Need an argument for arts education?

An article in the San Jose Mercury News by Ray Bingham and Lisa Gonzales Schoennauer summarizes new research supporting arts education:

The Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium recently identified a direct correlation between arts experiences and both academic achievement and personal development. The research shows that students who are exposed to the arts demonstrate increased overall academic success beyond just test scores, are connected to the world outside of school, and have more self-confidence.

What's more, the report found that training in the arts leads to higher levels of reading acquisition, motivation, extended attention spans, information recall in long-term memory, and understanding of geometric representation.

They also have an economic argument.

Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading non-profit for advancing the arts, released its Creative Industries 2008 report. It found a direct correlation between arts-related businesses and employment, identifying the arts as a formidable economic growth sector.

Those of you fighting arts cuts in your own districts might find this helpful ammunition.