Promotion of Arts Integration to Build Social and Academic Development

Integrating the arts into the curriculums incorporates lessons to address social-emotional and academic issues. Art integration helps students to engage in meaningful learning as well as understanding at a much more defined and deeper level. It is our belief that if all elementary level teachers were trained in arts-based techniques for supporting the social-emotional and academic development that students will graduate with a broader and more diverse understanding of the world. This paper will review the literature on arts integration studies, learn more about a local school initiating arts integration, and review teachers opinions who have just started using arts integration techniques in their classrooms at School O in Mississippi. About Authors: Lorie Scott is an elementary school teacher in Mississippi and an Educational Specialist student at Mississippi State University; Dr. Sallie Harper is the Interim Associate Dean of Education and Associate Professor of Elementary Education at Mississippi State University's Meridian Campus; Dr. Matthew Boggan is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership, Program Director of Educational Leadership and Project Director of Learning and Educating through Alternative Programs (LEAP), a transition to teaching program at Mississippi State University's Meridian Campus.