It�s all about making neural connections in the brain. It is so exciting to me that we�re leveling the playing field for students who might not get these experiences at home.
Stu Silberman, Superintendent, Daviess County Public Schools
In order to function in tomorrow�s world, children must be able to decode images and sounds, and symbols. Literacy in �text� is not enough. Children will need the ability to analyze and evaluate complex visual and aural messages and make critical judgments. Training in the arts builds these essential interpretive skills.
Bill Ivey, Former Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Wonder ought to last a lifetime, but too often we outgrow it. We forget to educate the imagination, and in the process, we lose the power to envision new worlds.
The arts draw us into knowledge through pleasure and allow us to embark on a journey of learning and enjoyment that does not end. The arts humanize the curriculum while affirming the interconnectedness of all forms of knowing. They are a powerful means to improve education.
�Can arts education improve the economic prospects of most students, irrespective of their career choice? Or is learning the arts a �frill� when compared to math or science? A surprising answer can be found by talking to a group of executives, at a rotary club or similar gathering. Ask whether they have used calculus to make an important decision in the last 90 days. Very few hands will be raised. Next, ask if aesthetics have played a part in a judgment affecting their bottom line�whether it be designing a product, packaging, building, or advertising campaign. Almost everyone will raise their hands in affirmation.�
Source: �SCANS 2000: The Workforce Skills Web Site,� John Hopkins University Institute for Policy Studies, www:scans.jhu.edu.
FACT�Students who received more than 4 years of arts education scored 57 points higher on the verbal SAT and 43 points higher on the math section than students who received 1/2 year or less of arts instruction.
Source: �2000 College-Bound Seniors: A Profile of SAT Program Test Takers,� www.collegeboard.org/sat/cbsenior/yr2000/nat/natart00.html.
The arts�creative writing, dance, music, theater/film, and visual arts�serve as ways to react to, record, and share our impressions of the world. We need every possible way to represent, interpret and convey our world for a very simple reason; no one way offers a full picture. Individually, mathematics, science, and history convey only part of the reality of the world. Nor do the arts alone suffice. A multiplicity of symbols systems are required to provide a more complete picture and a more comprehensive education.
FACT�A recent regression analysis of 1999 CATS (Commonwealth Accountability Testing System) scores revealed a statistically significant correlation between arts and humanities scores and math scores. For every one-point increase in a school�s arts and humanities score, its math score will likely be 1.143 points higher.
Source: �Arts in Public Education, A Research Study for The Kentucky Arts Council,� University of Kentucky, February, 2001.
The arts enable children to use all their senses in learning; to look and listen more carefully. Because the arts stress creative thinking and analytical skills, students who have a strong background in the arts are more likely to outperform their peers who have had no art training.
FACT�Brain research shows that the stimuli provided by the arts�pictures, song, movement, play acting�are essential for the young child to develop to the fullest potential. These activities are the �languages� of the child, the multiple ways in which he or she understands and interprets the world. They pave the way for the child�s success in learning to read and to write.
Source: �The Arts: Dynamic Partner in Building Strong Schools,�
The Getty Foundation, 1998. www.artsednet.getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/Advocacy
/Life/partner.html.
In 1996, the Daviess County Public Schools district embarked on a bold and innovative project that could fundamentally change the way students are educated in the future. Based upon the current brain development research, the project, called Graduation2010, maps out a 13 year program of studies for all students, with particular emphasis on entering kindergartners and children in the primary grades. The eight components of the program are the arts, music, foreign language, reading, critical thinking, health and emotional health, parental involvement and community involvement.
�As a core component of the program all students will learn to play the piano and be exposed to intense music instruction. The research is clear that there is a direct correlation between learning music and high academic achievement. By learning music, pathways in the brain are formed that will be utilized for other complex thinking and learning� All students will also experience dance, theatre and the visual arts taught by professional artists.�
Source: Daviess County Public Schools, www.daviess.k12.ky.us
The program showed results from the first: Deer Park Elementary climbed 17 points in state test scores in the first two years of the project.
And the program continues to pay dividends, as evidenced by the 1999-2000 CATS test results:
Daviess County had the 9th highest district scores in the state and the 2nd highest of all 120 county districts in 1999.
Source: Daviess County Public Schools. www.daviess.k12.ky.us, January 28, 2000
Kentucky has taken aggressive steps to support the arts and humanities as a part of the curriculum. We are one of the few states that have mandated an arts curriculum for all students� However, we realize that much more could be done. We feel that we could be much more powerful in terms of the way we deliver arts education to our children.
Gene Wilhoit, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education