Arts education is making a difference in improving struggling schools by increasing student engagement and positively changing young lives in countries all over the world. Additionally, in an age where anyone can access the world’s knowledge on the internet, how one thinks and uses what one knows has become increasingly important – creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving are all skills which can be nurtured and advanced by bringing high quality arts programs into every classroom.
New York is a cultural center of the world. In May this year, Mayor de Blasio signed legislation to develop a comprehensive Cultural Plan for New York by 2017 with arts programming for schools, and in so doing joined other US cities dedicated to increasing arts education, including Houston, Chicago and Denver. Lisa Robb, Executive Director, New York State Council on the Arts, comments: “The time is perfect to meet the needs of our citizens with cultural plans addressing topics like community vitality, tourism, equity, creative economy, artists, geography and the built environment, and art-making, observation, and participation. Arts education for New York State citizens, young and old, is a rich topic for discussion and study.”
[Source:-Huffington ppost]