State Superintendents Are Powerful Advocates for the Arts in Education PDF - In this paper – part of the ECS Arts and Minds series – three state school superintendents discuss why they support the arts in education. (Education Commission of the States, May 2006)...

How Creativity, Education and the Arts Shape a Modern Economy PDF - In November 2004, Sir Ken Robinson, senior advisor for education policy at the Getty Foundation in Los Angeles, sat down with Robert(Bob) Morrison, founder and chairman of the Music for All Foundation, to talk about the current state of American education and the role creativity and the arts play in a modern economy. This interview was conducted as part of the ECS' Arts and Minds Series,which features the views of today’s leading thinkers on topics pertaining to the arts in education. (ECS, April 2005)...

Media Paints Arts Education in Fading Light PDF - This analysis examines how the national press portrays arts education and identifies the most common themes covered in news stories. The analysis found that, overall, arts education is presented as losing ground against more urgent educational priorities. Arts education also is viewed in opposition to an increased focus on standardized tests. The report presents several recommendations to assist advocates so they can capitalize on media coverage to promote and protect arts education in schools, including: highlight arts education successes, nationalize the issue, increase and expand the influential voices on arts education, and focus on the value of the arts versus painting a doom-and-gloom scenario. (Douglas Gould & Co., prepared for the Education Commission of the States, 2005) ...

The Arts Are Vital to Young People's Success in School and in Life PDF - Susan Sclafani is assistant secretary for vocational and adult education in the U.S. Department of Education. In a speech given at the Education Commission of the States’ Spring Steering Committee on May 7, 2005, in Little Rock, Arkansas, she discussed how learning in and through the arts is central to fulfilling the No Child Left Behind Act’s goal of improved student achievement. (Education Commission of the States, July 2005)...

The Arts, Education and the Creative Economy PDF - This brochure describes the emergence of the creative economy, the role arts and culture play in economic development, and state examples to promote the creative economy....

Progress of Education Reform 2004: The Arts in Education PDF - This issue of The Progress of Education Reform provides a brief summary of several recent research studies on the role and value of education in the arts, as well as a look at the results of National Assessment of Educational Progress tests in music, visual arts and theater. (Suzanne Weiss, The Progress of Education Reform, vol. 5, no. 1, Education Commission of the States, January 2004)...

Instructional Focus in First Grade - First grade is generally the first year of mandatory full-day schooling in the United States and is thus, for many students, the first time that they will be attending school in a full-day setting. This Issue Brief details how often per week and how much time per day 1st-graders were instructed in subjects such as reading, mathematics, science and the arts during the 1999-2000 academic year. (National Center for Education Statistics, March 2006)...

Arts for Every Student: Arts Education Resources Initiative - This booklet is part of a Washington State Arts Commission project, the Arts Education Resources Initiative (AERI), which aims to help schools bring high quality arts education to all their students. The booklet and a companion Web site, http://www.arts.wa.gov/AERI.html, offer research-based ideas and support for effective practice, specific action agendas for developing and sustaining high quality arts education, and examples of successful arts education programs. In addition, the authors discuss five elements and attributes of strong arts programs, including curriculum, assessment, teaching capacity, collaboration and scheduling. (Washington State Arts Commission, January 2006) ...

Arts and Economic Prosperity: The Economic Impact of Nonprofit Arts Organizations and Their Audiences - Released in 2002, this report reveals that America's nonprofit arts industry generates $134 billion in economic activity every year, including $24.4 billion in federal, state and local tax revenues. The $134 billion total includes $53.2 billion in spending by arts organizations and $80.8 billion in event-related spending by arts audiences. The report is based on 3,000 nonprofit organizations in 91 cities and 33 states, plus the District of Columbia. The full report, summaries, and several data sources can be accessed through the provided link.(Americans for the Arts, 2002)...

The Creative Economy - America's Industrial Economy is giving way to the Creative Economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that by 2005, the percentage of workers employed in industry will fall below 20%. But the fields of technology, intellectual property, art and design, and entertainment are booming, as are resources devoted to them. Increasingly, the U.S. economy is based less on physical capital and more on ideas, which can spread and replicate easily and efficiently. Companies and organizations therefore must adapt to the changing demands of the market place to remain competitive. (Business Week, August 28, 2000)...