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It seems more and more people are perceiving the connections among arts education, creativity and economic competitiveness. (Public School Insights, for one, has cogitated on the subject here, here and here.)

According to a survey released today by Americans for the Arts, the Conference Board and AASA, Superintendents and business leaders agree that creativity is an essential workplace skill, and large majorities in both groups believe arts training fosters necessary creativity. Yet superintendents and business leaders alike report that arts training in schools and businesses is not keeping pace with this perceived need.   (In fact, as we've noted elsewhere in this blog, time for arts education in schools is declining faster than the Consumer Confidence Index.)

In a related release, Americans for the Arts and the Sundance Preserve offered the following policy recommendations on building a creative workforce:

• Strengthen research on the link between the arts, creativity and innovation;
• Promote the arts as a means of nurturing creativity and innovation; and
• Form alliances among people and groups concerned about American competitiveness.

All of these recommendations are important, but the first strikes me as absolutely critical.  Though business and education leaders are talking about creativity and innovation, arts education remains on the chopping block in far too many communities.  Stronger research linking the arts to necessary workforce skills might catch policymakers' attention.

Another area for further research:  the impact of arts education on student achievement in mathematics and reading.  Too many discussions of curricular erosion portray the choice between arts and basic skills instruction as a zero-sum game.  Schools like Mary B. Austin Elementary in Alabama and Woodrow Wilson Elementary in New Jersey have successfully used arts education to boost student achievement in math and reading.  More research on the success of schools like these would surely enrich the current policy debate.