

The Importance of Arts to Education
Educators and arts professionals have long advocated for arts in schools as vital to fostering well-rounded students who can contribute to society in multiple ways. Nevertheless, arts programs are often the first to be cut when school districts need to reduce expenditures. The problem is so severe that in a 2011 document titled “Smart Ideas to Increase Educational Productivity and Student Achievement,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan advised governors nationwide to “a