Wisconsin Report Links Arts Ed to Student Success

A task force was created by Wisconsin's Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster has issued a report that makes strong statements linking arts education to success in higher education and the state's economic development. According to a January 11 Journal Sentinel article on the report, the task force found that "deepening the involvement of all Wisconsin students in the arts and involving them in creative processes in schools are, among other things, important steps toward making the state's economic future brighter." The report recommends immediate action on creating "a pilot program for six to 10 school districts to implement an arts and creativity in education action plan."

I like the way Elizabeth Burmeister defines the creative process on the Department of Public Instruction Web site: "a combination of imagination, creativity, and innovation to produce something unique that has value and meaning." She says the group's plan for action addresses four areas: 1) Legislative and State Policy, 2) Creativity in the Classroom, 3) Community Involvement, and 4) Business and the Creative Economy.

The report will be available at the Web site of the Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity. The site also has resources and will include updates on progress. As soon as I can read the report, I will post about it again.