美国行政区划.” 百度百科, baike.baidu.com/item/%E7%BE%8E%E5%9B%BD%E8%A1%8C%E6%94%BF%E5%8C%BA%E5%88%92/6198584.

[9] “Los Angeles County High School for the Arts.” LACHSA, www.lachsa.net/.

[10] “Idyllwild Arts Academy.” Idyllwild Arts, idyllwildarts.org/.

[11] “Oakwood School.” A K-12 Progressive Independent School in Los Angeles, www.oakwoodschool.org/.

[12] “Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts.” Booker T. Washington HSPVA, www.dallasisd.org/BTW.

[13] “Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.” Houston Independent School District, www.houstonisd.org/kinderhspva.

[14] “Griffin School.” Griffin, griffinschool.org/.

[15] “Design & Architecture Senior High School.” DASH High School, www.dashschool.org/page-one.

[16] “New World School of the Arts.” NWSA, nwsa.mdc.edu/.

[17] “Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts.” A.W. Dreyfoos SCHOOL OF THE ARTS, www.awdsoa.org/index.html.

[18] “The Chicago Academy for the Arts.” The Academy, www.chicagoacademyforthearts.org/.

[19] “Interlochen Center for the Arts.” Interlochen Arts Academy, www.interlochen.org/.

[20] “Saint Ann's School.” Saint Ann's School - Brooklyn, saintannsny.org/.

[21] “Art & Design High School.” Art and Design HS, www.artanddesignhs.org/.

[22] “Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music & Art & Performing Arts.” LaGuardia Arts, www.laguardiahs.org/.

[23] “Walnut Hill School for the Arts.” Walnut Hill | Independent Arts High School, www.walnuthillarts.org/.

[24] “The Cambridge School of Weston.” The Cambridge School of WESTON | Boston-Area Private School, www.csw.org/.

[25] “Buxton School.” Buxton, buxtonschool.org/.

[26] “The Importance of School Facilities in Improving Student Outcomes.” Center for Evaluation and Education Policy Analysis, The Pennsylvania State University, sites.psu.edu/ceepa/2015/06/07/the-importance-of-school-facilities-in-improving-student-outcomes/.

[27] “AP课程.” 百度百科, baike.baidu.com/item/AP%E8%AF%BE%E7%A8%8B/5398261?fr=aladdin.

[28] 京领研究院 . “重磅！京领2020中国国际学校特色榜正式发布.” 京领新国际 | 微信公众平台, 京领, 27 Aug. 2021, mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9z0vBw1OiristFU8-XC2Ww.

English Version

In-Depth Research Series | Research Report on Brand Characteristics of U.S. Arts High Schools

Editor's Notes: The in-depth research series are initiated by KingLead Research Institute. We aim to study the law and inspire practice.

Why Do American High Schools Attach Importance to Students' Arts Education?

Arts education is of great significance to students' development.

【Comprehensive Development Path in the Future】

Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner first outlined his theory in his 1983 book Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, where he suggested that all people have different kinds of "intelligences." Gardner proposed that there are eight intelligences, and he theorizes that people do not have just an intellectual capacity, but have many kinds of intelligence, including musical, interpersonal, spatial-visual, and linguistic intelligences. Despite some critics, the theory of multiple intelligences enjoys considerable popularity with educators. Many teachers utilize multiple intelligences in their teaching philosophies and work to integrate Gardner’s theory into the classroom. [1] Under the support of this theory, students have more different channels and dimensions to develop their ability and potential and can obtain a more comprehensive and more suitable way of development.

【Good Life Experience】

Engaging with art is essential to the human experience.[5] Aesthetic experiences promote physical and psychological well-being. Giving learners the time, space, and materials for creative expression can lower stress, improve memory, and make them feel more socially connected. When we are exposed to remarkable artworks or have opportunities to create, we find art is crucial to individual growth and development and can even impact our health. Appreciation for art also makes a significant difference in people’s lives on a macro level. Entire societies may stand to gain from an investment in the arts. Drawing on data from the General Social Survey, researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Public Administration linked participation as either an audience member or creator to higher levels of civic engagement and social tolerance. This work suggests that learning how to draw, paint, sing, or just appreciate the works made by others can help us become not just happier and healthier, but also better people. [2]

【Enhance Creativity】

Among highly educated professionals, creativity is one of the top skills that set someone apart and it is also one of the top five skills selected by employers in the 21st century. Art education allows students to express themselves and think outside of the box. Students with rich art education perform better in creativity assessment than students with little or no art education.

Art education introduces children to problem-solving skills, helps them see the world in new ways, and provides creative ways of understanding.

【Develop Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Skills】

The arts foster higher levels of thinking and intellectual skills. Through the art, children learn to observe, interpret, understand different perspectives, analyze, and synthesize. When students are making a work of art, the process includes conceptual and interpretational thinking that helps build their critical thinking skills including observation, reasoning, and problem-solving. During the creative process, children use logic and problem solving to strategize how to reach their intended outcome. Critical thinking skills are also in play when observing and analyzing famous works.[3]

The imaginative activities of young learners can improve the skills of social interaction and emotion regulation. In high school, young artists can critically think about their own and others' works and establish unique views. Students can learn to deepen their understanding by connecting artistic ideas with social, historical, and cultural backgrounds.

As students learn to read notes, compose music, play an instrument, memorize dance steps, create a painting, and act in a drama, they are also learning how to develop new concepts, build vocabulary and understand a new language.[4] When students are making a work of art, the process includes conceptual and interpretational thinking that helps build their critical thinking skills including observation, reasoning, and problem-solving. During the creative process, children use logic and problem solving to strategize how to reach their intended outcome. Critical thinking skills are also in play when observing and analyzing famous works. Learning how to make choices and decisions will carry over to their education and other aspects of life outside of school - because it is a valuable skill in adulthood.

【Develop Focus and Perseverance】

Learning a musical instrument, creating a painting, learning to dance, or singing in a chorus teaches that taking small steps, practicing to improve, being persistent, and being patient are important for children’s growth and improvement. Students gain confidence as they try to accomplish things that do not come easily. Learning an artistic discipline helps young people develop character. Students learn habits, behaviors and attitudes that are necessary for success in any field of endeavor. [4]

【Increases Capacity for Leadership】

Students who participate in the arts develop leadership skills, including decision-making, strategy building, planning, and reflection. They also prepare to use these skills effectively by developing a strong sense of identity and confidence in their ability to affect the world around them in meaningful ways. [4]

【Improve Academic Performance】

Art can not only cultivate children's creativity and increase the capacity of leadership, but also has positive influence on their academic achievement. The arts require measurement, number manipulation, and proportional thinking, all of which foster mathematical thinking. Students also learn patterns (musical rhythms and dance patterns), spatial and geometric relationships (visual art patterns) and three-dimensional skills (making clay models). Students who study the arts, especially music, outperform their non-arts peers on mathematics assessments. Arts integrated math instruction also facilitates mastery of computation and estimation skills, and challenging concepts like fractions. [4] There is enough data and experience to support the belief that learning and participating in the arts is a key part of improving learning in all academic fields.

Through the cooperation of several educational research alliances, relevant institutions have obtained student demographic data, attendance and records, and test scores. And collect raw survey data on students' school participation and social networking from dozens of schools. It is found that the increase of art education experience has a significant impact on students' academic, social, and emotional achievements. These findings provide strong evidence that art education experience has a significant positive impact on academic and social development. In general, art can bring a wide range of advantages to students. [2] The art helps students cultivate language skills, social skills, decision-making, adventure, creativity and increase the capacity of leadership; also connect students with their own culture and the wider world.

Characteristics of American Arts High Schools

The KingLead Research Institute selected the Niche 2021 Best Schools for the Arts in America as research objects and made deep analysis. This ranking list strictly evaluates the academic and life data of students from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as the test scores, University data and score data self-reported by millions of Niche users, and directly updates the data through the partner schools’ account. Among them, the statistics of the U.S. Department of Education are the latest data reported by each school. The specific ranking indicators of the list are as following:[6] [7]

(Click to view a larger and clearer picture)

According to the geographical location of the top 100 schools in the list, KingLead Research Institute analyzes and makes the following chart to show the distribution of these schools in the U.S.:

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As can be seen from the chart, the top 100 arts high schools account for a large proportion in the 5 states: California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts, with at least 5 and up to 33. On average, only one to three schools in other states are among the top 100 list.

To clearly show the spatial distribution of these schools in the U.S., KingLead Research Institute uses Google Maps to mark the states where the top 100 arts high schools are located and the number of the top 100 in each state, as shown in the figure below. According to the traditional administrative divisions of the United States [8], it can be seen that the five states (marked in color red) with a large proportion belong to the Pacific Ocean region (California), the Mid-Atlantic region (New York), the East South Central region (Florida), the West South Central region (Texas) and the New England region (Massachusetts).

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The top arts high schools in the above five regions are among the top 25 in the United States. In addition, two of the top 10 arts high schools in the United States (in Illinois and Michigan) belong to the Great Lakes region. Therefore, to cover high-quality arts high schools in major regions of the United States as much as possible, KingLead Research Institute takes the top three arts high schools in the five regions and two arts high schools ranking the top 10 in the Great Lakes region as the research objects of this report. This report makes an in-depth analysis on the cultivation concept, support dimension and student development of these schools with arts brand characteristics.

This report covers 6 regions, 7 states and 17 schools in the United States (all ranking around the top 30 in the United States). The basic information of each school can be seen in the table below (the school ranking and basic information are from the official website of Niche):

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Cultivation Concept of Students

in American Arts High Schools

In the cultivation concept of students' artistic literacy, American arts high school puts more emphasis on individuality，creation，exploration，intellectual curiosity，confidence，passion，excellence，responsibility，sense of community，independence of thought，sensitivity, moral，depth of character，critical thinking，lead and collaborate，deep learning，enduring impact，global perspective，ethical, etc. According to the frequency of these keywords in the above school concept statements, KingLead Research Institute makes the following word cloud:

Based on these common ideas, these excellent arts high schools also have their own unique arts mission, vison and philosophy. KingLead Research Institute abstracts the key sentences as follows:

L.A. County High School for the Arts [9]

■ Born to create.

■ Provide and preserve a unique space for diverse, young artists to learn, create, and thrive.

■ Inspire students to discover who they are, their place in the world, and how their creative passion benefits humanity.

Idyllwild Arts Academy [10]

■ Cultivate Artists as Citizens. Founded as a respite for creators to come together from around the world.

■ Promote intercultural understanding and peace while re-envisioning the artist’s responsibility to society.

■ Art is the greatest teacher of humanity. Art is the path to both self-discovery and the solution of community and global problems.

Oakwood School [11]

■Provide children with an educational experience that was rich in the arts, sciences, and humanities and challenging to their creative, intellectual, and physical capacities. Provide a learning community which would foster independence of thought, intellectual integrity, sensitivity to the needs of others, and prepare students for participation in a democratic society.

■ To spark passion. To become wholeheartedly immersed in their work. To guide students toward mastery in their academic, artistic, and athletic pursuits. To become independent and moral thinkers.

■To cultivate depth of character, including empathy, imagination, moral courage, responsibility and humility. To foster individual growth and active communal life. To exercise increasing autonomy and responsibility.

■To help students gain self-knowledge. To learn about their strengths and needs as learners. To accommodate and appreciate the unique qualities of each young person and to provide multiple opportunities for students to succeed.

■To foster a sense of community. To create a diverse and inclusive environment most conducive to learning and growth.

■To make students’ experiences predominantly positive and joyful. Make the teacher-student relationship based on care, trust, respect, dignity, and inspire.

Booker T. Washington High School

for the Performing & Visual Arts [12]

■ Recognize and value student’s individuality and individual creativity. To educate the whole child by fostering the development of perception, conceptualization, sensitivity, and creativity. To develop the students' abilities so that they can express their ideas clearly and specifically within their chosen art form. Nurtures the values of individual accomplishment and independence. Improve the ability of working independently and creatively. Help students become the problem-solvers and leaders of tomorrow.

■ Place high value on group responsibility, loyalty, and sense of community. To provide a general education with an emphasis on societal, civic, and ethical responsibilities. Believe that a sense of individual worth coupled with a sense of responsibility to a society is invaluable.

■ Provide a program of excellence in the arts. To coordinate the content of academic classes with specialized arts curricula. To provide an educational atmosphere which is conductive to the development and nurturing of creative artistic talent. Provide individualized, human level education. Stimulate intellectual, artistic, and technical originality. To prepare students for college/ university/ professional schools or for professional career entry.

Kinder High School for

the Performing and Visual Arts [13]

■ By cultivating both artistic and academic excellence in a diverse environment, build the confidence and enthusiasm required for an accomplished creative future.

Griffin School [14]

■ Cultivate individual potential and intellectual curiosity within a vibrant and engaged community.

Design & Architecture Senior

High School [15]

■ Education by Design.

■ Educate talented students to become confident and innovative thinkers through interdisciplinary challenges in the visual arts in preparation for college and career in the design world.

■ Provide a high level, integrated education in design and academics.

New World School of the Arts[16]

■ Empower students to become a state, national, and international leaders in the arts, by challenging them with innovative ideas.

■ Provide educational and artistic excellence for our students.

Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School

of the Arts[17]

■ Provide a world-class arts and academic education with excellence and equity to empower each student to reach their highest potential.

■ Allow students to find their own identity, while remaining part of a diverse community.

The Chicago Academy for the Arts [18]

■ Transform emerging artists through a curriculum and culture that connect intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity, to impart skills to lead and collaborate across diverse communities.

Interlochen Arts Academy [19]

■ Engage and inspire people worldwide through excellence in educational, artistic, and cultural programs, enhancing the quality of life and promoting world friendship through the universal language of the arts.

■ To unlock the potential and unleash the capacity of the next generation of creative changemakers to lead inspired lives with enduring confidence.

■ Core values: inspiring, nurturing, transformative, enlightening, enduring. Core purpose: to ignite lifelong passion for the arts.

■ Five key capacities: mindfulness, wellness, and resilience; creative capacity; global and cultural perspective; community and citizen artistry; an integrated approach.

Kresge Auditorium Stage

Source: official website of Interlochen Arts Academy

Saint Ann's School[20]

■ Education is a rich, subtle exploration and questioning of the world, not a means to an end.

■ So that every child will flourish, eschewing grades, rankings, and prizes in favor of ongoing dialogue and teacher reports.

Art & Design High School[21]

■ Inspire, educate, and fully prepare our gifted students to become exceptional artists.

■ Foster a sense of community among our students, staff and parents, with a commitment to promoting strong ethical values and professional demeanor.

■ Engender students' productive, creative and innovative participation in the world of visual arts as concerned and caring citizens of the global community.

Fiorello H. Laguardia High School

of Music & Art & Performing Arts [22]

■ Focus on professional preparation in conservatory arts and college preparatory academics.

Walnut Hill School for the Arts [23]

■ Educate and trains creative and intellectually curious young artists to make an enduring impact in the world.

The Cambridge School of Weston [24]

■ Provide a progressive education that emphasizes deep learning, meaningful relationships.

■ Inspire students to discover who they are and what their contribution is to their school, their community and the world.

■ Student-centered. Venture beyond the limitations of a traditional curriculum. Cultivate active learning ability. Design an environment that is equitable and inclusive.

Buxton School [25]

■ Educate students to be ethical and engaged citizens of the world.

■Help young people grow as thinkers, community members, creators and do-ers.

Support Dimension for Students

in American Arts High Schools

From the perspective of support, American arts high school mainly supports students from two aspects: software resources and hardware resources. Software support mainly includes teachers and financial support; hardware support mainly refers to the facilities and spaces provided by the school for arts students to study and practice, such as venues and equipment. In addition, some schools have their own innovative measures, including student management measures and off-campus internship resources. Details are described below.

#2.1School Support in Software Resources

The most direct learning object of arts students in school is teachers. The premise for the school to provide arts education is that the funding is in place. Therefore, teachers and funding are the two software resources that the school attaches great importance to, and they are also the two kinds of software support that the school itself can first provide to students.

2.1.1

●

Faculty Resources

Through research, it is found that the teachers in American arts high school are not only the leaders with rich experience in their respective arts fields, but also the outstanding talents with master's degrees or even doctoral degrees in related arts majors. Under the guidance and influence of excellent teachers, students can not only gain knowledge, but also broaden their horizons and enrich life experience. The following is a list of some schools' excellent teacher teams:

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2.1.2

●

Financial Support

Among the top 25 schools in the national arts high school ranking list, there are 12 public schools, accounting for 48%. This proportion can show the educational quality and level of public arts schools. However, in order to better cultivate and develop students' artistic literacy, it is far from enough to rely on the educational fund support of local governments, and it is difficult to cover all the expenses in the actual arts teaching activities. Therefore, public schools will set up their own foundations or non-profit institutions to raise funds through a variety of ways, so as to make up for the gap between the actual cost and government funding. The following is the financial support of some public arts high schools for students:

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#2.2School Support in Hardware Resources

A research article from Penn State University points out that a large body of research over the past century has consistently found that school facilities impact teaching and learning in profound ways. While improving facilities comes at a financial cost, the benefits of such investments often surpass the initial fiscal costs. Policymakers, thus, should focus greater attention on the impacts of facilities and adopt a long-term cost-benefit perspective on efforts to improve school facilities. [26]

For high school students studying arts, advanced facilities and sufficient space are extremely important. American arts high school also strives to provide students with the best hardware support, including but not limited to: private theater, professional theater, dance studio, rehearsal room, recording studio, film studio, studio, 3D printer, etc. The following is the support of some schools to students in terms of equipment, facilities and venues:

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#2.3 Innovative Measures

During the investigation, KingLead Research Institute found that some schools have innovative measures different from other schools, including student management measures at the time level and off-campus internship opportunities conducive to students’ further study and future career development.

2.3.1

●

Student Management

The arts high school students may face a common challenge: time management. They should not only overcome the difficulties of all kinds of compulsory academic courses, but also meet the requirements of the courses of arts major; they have to complete the classroom assignments and homework, and prepare for the school examination and graduation at the same time; they are students in the classroom and promoters of campus activities. In this regard, some arts high schools will explore new schedule for students to help them balance academic and artistic time as much as possible, or to meet the needs of capable students to further expand their own needs. For example, Walnut Hill School for the Arts and Idyllwild Arts Academy provide corresponding program respectively:

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Weekly Schedule

Source: official website of Walnut Hill School for the Arts

2.3.2

●

Off-campus Internship

In addition to learning in the classroom, American arts high school will fully consider the needs of students for higher education and employment in the future. Therefore, schools will actively partner with enterprises or organizations around the community for students, and strive for as many social internships as possible, so that students can flexibly apply what they have learned in the classroom to the actual market demand.

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) High School internship program provided by Art & Design High School is the largest and most successful in New York City. Over the past year, the school has placed more than 200 students at more than 100 worksites. Using mind map, KingLead Research Institute succinctly shows the school's description of its internship program, including: the benefits for students, the school and employers, the work-based learning activities, and the work readiness skills recommended for students before taking internship: [21]

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Student Development

in American Arts High School

From the perspective of students' development, American arts high school students can not only choose the direction they are interested in from the rich art majors, but also choose the school's AP or Honor courses to increase the intensity and difficulty of their college preparatory academic courses. According to the data released by schools and Niche, arts students not only have competitive academic achievements, but also gain the favor of top universities or liberal arts college. In terms of career development, these students also have choices in all walks of life in addition to the arts path. The following will elaborate and analyze from four aspects: the diversified arts majors provided by arts high school for students, the excellent academic performance displayed by students, the choice of higher education and the choice of career path.

#3.1 Diversified Arts Majors

KingLead Research Institute has made quantitative statistics on the arts majors of the surveyed schools (see the table below for details). In terms of the number of arts majors offered by each school (table on the left), American arts high school will provide students with at least 4 arts majors, that is, the four traditional art fields with the largest number:music, theatre, dance and visual art. The school with the most arts major provides 9 options for students, which can meet more students' pursuit of different arts.

From the number of arts major categories offered by all schools (table on the right), it can be found that American arts high schools follow the trend of the times and the market demand, that is, on the basis of traditional arts area, they will offer new arts major as much as possible, including photography, animation and architecture, and some majors that only appeared once in the surveyed schools: Design & Architecture Senior High School’s Industrial Design (Product and Transportation Design), Visual Communications/Web Design (Print and Digital Graphics) [15], Art & Design High School’s Cartooning, Graphic Design, Illustration [21], and Buxton School’s Printmaking and Video Production [25].

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#3.2 Excellent Academic Performance

Will the study of academic courses in arts high school be affected? In fact, when cultivating students' artistic literacy, American arts high school pays attention to not only the study of students' various arts majors, but also the academic performance of arts students, including setting up a rich curriculum system, improving students' academic performance, providing college counselling and career exploration, so that arts students can not only reap good academic results after graduation, get admitted to a favorite university, but pave the way for future career development.

3.2.1

●

Rich Curriculum System

Do American high school students with arts characteristics only take arts related courses? Research shows that American arts high school not only has a perfect and advanced arts education and training system, but also attaches great importance to and continues to explore how to scientifically combine academic education with arts education and enhance the connection between them, rather than treating them as two isolated directions, so that students can not only learn arts deeply, but also well take college preparatory courses. In addition, like comprehensive high schools, arts high school will also provide students with other ability and quality cultivation environment and conditions, such as sports, clubs, community services, scientific research projects, summer programs, international exchange visits, leadership improvement, interpersonal relations, moral development, etc.

Taking academic education as an example, according to the statistics released by Niche and schools’ official websites, nearly 65% of arts high schools will provide students with AP courses (Advanced Placement). AP course is a university level course set up by the American University Council in high school. It enables high school students to take the university course in advance and avoid the repetition of high school and college preparatory courses. At present, nearly 3,600 universities in more than 40 countries have recognized AP credits as their admission reference standard and the university credits added to candidates by AP. American universities have regarded AP scores as one of the important indicators to measure students' learning and research ability and their capacity to cope with difficult university courses. [27]

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Schools that have no AP courses do not mean that they don’t pay attention to students' academic education. These schools explore and provide students with other course types or academic opportunities. For example, Oakwood School not only sets a very strict standard course for college preparation, but also provides a wealth of personalized projects to help students expand their interests, including Independent Studies, Special Topics, Immersion, STEAM, and Community Youth Partnership. For students in grades 11-12, they have more opportunities to learn Advanced Studies and conduct more rigorous, exploratory and in-depth discipline learning. Such courses are developed by school teachers and belong to UC Honors approved classes. [11]

3.2.2

●

Good Academic Results

Will the academic performance of arts students be very poor? According to the student data of previous years reported by various art schools in Niche and published on the school's official website, it can be found that American arts high school students perform well in SAT or ACT tests. SAT (Scholastic Assessment Test) or ACT (American College Test) with the same effect are standardized examinations for undergraduate admission in American universities.

Among them, the students’ tests scores in some schools are outstanding. For example, the average SAT score of students in Oakwood School and the Cambridge School of Weston is about 1350 (total score is 1600), and the average ACT score is about 31 (total score is 36); The average performance of students in Saint Ann's School is even better, with an average SAT score of 1440 and an act score of 32. [11] [24] [20]

Landscape photos of school outdoor project

Source: official website of Oakwood School

As for the GPA performance of arts students, although most schools do not provide GPA and the average of which cannot be known, the available GPA of students provided by some schools shows higher than the average level. For example, the average GPA of students in Oakwood School reaches 3.71 (4.0 system). [11]

#3.3 Multiple Options for Higher Education

Do American arts high school students enter art related colleges or universities after graduation? According to the research and statistics of KingLead Research Institute, many arts students will choose comprehensive universities, liberal arts college, and even comprehensive universities in other countries in addition to colleges for art. According to the alumni matriculation of the following six schools, KingLead Research Institute counted the proportion of Ivy League and the top 30 comprehensive universities in the United States (refer to the ranking of U.S. News in 2021, as the ranking of 2022 has not been updated before the release of the report), as shown in the figure below:

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As can be seen from the figure, the proportion of students admitted to Ivy League in Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr. School of the Arts is the highest, reaching 14%; The proportion of entering the top 30 in the United States is also the highest, reaching 40%. The Ivy League and the top 30 acceptance rates of other schools are also not low. It can be seen that students of art high school can not only be favored by the top comprehensive universities in the United States, but also have a great probability of entering the highly competitive Ivy League. It is also found in the statistics that the proportion of students choosing Harvard University, Columbia University, Yale University, Cornell University, University of Southern California and New York University is relatively large.

#3.4 Multiple Career Paths

Do students in arts school end up in arts related careers? Actually, according to the alumni data of the Chicago Academyfor the Arts, nearly 1/3 of Academy alums pursue non-arts paths after graduation, from business to physics to computer science and everything in between. Alums include entrepreneurs, attorneys, PhD’s, physicists, and other professionals in a wide variety of careers.[18]

Over the past 50 years, Saint Ann’s School has embraced a commitment to education for its own sake, oriented to the capacities of each individual student. The lives of its graduates, their achievements as dancers and doctors, poets and physicists, musicians and mathematicians, speak powerfully to the potential of an education based on Saint Ann’s principles to ignite a passion for learning and to sustain creative energy in every field of endeavor.[20]

The following are the comments of six alumni of Interlochen Arts Academy. It can be felt that their early high school art learning experience has brought incomparably far-reaching impact and irreplaceable value to their career.[19]

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Summary and Prospect

KingLead Research Institute conducted in-depth research on the number, distribution, and brand characteristics of American arts high schools. It is found that American high schools with arts brand characteristics are concentrated in California, New York, and Florida. These high schools with outstanding arts brand characteristics strive to provide students with the best software and hardware supports. At the same time, arts high school students face different challenges from ordinary high school students. Therefore, the school will take targeted measures to support and assist students to overcome difficulties and achieve the purpose of academic and technical excellence. With the rich curriculum system and academic support of the school, high school students with arts brand characteristics can still obtain excellent academic achievements while improving their artistic literacy. Therefore, in terms of applying for college, they have a variety of options, which means that they are not only favored by top arts colleges, but also have the competitiveness of applying for top comprehensive universities. Students also have a variety of career paths, and often have more life choices and richer life experience.

KingLead is a promoter of international school ranking evaluation, brand media and scientific research education. We aim to explore international schools with outstanding characteristics in running schools and advances the development of brand characteristics and the continuous upgrading of school running ideas. At the same time, we hope to promote industrial upgrading, talent training and school running practice, and improve the influence and competitiveness of the school.

Artistic quality is one of the indispensable qualities of high-level talents, and artistic talents are also one of the indispensable talents in the future. Arts emphasizes process, perception, imagination, and creation. Schools with arts brand characteristics provide students with not only artistic understanding and training professional skills, but also the cultivation of comprehensive quality, such as decent taste, pursuit of perfection, perseverance, expression ability, etc. Both the artistic atmosphere and the achievements of arts education are the embodiment of the level of arts education in international schools. [28]

With the increasingly diversified development goals of teenagers and the expectation of personalized experience, having a clear brand strategy and prominent characteristics has become the future development trend of international schools. Schools with brand school running characteristics can broaden students' paths of growth, discover students' uniqueness, activate students' internal driving force, and make them better people. Schools with brand characteristics have advantages in talent training and can attract more excellent families and students, to create a strong engine to improve the overall competitiveness of the school.

References