UNM PRC Evaluation Finds that Children Participating in National Dance Institute of New Mexico’s Advanced Training Programs Show Greater Proficiency in Math, Reading and Science

National Dance Institute of New Mexico’s (NDI New Mexico) Advanced Training programs are designed to provide children opportunities to develop discipline, practice teamwork, and gain self-confidence while learning and refining their dance techniques.

The UNM PRC recently evaluated the relationships between participation in NDI New Mexico’s Advanced Training programs and school-related outcomes including school attendance, standardized test proficiency, and delinquent behavior. The analysis included available school administrative data and NDI New Mexico Advanced Training program data over four academic years spanning from fall 2015 through spring 2019.  Key findings include:

• NDI New Mexico’s Advanced Training program participants had 1.5-2.5 times higher odds of being proficient on standardized tests than non-participants.
• Students participating in NDI New Mexico’s Advanced Training programs had about 1.5-2 times the odds of having 10 or fewer absences during an academic year compared with non-participants.
• Students who participated in the Advanced Training programs had 2.7 times lower odds of having disciplinary infractions on record compared with students who did not participate.

The full report is available here.