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The arts reach students who are not otherwise being reached
Studies show that the arts provide a reason, and sometimes the only reason, for disengaged students to engage with school and learning. The arts connect these students to a community of learners, focused on personal growth and discovery. For students distanced from the traditional linguistic and logical-mathematical styles of learning, the arts act as a bridge to education.
The arts increase overall student success in school
Recent studies have shown that high arts participation improves math and reading scores more for low-economic students than it does for high-economic students. Schools in poor areas that implement arts education programs show substantially increased achievement within a couple years. Furthermore, this enhancement of achievement by the arts is unparalleled by other activities such as sports or community service.
The arts foster skills important for the workplace
According to a U.S. Labor Department's report (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills), skills that arts education promotes have been shown to be critically important in the workplace. These skills include creative thinking, problem solving, responsibility, sociability and self-esteem. When students create, they constantly generate ideas and translate them into reality.
Getting involved and staying informed may be as simple as surfing the web. There are a wide variety of organizations available to help with funding arts programs, staying current on political issues or just offering simple tips to try in the classroom or at home with your children. Sign up for any e-newsletters or updates that look interesting. This alone may lead to other activities, meetings and events of interest. Listed below are several websites with useful arts education information and additional resources.
Americans for the Arts
http://www.artsusa.org/
Arts Council Silicon Valley
http://www.artscouncil.org/advocacy/
Arts Education Partnership
http://aep-arts.org/home.htm
The Bay Area California Arts Project
http://csmp.ucop.edu/tcap/baycap/
California Alliance for Arts Education
http://www.artsed411.org/
California Art Education Association
http://www.caea-arteducation.org
California Arts Advocates
http://www.calartsadvocates.org
California Arts Council
http://www.cac.ca.gov
California Department of Education
http://www.cde.ca.gov
The California Arts Project
http://csmp.ucop.edu/tcap
City of San Jose, Office of Cultural Affairs
http://www.sanjoseculture.org/
Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley
http://www.ci-sv.org/
Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligence Theory website
http://www.ed.psu.edu/insys/ESD/gardner/MItheory.html
National Education Associate
http://www.nea.org
National Endowment for the Arts
http://www.nea.gov
Teaching Arts
http://www.teachingarts.org/
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