In speaches made regarding the education of our children in the United States our programs are often compared to those in Finland, Singapore and Canada.  Here is what Education Secretary Arne Duncan had to say August 25th. 

“Today, there are many different approaches to strengthening the teaching profession — both here in America and in countries that are outperforming us such as Finland and Singapore.Our competitors in other parts of the world recognize that the roles of teachers are changing. Today, they are expected to prepare knowledge workers, not factory workers, and to help every child succeed, not just the [ones who are] easy to teach.”

In the “Answer Sheet”  posted on Washingtonpost.com, Sean Slade, Director of Healthly School Communities, provides the reader with comments made by leadership in these countries.

Follow the  link to this interesting article on what these countries think of Art Education and its importance to a child’s development.

Answer Sheet

What are your thoughts?

To read more about the organization please visit

Art Education Partnership

To get details on the upcoming conference please visit

New Leadership in Arts and Education Conference

“As a product of the public school system, I believe the availability of art education, and the tools necessary to keep up with the technologically advanced direction art is taking these days, needs to be recognized as a serious problem plaguing our public school system.

Chicago was a city built and designed by artists; it was a city that piloted the art education movement with the establishment of the Art Institute as the Academy of Fine Arts in 1879, so why is this very avant-garde location letting the availability of art to its public schools fall behind in comparison to the rest of the country?

Studies have shown an art-infused education leads to better standardized test scores. Also, according to a study by the National Center of Education Statistics, 90 percent of schools nationwide offer visual arts programs, whereas Illinois stands at only 63 percent.

Art assimilation in the classroom teaches children and young adults to build relationships with others while collaborating on a project. As you can see, with the right tools and resources we can help educate and guide the next Daniel Burnham or Frank Lloyd Wright.”