Good news for art education

[Melissa]

This was sent to me by the Fulton County Art Coordinator in Atlanta
Georgia. Good news for all of us art educators!!

ECS CHAIRMAN GOVERNOR HUCKABEE URGES GOVERNORS, EDUCATION POLICY
LEADERS TO MOVE ARTS EDUCATION TO THE CENTER OF EDUCATION, LAUNCHES
INITIATIVE

Education Commission of the States (ECS) Chairman, Governor Mike
Huckabee (R-AR), has sent an email letter to the nations' Governors,
Chief State School Officers, and Education Policy Officials around the
country the following letter in support of his vision to bring arts
education to the center of the education agenda. He states:

"These days one often hears the question asked: 'During this age of No
Child Left Behind, can states really be expected to focus on the arts
when there is such pressure to improve student performance in 'core
academic' subjects such as reading and math?' The answer, of course,
is yes. In fact, the answer must be yes..."

"The message that my ECS initiative can and must deliver to
policymakers across the country is that the arts are as crucial to a
student's development as any other subject taught in our schools
today. We must do all we can to mobilize, inform, educate and inspire
education leaders to recognize the vast potential returns that can be
realized by investing now in arts education."

This letter follows on the heels of the Governor Huckabee's
announcement that arts education will be the focal point of his
two-year term as chairman of the Education Commission of the States.

Through the Arts in Education Initiative, Governor Huckabee's goal is
to ensure that "every child - from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade
- has the opportunity to participate in, learn about and enjoy the
arts."