Fight the Stress of Urban Education with the Arts

Creedon, D. (2011). Fight the Stress of Urban Education with the Arts. The Phi Delta Kappan, 92(3), 34-36.

In this article, Creedon encourages educators to integrate the arts into education because it has positive effects on disadvantage children. Stress is a major health problem in urban neighborhoods, but integrating the arts in education can help children deal with intense stress. Unfortunately, stress reduces a child’s ability to learn because of the production of cortisol in the brain. However, while working in the arts children tend to increase endorphins, which counteracts the production of cortisol.  As a result, Creedon argues that integrating art- based creative process into teaching and learning will give students a well-rounded education by increasing student mastery of critical content while also supporting emotional and physical needs of our children.

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