Due to the perceived need to bolster STEM learning in schools, one of the lost elements for many students has been a satisfactory art education.  Art has been shunted aside to make time for additional study of math, science and advanced language skills.  However, experts and policy makers have begun to recognize that a lack of art will give children an incomplete education, at best.  Research has found that participation in the arts helps children learn to think critically and draw upon their innate creativity to solve problems and work in teams.

Read the policy report posted below and answer the following questions.

  1. The article states that including art in education can help children develop deeper learning skills?  What are those skills? (hint:  there are 6 of them)
    2. What is the name and date of the federal law that was passed to help make art a priority in education?  What does the law do?
    3. Using the table on pages 3 & 4 list at least three of the “Effects on Student Achievement” findings that have been demonstrated in research studies.
    4. Based on the article and the studies cited there AND based on your own experience, do you think a revitalized focus on the arts could be helpful in our nation’s schools? Why?