Imagination is no mere ornament, nor is art. Together they can liberate us from our indurated habits. They might help us restore decent purpose to our efforts and help us create the kind of schools our children deserve and our culture needs. Those aspirations, my friends, are stars worth stretching for.

Elliot Eisner

The Hartford Courant this week sponsored an important discussion: “A Colloquium: Equity of Access to Arts in Education.” They are to be applauded for this. I was unable to attend, but fortunately have received notes on the discussion. As a former arts educator and advocate I have participated in many such discussions in the last thirty years or so and it is both heartening and discouraging to see so many of the same themes emerge. And yet I cannot think of a more perilous time for the arts in education, nor can I imagine a time when a reinfusion of the arts is more critical.

Apparently the public agrees. In a poll commissioned by a national coalition called ImagineNation of 1000 voters:

• 91% of voters indicate that arts are essential to building capacities of the imagination.
• 73% of voters believe that building capacities of the imagination is just as important as the “so-called basics” for all students in public schools.
• 82% of voters want to build imagination and creativity in schools.

These are compelling numbers. It seems that at least one intention of the poll was the possibility of impacting the education policy debate in the approaching presidential election.

• 57% of voter say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who came out in support of more funding for development of skills of the imagination in schools.
• 57% of voters say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who votes to cut funding for building capacities of imagination in public education, and 36% of voters say they would be much less likely to do so.

Unfortunately, public education has barely made it onto the radar screen in the presidential race. The economic climate and the constricting climate of NCLB constitute a “perfect storm” for the arts in education. And yet it seems clear that the winners in the global economy of the 21st century will be those with the greatest capacity for innovation. This will apply from the nation-state down to the individual.

The United States has always seen itself as a world leader in the arena of innovation. Our status in this regard is eroding. Other emerging nations are strategically pursuing an increase in their capacity to innovate. The challenge for educators, as Howard Gardner so aptly describes it, “.. is to keep alive the mind and sensibility of the young child.” A disciplined mind and a creative mind are not contradictory, but complementary. (see earlier post)

There is much to talk about in this realm and I hope that members of the arts community will join the conversation.