Supporting Arts in Education Week

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT.

Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 275, which expresses support for designating the week beginning on the second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week.

The arts serve a critical role in the advancement of our students' education, creativity, and intellectual development. A well-rounded education that includes arts education is extremely important in our schools and communities, helping students think creatively and critically. When students leave the classroom, they use their understanding of dance, music, theater, literature, design, and visual arts to communicate in new ways, to build intellectual capital, to express themselves within and across cultures and mediums. The arts also add a new dimension of thinking to social and hard scientists, in keeping with Albert Einstein's assertion that ``the greatest scientists are artists as well.''

Arts education has a positive effect on students' academic careers. Many studies have shown that students participating in visual and performing arts had better grades and a lower likelihood of dropping out. Students who participate in arts programs are at least three times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, elected to class office within their schools, participate in a math and science fair, win an award for school attendance, or win an award for writing an essay or a poem. These students also maintain more positive attitudes about school and are more likely to go on to college. And yet, despite the proven benefits of arts education, the 2008 National Assessment of Educational Progress, the NAEP result, found that only 58 percent of eighth-graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at least three times a week, and only 47 percent attended schools where visual arts were offered more than three times a week.

Arts in Education Week helps us highlight the importance of giving our students expanded opportunities to participate in the visual and performing arts in school. I took advantage of those opportunities growing up myself, participating in several school plays, and throughout lower school, in elementary school, in a music program. I know that I take many of those lessons today that have helped make me a better rounded person and a more effective representative in Congress for the people of Colorado.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to join Representative Speier, the sponsor of this bill, in supporting Arts in Education Week.

I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT.

Source