A focus on special areas of instruction

Here we are at the beginning of another school year. Faculties and families greet the September days as a new beginning. Children with fresh haircuts and neat uniforms spill into new classrooms, finding their seats and wondering wistfully how summer went by so quickly! Soon their attention will turn to the business of reading, writing and arithmetic, perhaps a bit itchy for recess to arrive.

This year, in several of our Catholic schools, we will be working on an enhanced focus on the special areas of instruction. These areas include visual and performing arts, foreign languages, science, technology and math projects (STEM), and of course, the library! “Arts education holds significant potential in boosting academic achievement across diverse disciplines, offering cognitive, emotional and social benefits” (Annet, 2024).

Our quest for enhanced literacy instruction and math achievement recognizes that, for many students, the avenue for increasing their skills in these areas is linked to the arts. Many of us have attended school concerts, art fairs, STEM presentations or plays and have been deeply moved by the quality of creativity and thoughtfulness that schoolchildren demonstrated. We attend expecting the performances to be “cute” and ultimately find ourselves moved by their authenticity and the manifestation of different abilities. Middle school plays not only have student performers, but they also have student set builders and student sound technicians — skills which require a different use of the mind. Each role requires focus and commitment to tasks that are sought by every teacher in every classroom!

The ticket to literacy and numeracy is something other than the English Language Arts blocks of instructional time, or Mad Minutes exercises in math. The golden ticket is sometimes found down the hall in the art class or the music room. The study of foreign language instruction in the early grades fosters broader learning in other content areas. Lessons taught in physical education classes are frequently and intrinsically related to the healthy development of cognitive strategies needed for reading text or understanding math concepts. And, of course, there is the library. The library is for more than brief visits for book exchanges. It is tied directly to the concepts being taught in classrooms. We are going to follow the research and connect those special areas to the work of developing stronger students.

As we begin the school year, attention will be drawn to the classroom work of our special area teachers because we know they are essential partners in the pursuit of literacy and math learning. “Students that take a combination of arts programs demonstrate improved verbal, reading and math skills, and also show a greater capacity for higher-ordered thinking skills such as analyzing and problem-solving” (Chen, August 2025).

Every picture a child draws has a story attached; every color they mix is a science experiment. Many times, kids have big ideas, and they need us, parents and teachers, to provide them with support, vocabulary and experiences that will build their cognitive strengths. Their growth in literacy and in math is nurtured by exposure to more special areas. Maybe that is why they are called special!

Dr. Teresa Snyder is the Associate Superintendent of Schools.