Art Classes: Making Kids Smarter?

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Story Published: May 7, 2008 at 1:13 PM EDT

Story Updated: May 7, 2008 at 8:35 PM EDT

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From playing piano, to painting a landscape and performing in a play. Can art help students in their core classes - - reading, writing and math?

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara studied brain imaging and behavior and found that studying the arts improves overall brain function - - including short and long term memory, math and literacy.

Art Specialist, Becky Sharpe says, "When they're learning about drama, they're also incorporating story telling. When they're making a picture, they're also learning about different cultures so they're bringing in history, social studies. When we learn about linear perspective, it's geometry ... And whether you're in math, whether you're in science class, you're looking at the world as a creative problem solver. And I think that's very liberating and it makes learning exciting."

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