Arts education is too rare in public schools even though the benefits, training young people to think more creatively, is well known, write guest columnists Susan Coliton and Patricia A. Wasley. Supporting arts education in public schools is a good investment.
Special to The Times
OUR state's economy thrives on innovation. That innovation
Thinking creatively is good for the economy. Creative employees have the power to imagine new possibilities. They can envision new directions in biotechnology and energy. They can create efficiencies in agriculture and construction. Creative thinkers make us stronger and more agile as companies, as communities — and as a country.
Arts education in K — 12 schools plays a major role in cultivating creative thinkers. Its ultimate purpose is not to develop the next Picasso or Beethoven — it's to foster creative and critical thinking skills for all students, at all academic levels. It's about developing skills in communication and collaboration, and supporting different styles of learning — kinesthetic, visual, experiential — that enhance conceptual understanding across all subjects, including science and math.
The earlier we introduce arts education — and the more consistently we sustain it through high school — the greater the rewards. National research shows that involvement in the arts has an immediate, positive impact on students — elevating academic performance, deterring delinquency and raising graduation rates. According to the Center for Arts Education, some students at risk of dropping out cite their involvement in the arts as the reason to stay in school. New neuroscience research documents the positive effects of arts learning on cognitive function.
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said recently, "The arts can help students become tenacious, team-oriented problem solvers who are confident and able to think creatively." We need those tenacious thinkers here in Washington. So how can we get there, particularly in tough economic times?
Communities throughout our state have meaningful opportunities to expand arts education in our schools: Principals and teachers can work with parents to increase community understanding and support for arts education. Cultural organizations can showcase successful school partnerships and advocate for dance, music, theater and visual-arts instruction during the school day. Parents can talk to educators and policymakers about the ways arts learning has benefitted their children. And elected officials can continue providing funding and legislation that support the arts as an essential part of K — 12 education.
Susan Coliton, left, is vice president of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation; Patricia A. Wasley is dean of the College of Education at the University of Washington.
Enter in the Earth Day Photo Contest!
For the 40th anniversary of Earth Daythe Student Blog is sponsoring an Earth Day photo contest. Earthday2010 is Thursday, April 22, and Murch is asking students and parents to walk and bike to school to celebrate Earth Day. What a great way to exercise before another day of DC-CAS testing for third, fourth, and fifth graders!
Walking School Bus
Join one of several Walking School Buses leaving from the following “bus stops” at 8:30 a.m. If you need to get to work, you can drop off your children and the bus captain will bring them to school. Please make sure to email the bus captain if you are joining the bus or dropping off your child.
Earth Day Photo Contest for Students
The Student Blog is sponsoring an Earth Day http://ww2.earthday.net/earthday2010 photography contest. First, second, and third place winners will receive gift cards to Politics & Prose!
All students are welcome to submit their best photograph that shows what Earth Day means to them. That could be almost anything – nature, people, food, or even pollution – but the photo must convey a strong environmental theme. The deadline for entries is Sunday, April 25.
Members of the Student Blog team will judge photos on composition, content, and environmental theme. Winners will be announced and their photos published on the Murch Web site and in the next edition of Murch Mustang Express. All entries will be featured in a gallery on the Web site as well, but the winners will be featured on the Home page.
Please, digital images only – this is Earth Day, after all, so let’s avoid paper and chemicals! (If you have to borrow your parents’ camera, be sure to get their permission first.)
Contest Rules:
Entries due by Sunday, April 25.
One photo per student.
Entrants must be Murch students.
Photos may be in color or black and white.
Submit digital images via email [mikeheffner@mac.com].
Please include the student’s name, parent contact information, and teacher.
Titles and descriptions may accompany photos but are not required.
Good luck. Start snapping away today!
