Impact evaluation of the turnaround arts pilot program: an interrupted time series analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to conduct an evaluation of the pilot program of the Turnaround Arts reform using a comparative interrupted time series design. Because the only existing evaluation of the Turnaround Arts pilot program lacks clarity and transparency, reanalyzing this program is important to understand the effects of the initiative. I created a unique dataset with nine variables to specifically evaluate the achievement outcomes of the pilot schools, which I paired with similarly matched control schools. Achievement measures included average math and reading language arts (RLA) percent proficient scores for each of the schools from 2010 to 2014 and were collected from the Stanford Education Data Archive. My results indicated that the original Turnaround Arts reform had no statistically significant impacts on the pilot schools achievement measures, an important link in the initiatives theory of action. These results support previous music education literature that found no positive causal effects between music education and non-music achievement scores. School music and arts programs are important for providing children with a well-rounded education; however, justifying the use of arts education for non-arts gains can undermine high-quality arts program development.