[EDLING:240] US: Arts education makes children stronger students

[Francis M. Hult]

The Shreveport Times

Arts education makes children stronger students

Senate Bill 299 mandates the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to 
develop a statewide arts curriculum by July 1, 2008, and provides over $1.5 
million to train teachers, and develop, test, and implement the plan statewide. 
That's a big investment.

Why should we spend our money on the arts in schools?
 
In the past few years, studies from brain science have documented ties between 
language acquisition and specific movements involved in art making. The 
relationship between thinking, language, and fine motor coordination suggests 
that improvements in one area promote improvements in the other.

Visual arts have been found to facilitate development in reading and 
comprehension, to develop fine motor skills necessary for writing, to develop 
patience and sustained attention and to reduce impulsivity.

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