Arts Educators Battle US Law - No Child Left Behind

Raising school test scores in reading and math remains the biggest hurdle for "No Child Left Behind", with many schools nationwide performing at less-than-acceptable levels, according to government proficiency tests. But while districts scramble to improve on core subjects, educators say the latest subject to be left behind is arts education. The arts community is hoping to build a partnership with the business community to make music, dance and drawing classes more of a priority in the reauthorization of the education program.

Their pitch: Art classes enhance the creative and innovative thinking that drives entrepreneurs.

The Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce agree that arts education would help produce more creative, well-rounded students. According to the chamber, American graduates are beginning to fall behind other countries in creative skills, which could be aided by arts classes.

Read the whole story by Erika Lovley at www.politico.com/news/stories/1107/6715.html

You'll also find some background information on the reauthorisation of No Child Left Behind at www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), commonly known as NCLB, is a United States federal law that reauthorized a number of federal programs aiming to improve the performance of U.S. primary and secondary schools by increasing the standards of accountability for states, school districts and schools, as well as providing parents more flexibility in choosing which schools their children will attend.