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In a recent report to the President of the United States prepared by the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, the arts are cited as a major tool in educating the workforce of
tomorrow. The President's Committee states:
The disciplines of the humanities such as history, philosophy and literature help students develop the critical thinking they will need to participate in our democracy. Through the arts students
learn to express ideas in non-verbal forms, create multiple solutions to problems, and work collaboratively. Both the humanities and the arts develop skills that are needed for a competitive workforce in the next century.
The Committee also cites a report issued by the U.S. Department of Labor and the business community called What Work Requires of Schools: A SCANS Report for America 2000. That report concluded
that competent workers in tomorrow's high-performance workplace will need outstanding thinking skills-the ability to learn, to reason, to think creatively, to make decisions, and to solve problems. They will also need outstanding personal qualities-individual responsibility, self-esteem and self-management, sociability, and integrity. Several studies have shown a clear link between a strong presence of the arts in a student's curriculum and; 1) increased proficiency in reading and math; 2) higher SAT scores; 3) lower drop-out rates; and, 4) more interdisciplinary references when thinking through an issue.
Clearly, the arts can help us become better workers
and better citizens.
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