The Acadiana Arts Council and the John F Kennedy Center for Performing Arts have released a very compelling report (PDF) resulting from a survey of the results more than 200 parents, educators and community members about their knowledge, interest and opinions of Lafayette, La., arts education programs and policy.
A local news station also printed a fantastic article about the report.
Why the focus on the arts?
The link between the arts and student achievement is evident at J. Wallace James, the school system’s elementary level arts and technology academy, said Dana Schmersahl, the school’s principal.
The school’s performance scores have increased incrementally over the years and this past year, its students celebrated an increase of 7.7 points.
“We’re developing the right and left side of the brain,” Schmersahl said.
