During the Arts Education Partnership meeting in early May, the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) introduced its newly released landmark report, Re-Investing in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future... The results from this process of firsthand observation and research clearly showed the effect of arts education on student academic achievement and creativity. Schools are improving test scores and fostering their students’ competiveness in the workforce by investing in arts education strategies, even in the toughest neighborhoods. It also became clear that arts education provides a critical benefit to the private sector. To effectively compete in the global economy, business leaders are increasingly looking for employees who are creative, collaborative and innovative thinkers. A greater investment in the arts is an effective way to equip today’s students with the skills they will need to succeed in the jobs of tomorrow. The value of arts education is often phrased in enrichment terms—helping kids find their voice, rounding out their education and tapping into their undiscovered talents. This is true, but as the President’s Committee saw in schools all over the country, it is also an effective tool in school-wide reform and in fixing some of the nation's biggest educational challenges. The report sets out a series of strategies to achieve the over-arching conclusion from this 18-month study. To realize the potential of arts education, the report argues for a seamless marriage of arts education strategies with overall educational goals. To accomplish this requires a dynamic collaboration between arts specialists, classroom teachers and teaching artists to create creative environments that allow each child to reach his or her potential, using all the tools available to reach and engage students in learning. From - http://pcah.gov/news/pcah-releases-landmark-arts-education-study

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