Reasons to support such legislation:

The following quotes are taken from the Report of the Fine Arts Task Force of the Georgia Board of Education on 4/9/98.

"Not only is the study of the fine arts important for it's own sake but also we believe the study of the fine arts enhances the development of higher thinking skills, creativity and problem-solving abilities that carry over in all studies."

"Studying the arts both enhances student achievement and helps students prepare for their careers."

After examining the place of the Arts in general education and after considerable study and public input the task force reported that, "the commercial and fine arts are an important part (6%) of our Gross National Product. For comparison,construction is 4.8% and wholesale trade is 6.9%."

Employers have testified that "fine arts study helps develop the creative problem-solving skills they need" in future employees.

"The best arts education is the earliest art education. There should be strong emphasis on the fine arts at the K-5 level. This early involvement will do the most to encourage creative thinking and lifelong interest in the arts."

"From the 1997 survey of 180 Georgia school systems by the Georgia Coalition for Arts Education, the number one priority of superintendents, curriculum directors and local school boards, who responded to the survey, was to improve the funding formula for K-5 music and art teachers."

The following information is from a study conducted at the Center for Arts Education Research at Teacher's College, Columbia University and reported in Learning In and Through the Arts: Curriculum Implications, July 1999.

Creative ability in measures of creativity, fluency, originality, elaboration and resistance to closure was significantly higher in students who have had art and music for 3 years as well as drama and dance for one year than those who had music and art for one year or less, and no drama or dance.

Students who have received more arts education were significantly stronger in "their ability to express their thoughts and ideas, exercise their imaginations, and take risks in their learning" (p. 39).

Students who have received strong arts education tend to acquire a sense of confidence that radiated into the general curriculum.

Students in schools with strong arts program are more likely to have a good rapport with their teachers than students in art poor schools. Teachers working in schools with strong arts programs are more likely to favor change and to seek professional development opportunities.

Teachers of other subjects in schools with high arts learning spoke of the following effects of arts learning as it related to their classrooms. "These were the ability to:

• express ideas and feelings openly and thoughtfully;
• form relationships among different items of experiences and layer them in thinking through an idea or problem;
• conceive or imagine different vantage points of an idea or problem and to work towards a resolution;
• construct and organize thoughts and ideas into meaningful units or wholes; and
• focus perception on an item or items of experiences, and sustain this focus over a period of time." (p. 42)

Information from a Variety of Sources Art and Education Reform:

Research indicates that arts education contributes to success in schooling - increased attendance and increased SAT scores.

In 1995, the College Board, which designs and administers the SAT, reported that students who took arts courses out performed their non arts peers on the SAT by as much as 59 points on verbal and 44 points on math.

In 1999 students who took arts courses out performed their non arts peers on the SAT by as much as 66 points on the verbal and 42 on math. More time spent in arts courses were directly correlated with higher test scores.

According to the Education Commission on the States, one in three children in classrooms today will work in an arts-related job at some point in their careers.

Research on learning and theories of multiple intelligences support the arts in education. (Peter Jennings)

National Association of Secondary School Principals recently endorsed the arts as "essential learnings."

National Standards for each of the arts were published in May 1994.

Goals 2000: Educate America Act (1994) states that comprehensive, sequential study of the arts is an essential part of the education of every child.

US Department of Labor reports that study of the arts is linked to increased scholastic achievement and productivity.

In 1993, the Office of Educational Research for the New York City Board of Education reported that elementary "students improved an average of one to two months in reading for each month they participated in the "Learning to Read Through the Arts Program."

A purely "academic core curriculum" is not turning out resourceful, flexible, creative problem solvers. Businesses seek employees who are creative and innovative, traits cultivated through study in the arts.

The Improving America's Schools Act, approved by congress in 1994, reinforced the importance of the arts in relation to other subjects and as vital subjects in themselves.

In a 1992 Lou Harris poll, surveys indicate that most parents think the arts are as important as reading, writing, math, science, history or geography. More than half said they favored cuts in administration or sports to pay for arts classes. The vast majority of parents want their children to have more experience with the arts than they did as students.

In 1992 a study titled Reinventing the Wheel: A Design for Student Achievement in the 21st Century was released by The National Conference of State Legislatures and emphasized the importance of the arts in all aspects of education.

"During the past quarter century, literally thousands of school based programs have demonstrated beyond question that the arts can not only bring coherence to our fragmented academic world, but through the arts, students' performance in other academic disciplines can be enhanced as well." Ernest Boyer, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

Well known and respected educational critic, John I. Goodlad concludes that, "the arts are not an educational option; they are basic." From A Place Called School, John I. Goodlad

"The process of studying and creating art in all of its distinct forms defines those qualities that are at the heart of education reform...creativity, perseverance, a sense of standards, and above all, a striving for excellence." Richard Riley, US Secretary of Education

"When I examine myself and my method of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge.Ó Albert Einstein

Arts education aids achievement of "core competencies" needed for employment, according to a US Department of Labor report (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills).

The arts are cited as important for certain "foundation skills" which include thinking creatively, problem solving, exercising individual responsibility, sociability and self-esteem.

Art and Economics:

It is ultimately in the best interest of the public to support the arts in the community and in education. From a strictly economic standpoint, the arts generate revenue for communities in many ways. Following are but a few.

The Georgia State Board of Education formed a Task Force in 1998 to examine the place of the Arts in general education and after considerable study and public input reported that, "the commercial and fine arts are an important part (6%) of our Gross National Product. For comparison, construction is 4.8% and wholesale trade is 6.9%."

The arts generate approximately 1.3 million jobs per year.

The $36 billion Nonprofit Arts Industry is a source of future employment.

When the Commercial Arts are added, this figure increases to $314 billion per year.

People pay to attend plays, museums, concerts and festivals. While attending such events they buy arts and crafts, eat at restaurants, stay in hotels and support a variety of local concessions.

For every dollar spent on the arts another $8 are generated in related revenue.

Arts attract business and industry, consumers and conventions: the arts top lists for "quality of life."

Arts industries create jobs: employment in the arts is growing at 6% per year. (Dennis Doyle, Hudson Institute)

In 1992, arts and cultural organizations in the Atlanta metro area generated $625 million. (Atlanta Chamber of Commerce)

Parents seek out quality schools when relocating to an area: dynamic arts programs are a strong indicator of quality