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WHY ART MATTERS?

Years of research show that it's closely linked to almost everything that we as a nation say we want for our children and demand from our schools: academic achievement, social and emotional development, civic engagement, and equitable opportunity.

Involvement in the arts is associated with gains in math, reading, cognitive ability, critical thinking, and verbal skill. Arts learning can also improve motivation, concentration, confidence, and teamwork. A 2005 report by the Rand Corporation about the visual arts argues that the intrinsic pleasures and stimulation of the art experience do more than sweeten an individual's life -- according to the report, they "can connect people more deeply to the world and open them to new ways of seeing," creating the foundation to forge social bonds and community cohesion

As a means of encountering the world around us, the arts offer a unique combination of intellectual, emotional, imaginative, and physical experiences. The sounds of music, the movements of a dancing body, the colors in a painting and the emotion visible on the face of an actor--all of these are alternative languages. They are opportunities for capturing ideas and feelings, for communicating and for learning, that move well beyond words.

But, listen to why kids think art education is important! http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development

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The evidence is clear, ARTS Matter! The following is a collection of research to help you make the case for the arts as essential part of a 21st Century Education.

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 * [|Three Important Reports:**]
 * [|Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning.][|http://artsedge.kennedy-center.org/champions]
 * Supporting Structures for Arts Education in the 21st Century
 * Secretary of Education Duncan Confirms Role of Arts in Complete Education at AEP Forum
 * New AEP Wire: Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art
 * New AEP Commentary: Creativity, Innovation and Arts Learning -- Preparing All Students for Success in a Global Economy
 * “The Arts Education Effect” – Education Week features online commentary by Sandra Ruppert
 * Arts and 21st Century Learning Research and Policy Agenda
 * [|SAT Scores and Study in The Arts] (PDF) from the College Board for arts and music
 * [|U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan] supports Arts education (PDF)
 * __[|Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning]__
 * __[|Critical Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social Development]__
 * __[|The Arts and Education: New Opportunities for Research in Arts Education]__
 * [|Third Space: When Learning Matters – Stevenson and Deasy (2005)]