Boston Arts Academy provides an example of how high schools can incorporate the arts into academics. Incorporating the arts into all high schools can benefit student learning because students are able to make connections and to apply their learning in concrete ways.

While most of the dialogue in education today is about accountability, standardized testing, and adequate yearly progress, the truth is that student success is deeply connected to the physical, emotional, and cognitive needs that they have at different ages. The best schools already know this and follow practices that are academically engaging and…