The Arts, NCLB and Workforce Development

A few weeks ago, I spoke at a MetLife panel put together by the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council. It was a wonderful experience. My fellow panelists and the moderator were amazing. The audience was lively, thoughtful and engaged. It was probably my favorite speaking engagement, ever. How can't you get excited when you talk about inspiring learning and creativity through the arts? Apparently others are excited by the topic, too. The event had very strong attendance, and lots of folks picked up the article about the forum that originally appeared in the Post-Gazette. Then I noticed the title of the article. For the record, the title is just plain wrong. We NEVER suggested that arts are more beneficial than science and math. We talked about how the arts might enhance learning in these areas and that NCLB could, in fact, be an opportunity to enhance arts education. After all, some schools with very strong arts programs have seen tremendous improvement in their PSSA scores. Here's the coverage: January 7: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Feb 6: Washington's Kitsap Sun Feb 7: Blog Feb 11: California's Redding Searchlight Feb 12: Wyoming's Jackson Hole Star Tribune Feb 13: Wyoming's Casper Star Tribune Feb 13: Government Innovator's Network - Harvard School of Law As I said, we had a great conversation at the event. I'm hoping this is the beginning of future discussions about the arts and economic development. I find it odd that when people talk about economic development and the arts, they often discuss the need to attract artists and other creative types to an area. Why don't we try to grow and foster our own creative capital? This was a topic of discussion when I was in London two years ago. Check out their efforts to foster regional creativity via Creative London.