Arts-intensive high schools offer a unique learning environment for artistically gifted students, but relatively little is known about the long-term impacts of attending these schools. Using data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), this mixed-methods study explores the educational experiences and career outcomes of over 2,900 alumni from arts-intensive high schools. Descriptive statistics, inferential regression models, and a grounded theory, inductive coding, qualitative analysis reveal important connections among acquired skills, experiential learning activities, and several career and community outcomes. Overall, the findings suggest that skills learned while at arts-intensive high schools are relevant to a variety of careers, and that certain high-impact practices are positive predictors of later outcomes. However, curricular revisions to address areas such as entrepreneurial and business skills may be needed. Implications for curricular improvements, programming support, and advising are also discussed.
AnayaG. (1999). College impact on student learning: Comparing the use of self-reported gains, standardized test scores, and college grades. Research in Higher Education, 40, 499–526. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018744326915
BadcockP. B. T.PattisonP. E.HarrisK. L. (2010). Developing generic skills through university study: A study of arts, science and engineering in Australia. Higher Education, 60, 441–458. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-010-9308-8
5.
BeckmanG. D. (2007). “Adventuring” arts entrepreneurship curricula in higher education: An examination of present efforts, obstacles, and best practices. Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 37(2), 87–112. https://doi.org/10.3200/JAML.37.2.87-112
6.
Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. (2024). Dallas Independent School District. https://www.dallasisd.org/bookert
Bryant RockenbachA. N.HudsonT. D.TuckmayerJ. B. (2014). Fostering meaning, purpose, and enduring commitments to community service in college: A multidimensional conceptual model. Journal of Higher Education, 85(3), 312–338. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2014.0014
9.
BurtonJ.HorowitzR.AbelesH. (1999). Learning in and through the arts: Curriculum implications. In FiskeE. B. (Ed.), Champions of change: The impact of the arts on learning (pp. 35–46). Arts Education Partnership.
10.
CabreraA. F.WeertsD. J.ZulickB. J. (2005). Making an impact with alumni surveys. New Directions for Institutional Research, 2005, 5–17. https://doi.org/10.1002/ir.144
11.
CarnevaleA. P.CheahB.StrohlJ. (2012). College majors, unemployment, and earnings: Not all college degrees are created equal. Center of Education and the Workforce, Georgetown University.
12.
ChanC. K. Y.FongE. T. Y.LukL. Y. Y.HoR. (2017). A review of literature on challenges in the development and implementation of generic competencies in higher education curriculum. International Journal of Educational Development, 57, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2017.08.010
13.
ChesbroughR. D. (2011). College students and service: A mixed methods exploration of motivations, choices, and learning outcomes. Journal of College Student Development, 52(6), 687–705. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2011.0071
Cisneros-DonahueT.KrentlerK. A.ReinigB.SabolK. (2012). Assessing the academic benefit of study abroad. Journal of Education and Learning, 1(2), 169–178. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v1n2p169
16.
CoulsonS. (2012). Collaborating in a competitive world: Musicians’ working lives and understandings of entrepreneurship. Work, Employment and Society, 26(2), 246–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0950017011432919
CreswellJ. W.PothC. N. (2016). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Sage.
19.
CurtisB.SmallerH.LivingstoneD. W. (1992). Stacking the deck: The streaming of working-class kids in Ontario schools (Vol. 24). James Lorimer & Company.
20.
DumfordA. D.MillerA. L. (2017). Assessing alumni success: Income is NOT the only outcome!. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 42(2), 195–207. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2015.1098587
21.
EdstromA. M. (2008). Art students making use of studio conversations. Art, Design & Communication in Higher Education, 7(1), 31–44. https://doi.org/10.1386/adch.7.1.31_1
22.
FieldA. (2009). Discovering statistics using SPSS (3rd ed.). Sage.
23.
FosnachtK.SarrafS.HoweE.PeckL. (2017). How important are high response rates for college surveys?The Review of Higher Education, 40(2), 245–265. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2017.0003
24.
FrenetteA. (2017). The rise of creative placemaking: Cross-sector collaboration as cultural policy in the United States. The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 47(5), 333–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2017.1391727
25.
FrenetteA.DowdT. J.SkaggsR.RyanT. (2020). Careers in the arts: Who stays and who leaves?Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.
26.
FrenetteA.DumfordA. D.MillerA. L.TepperS. J. (2015). The internship divide: The promise and challenges of internships in the arts. Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Arizona State University, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.
27.
FrenetteA.TepperS. J. (2016). What difference does it make? Assessing the effects of arts-based training on career pathways. In ComunianR.GilmoreA. (Eds.), Higher education and the creative economy: Beyond the campus (pp. 83–101). Routledge.
28.
Gaztambide-FernándezR.NichollsR.Arráiz-MatuteA. (2016). For what purpose the arts? An analysis of the mission statements of urban arts high schools in Canada and the United States. Arts Education Policy Review, 117(1), 29–42.
29.
GoldsmithL. T.HetlandL.HoyleC.WinnerE. (2016). Visual-spatial thinking in geometry and the visual arts. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 10(1), 56. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000027
30.
GoldsteinT. R.LernerM. D.WinnerE. (2017). The arts as a venue for developmental science: Realizing a latent opportunity. Child Development, 88(5), 1505–1512.
31.
GoreE. C. (2007). Talent knows no color: The history of an arts magnet high school. Information Age Publishing.
GreeneJ. C.CaracelliV. J.GrahamW. F. (1989). Toward a conceptual framework for mixed-method evaluation designs. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 11(3), 255–274.
34.
HayekJ. C.CariniR. M.O’DayP. T.KuhG. D. (2002). Triumph or tragedy: Comparing student engagement levels of members of Greek-letter organizations and other students. Journal of College Student Development, 43(5), 643–663.
35.
HayfordM.KattwinkelS. (Eds.). (2018). Performing arts as high-impact practice (The arts in higher education). Palgrave Macmillan.
JohnsonC. (2002). The position of the fine art student in the context of public accountability of higher education, with specific reference to the Quality Assurance Agency experience. Teaching in Higher Education, 7(2), 215–224. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510220124277
38.
KeenC.HallK. (2009). Engaging with difference matters: Longitudinal student outcomes of co-curricular service-learning programs. The Journal of Higher Education, 80(1), 59–79. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2009.11772130
39.
KerkvlietJ.NowellC. (2014). Public subsidies, tuition, and public universities’ choices of undergraduate acceptance and retention rates in the USA. Education Economics, 22(6), 652–666. https://doi.org/10.1080/09645292.2012.659010
40.
KerrD.KnightB. A. (2011). Analysing the effects of an industry-based jazz education performance training programme on the development of adjunct-professional skills. Music Education Research, 13(3), 327–341. https://doi.org/10.1080/14613808.2011.603045
41.
KilgoC. A.SheetsJ. K. E.PascarellaE. T. (2015). The link between high-impact practices and student learning: Some longitudinal evidence. Higher Education, 69, 509–525. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9788-z
42.
KuhG. D. (2008). High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter. Association of American Colleges and Universities.
43.
KuhG. D.O’DonnellK. (2013). Ensuring quality & taking high-impact practices to scale. Association of American Colleges and Universities.
44.
LambertA. D.MillerA. L. (2014). Lower response rates on alumni surveys might not mean lower response representativeness. Educational Research Quarterly, 37(3), 38–51. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1061974.pdf
45.
LeBretonJ. M.SenterJ. L. (2008). Answers to 20 questions about interrater reliability and interrater agreement. Organizational Research Methods, 11(4), 815–852. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428106296642
46.
LindemannD. J.RushC. A.TepperS. J. (2018). An asymmetrical portrait: Exploring gendered income inequality in the arts. Social Currents, 3(4), 332–348. https://doi.org/10.1177/2329496516636399
LuftigR. L.DonovanM. J.FarnbaughC. L.KennedyE. E.FilickoT.WyszomirskiM. J. (2003). So what are you doing after college? An investigation of individuals studying the arts at the post-secondary level, their job aspirations and levels of realism. Studies in Art Education, 45(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2003.11651753
49.
MarkusenA.GadwaA. (2010). Creative placemaking. National Endowment for the Arts.
50.
MartinN. D.FrenetteA. (2017). Lost in transition: College resources and unequal early career trajectories of arts alumni. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(12), 1487–1509. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764217734273
51.
MartinN. D.FrenetteA.GualtieriG. (2023). Campus connections for creative careers: Social capital, gender inequality, and artistic work. Poetics, 96(101763), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.poetic.2023.101763
52.
MattesonM. L.AndersonL.BoydenC. (2016). “Soft skills”: A phrase in search of meaning. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 16(1), 71–88. https://doi.org/10.1353/pla.2016.0009
53.
MayhewM. J.RockenbachA. N.BowmanN. A.SeifertT. A.WolniakG. C. (2016). How college affects students, volume 3: 21st century evidence that higher education works. Jossey-Bass.
54.
MayhewM. J.SimonffJ. S. (2015). Non-White, no more: Effect coding as an alternative to dummy coding with implications for higher education researchers. Journal of College Student Development, 56, 170–175. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/578153
55.
McHughP. P. (2017). The impact of compensation, supervision and work design on internship efficacy: Implications for educators, employers and prospective interns. Journal of Education and Work, 30(4), 367–382. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2016.1181729
MillerA. L. (2018). The role of creative coursework in skill development for university seniors. Global Education Review (Creativity & Education Special Issue), 5(1), 88–107. https://ger.mercy.edu/index.php/ger/article/view/360
58.
MillerA. L.DumfordA. D. (2015). The influence of institutional experiences on the development of creative thinking in arts alumni. Studies in Art Education, 56(2), 168–182. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2015.11518959
59.
MillerA. L.DumfordA. D.JohnsonW. R. (2017). Music alumni play a different tune: Reflections on acquired skills and career outcomes. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 18(29), 1–21. http://www.ijea.org/v18n29/
60.
MillerA. L.LambertA. D. (2012). Comparing skills and competencies for high school, undergraduate, and graduate arts alumni. International Journal of Education & the Arts, 13(5), 1–13. http://www.ijea.org/v13n5/
61.
MillerA. L.MartinN. D.FrenetteA. (2022). Unpacking high-impact practices in the arts: Predictors of college, career, and community engagement outcomes. Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 52(3), 190–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/10632921.2022.2029786
62.
MillerA. L.RocconiL. M.DumfordA. D. (2018). Focus on the finish line: Does high-impact practice participation influence career plans and early job attainment?Higher Education, 75(3), 489–506. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0151-z
63.
MillerA. L.SkaggsR.DumfordA. D. (2018). Characteristics and contributions of arts organization founders. Business Creativity & the Creative Economy, 4, 63–75. https://doi.org/10.18536/bcce.2018.10.8.1.07
64.
MillerA. L.SmithV. A. (2017). Exploring differences in creativity across academic majors for high-ability college students. Gifted and Talented International, 32(1), 44–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332276.2018.1435355
Novak-LeonardJ.SkaggsR. (2017). Public perceptions of artists in communities: A sign of changing times. Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, 6(2), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1353/artv.2017.0002
68.
NunleyJ. M.PughA.RomeroN.SealsR. A.Jr. (2016). College major, internship experience, and employment opportunities: Estimates from a résumé audit. Labour Economics, 38, 37–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2015.11.002
69.
PascarellaE. T.TerenziniP. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
70.
PikeG. R. (1995). The relationship between self-reports of college experiences and achievement test scores. Research in Higher Education, 36(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02207764
71.
PreckelF.GolleJ.GrabnerR.JarvinL.KozbeltA.MüllensiefenD.Olszewski-KubiliusP.SchneiderW.SubotnikR.VockM.WorrellF. C. (2020). Talent development in achievement domains: A psychological framework for within- and cross-domain research. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 15(3), 691–722. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691619895030
RowleyJ. L. (2012). Final year music students’ identities: Music student or music teacher?Victorian Journal of Music Education, 1, 22–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761411433720
74.
SchulzB. (2008). The importance of soft skills: Education beyond academic knowledge. NAWA Journal of Language & Communication, 2(1), 146–154. http://hdl.handle.net/10628/39
75.
ScrippL.ParadisL. (2014). Embracing the burden of proof: New strategies for determining predictive links between arts integration teacher professional development, student arts learning, and student academic achievement outcomes. Journal for Learning through the Arts, 10(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.21977/D910119293
76.
SkaggsR.Novak-LeonardJ. L.BarbeeJ. (2024). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on arts and design alumni [Strategic National Arts Alumni Project report]. Arts + Design Alumni Research, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.
77.
SmildeR. (2008). Lifelong learners in music; research into musicians’ biographical learning. International Journal of Community Music, 1(2), 243–252. https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm.1.2.243_1
78.
Strategic National Arts Alumni Project. (2013). An uneven canvas: Inequalities in artistic training and careers. Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, Strategic National Arts Alumni Project.
79.
StebletonM. J.SoriaK. M.CherneyB. T. (2013). The high impact of education abroad: College students’ engagement in international experiences and development of intercultural competencies. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 22, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v22i1.316
80.
SubotnikR. F.Olszewski-KubiliusP.WorrellF. C. (2011). Rethinking giftedness and gifted education: A proposed direction forward based on psychological science. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12, 3–54. https://doi.org/10.1037/e665862012-001
81.
TabachnickB. G.FidellL. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
TredeF.McEwenC. (2015). Early workplace learning experiences: What are the pedagogical possibilities beyond retention and employability?Higher Education, 69(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9759-4
Weziak-BialowolskaD.BialowolskiP.SaccoP. L. (2019). Involvement with the arts and participation in cultural events—Does personality moderate impact on well-being? Evidence from the U.K. Household Panel Survey. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 13(3), 348–358. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000180
86.
WilsonB. (2001). Arts magnets and the transformation of schools and schooling. Education and Urban Society, 33(4), 366–387.
87.
WolniakG. C.EngbergM. E. (2019). Do “high-impact” college experiences affect early career outcomes?The Review of Higher Education, 42(3), 825–858. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2019.0021
88.
XiaoX. (2013). Structural equation modeling compared with ordinary least squares in simulations and life insurers’ data. Texas Scholar Works.
