Symposium Overview
Arts, Adolescents, and the Transformation of Society
November 1, 2007 | 10:00 a.m.
Caucus Room 902 in the Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC
No Registration Necessary - Open to the Public
Throughout her accomplished 40-year career advancing innovation in education, Stephanie Perrin, Head, of the Walnut Hill School, concludes that a crucial missing component of U.S. education is learning in and through the arts because arts education develops essential skills and capacities for learning and working in today’s complex and global society.
Ms. Perrin calls upon the civic leadership of our local, state, and national governments to commit the necessary resources in schools to ensure that American students remain competitive in an increasingly global culture and an economy in which the imagination and innovation of workers provide the fuel for advancement.
While recent U.S. educational policy has mandated more standardized testing in traditional disciplines, it is imperative that an education for the 21st century develop a workforce comprised of people who are creative problem solvers able to work collaboratively and independently; who are informed risk-takers, aiming for high levels of achievement; and who have the courage of their convictions and the work ethic to persist and succeed.
Schools should no longer train students for specific tasks: they must educate them in terms of flexible skills and perspectives so they will have the ability to function in a variety of capacities.
