 |  Casey T.C. - 7th Grade
Oil Pastel Drawing
"Art education allows children to enjoy life, explore their talents-whether it be coloring, painting, drawing, writing - or anything else they love. The arts have the unique ability to instill discipline, build self-esteem and provide positive outlets for self expression. At every stage of our lives, we have something to give or gain in the appreciation of art. When we give something to the arts - as students, artists, teachers, enthusiasts - we contribute something vital not only to the arts, but also to ourselves and to each other."
Laura Bush, First Lady of the United States - 2002 ______________________________________________________________________
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Art Education makes a difference... Research shows that children/ teens who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week for one full year or more are:
 Doug H. - 7th Grade
Marker/ Acrylic on Plastic
- 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
- 3 times more likely to be elected to class office
- 4 times more likely to perticipate in a math science fair
- 3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
- 4 times more likely to win an award for writting an essay or poem
In addition, young arts participants as compared with their peers are likely to:
- Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
- Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
- Perform community service nearly twice as often
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The Importance of an Art Education:
The National Visual Arts Standards
developed by the Consortium of National Arts Education Associations - The arts are worth studying simply because of what they are.Their impact cannot be denied. Historically, the arts have served to connect our imagination with the deepest questions of human existance:
Who am I? What must I do? Where am I going? - The arts are used to achieve a multitude of human purposes: to present issues and ideas, to teach or persuade, to entertain, to decorate or please. Becoming literate in the arts helps students understand and do these things better. - The arts are integral to everyone's daily life. Our personal, social, economic and culturalenvironments are shaped by the arts at every turn. - The arts offer unique sources of enjoyment and refreshment for the imagination. They explore relationships between ideas and objects and serve as links between thought and action. Their continuing gift is to help us see and grasp life in new ways. - The arts help students develop the attitudes, characteristics and intellectual skills required to participate effectively in today's society and economy. _____________________________________________________________________  Ethan E. - 6th Grade
Eygptian Banner
"Art, no less than philosophy or science, issues a challenge to the intellect. The great works of music, sculpture, painting, engraving, and all other forms of artistic expression engage the mind, teaching lessons about order, proportion, and genius."
- William Bennett, U.S. Secretary of Education ______________________________________________________________________
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Research with the ARTS in Student Achievement Levels 
Zach W. - 7th Grade
Ceramics  There is a growing body of research pointing to theimportant role of the arts in improving students’ achievement and preparing them for an economy that demands creative solutions to challenging problems.Studies over the past several years have found that the arts – whether as part of the curriculum or as supplemental programs – can have the following benefits:
The arts reach and increase the performance of ALL students The arts challenge students already considered successful The arts improve cognitive skills involved in reading, language development and mathematics; and develop problem solving and critical and creative thinking skills The arts motivate students to learn The arts increase student attendance and engagement in learning The arts promote students’ self-confidence and foster better relationships among students and teachers The arts nurture the curiosity and creativity of students ______________________________________________________________________
How Arts Education Builds Skills
that Business Values
"The power behind the U.S. economy is its “creative class”-- scientists, artists, engineers, technologists, and designers, to name a few. The creative sector accounts for nearly half of American wage income... ."
Richard Florida, Harvard Business Review, February 2004.
source: Dr. Shirley Brice, Stanford University,
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. ______________________________________________________________________
Art Literacy "In an era when students design Web sites for projects and intergrate video, graphics and animation into their presentations, ART is fast becoming the new literacy for our times."
- Jason Ohler, Dirrector of Educational Technology Program, University of Alaska
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