[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 110 (Monday, July 26, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H6011-H6013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   SUPPORTING ARTS IN EDUCATION WEEK

  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 275) expressing support for 
designation of the week beginning on the second Sunday of September as 
Arts in Education Week, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 275

       Whereas arts education, comprising a rich array of 
     disciplines including dance, music, theatre, media arts, 
     literature, design, and visual arts, is a core academic 
     subject and an essential element of a complete and balanced 
     education for all students;
       Whereas according to Albert Einstein, ``After a certain 
     high level of technical skill is achieved, science and art 
     tend to coalesce in esthetics, plasticity, and form. The 
     greatest scientists are artists as well.'';
       Whereas arts education enables students to develop critical 
     thinking and problem solving skills, imagination and 
     creativity, discipline, alternative ways to communicate and 
     express ideas, and cross-cultural understanding, which 
     supports academic success across the curriculum as well as 
     personal growth outside the classroom;
       Whereas the nonprofit arts sector contributes to the 
     economy and plays an important role in the economic health of 
     communities large and small with direct expenditures of wages 
     and benefits as well as goods and services;
       Whereas to succeed in today's economy, students must 
     masterfully use words, images, sounds, and movement to 
     communicate;
       Whereas as the Nation works to strengthen its foothold in 
     the 21st century global economy, the arts equip students with 
     a creative, competitive edge;
       Whereas where schools and communities are delivering high-
     quality learning opportunities in, through, and about the 
     arts for children, extraordinary results occur;
       Whereas studies have shown that schools with large 
     populations of students in poverty can be transformed into 
     vibrant hubs of learning through arts education;
       Whereas studies have also found that eighth graders from 
     underresourced environments who are highly involved in the 
     arts have better grades, less likelihood of dropping out by 
     grade ten, have more positive attitudes about school, and are 
     more likely to go onto college;
       Whereas attracting and retaining the best teachers is vital 
     and can be achieved by ensuring that schools embrace the 
     arts, becoming havens for creativity and innovation;
       Whereas arts education has the power to make students want 
     to learn not just within the arts, but other areas of study;
       Whereas art is integral to the lives of many United States 
     citizens and can improve the vitality of communities and the 
     Nation; and
       Whereas the week beginning on the second Sunday of 
     September would be an appropriate week to designate as Arts 
     in Education Week: Now, therefore, be it

[[Page H6012]]

       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That Congress--
       (1) supports the designation of Arts in Education Week;
       (2) calls on governors, mayors, and other elected officials 
     from across the United States to issue proclamations to raise 
     awareness of the value and importance of arts in education; 
     and
       (3) encourages the President to issue a proclamation 
     encouraging the people of the United States to observe such 
     week with appropriate activities.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Colorado (Mr. Polis) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado.


                             General Leave

  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I request 5 legislative days during which 
Members may revise and extend and insert extraneous material on House 
Concurrent Resolution 275 into the Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Colorado?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Concurrent Resolution 
275, which expresses support for designating the week beginning on the 
second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week.
  The arts serve a critical role in the advancement of our students' 
education, creativity, and intellectual development. A well-rounded 
education that includes arts education is extremely important in our 
schools and communities, helping students think creatively and 
critically. When students leave the classroom, they use their 
understanding of dance, music, theater, literature, design, and visual 
arts to communicate in new ways, to build intellectual capital, to 
express themselves within and across cultures and mediums. The arts 
also add a new dimension of thinking to social and hard scientists, in 
keeping with Albert Einstein's assertion that ``the greatest scientists 
are artists as well.''
  Arts education has a positive effect on students' academic careers. 
Many studies have shown that students participating in visual and 
performing arts had better grades and a lower likelihood of dropping 
out. Students who participate in arts programs are at least three times 
more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, elected to class 
office within their schools, participate in a math and science fair, 
win an award for school attendance, or win an award for writing an 
essay or a poem. These students also maintain more positive attitudes 
about school and are more likely to go on to college. And yet, despite 
the proven benefits of arts education, the 2008 National Assessment of 
Educational Progress, the NAEP result, found that only 58 percent of 
eighth-graders attended schools where music instruction was offered at 
least three times a week, and only 47 percent attended schools where 
visual arts were offered more than three times a week.
  Arts in Education Week helps us highlight the importance of giving 
our students expanded opportunities to participate in the visual and 
performing arts in school. I took advantage of those opportunities 
growing up myself, participating in several school plays, and 
throughout lower school, in elementary school, in a music program. I 
know that I take many of those lessons today that have helped make me a 
better rounded person and a more effective representative in Congress 
for the people of Colorado.

                              {time}  1610

  I strongly encourage my colleagues to join Representative Speier, the 
sponsor of this bill, in supporting Arts in Education Week.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PETRI. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of House Concurrent Resolution 275, 
expressing support for designation of the week beginning on the second 
Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week.
  Arts in Education Week highlights the benefits of exposing students 
to the arts, and it recognizes that arts can play a role in educating 
youth. Many localities have rich art communities. Exposing youth to the 
museums, artists, and workers of art within these communities can help 
to provide cultural experiences, foster creativity, and support 
classroom learning about the arts.
  Many States and communities are taking efforts to ensure students are 
exposed to the arts. Most States, specifically 43 States, require 
schools to provide art instruction, and many schools have integrated 
art education into their other areas of study. Many instructors in 
schools take advantage of the local art industry by introducing 
students to the various points of access to the arts within their 
communities.
  Parents play a vital role in exposing youth to the arts as well. 
Weekend trips to a local art museum or a night out to see a local play 
are just two examples of ways in which parents can educate their 
children about and ensure their children's participation in the arts.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of 
my time.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, it is my honor to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).
  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, as the gentlewoman from California is 
not here yet, who is the primary sponsor of this legislation, I rise in 
support of House Concurrent Resolution 275.
  I want to commend both Mr. Polis and Mr. Petri for their very 
succinct words.
  I know firsthand the benefits that our children receive from a robust 
arts education program, whether it is music, theater, visual arts, 
photography, poetry, or dance. This is not simply an outlet. This is 
part and parcel of the essential features of what a good education is 
all about. Unfortunately, the current state of the economy has now put 
these classes and the further enrichment of our students at risk, and I 
would ask us to address this issue.
  What is the first to be cut? Go right across the Nation. Arts, 
libraries and sports--the things our kids love best. Arts are not just 
sought to get away from things. Arts are part of their lives. They 
enrich them. They contribute to one's total being when one has an 
appreciation of the arts.
  I taught an arts course, History through the Arts. They were mostly 
students who could care less about American history; so I had to find a 
way to get to them. I taught the course by going through all of those 
fine arts I just talked about. I asked them to learn about our Nation 
through different periods of time through the artwork, the poetry and 
the music of that individual time, not unlike what we would do when 
studying the Renaissance.
  This is particularly evident in New Jersey. The city of my district, 
West Orange, has announced its intentions to cut its music and arts 
departments in addition to laying off almost 90 staff members in order 
to reduce its budget. It is forced to do that. Yet we take no action. 
Last year, in the stimulus package, we saved a lot of jobs, necessary 
jobs. This year, we are reluctant to do that. We are frightened. The 
word ``deficit'' is in all capital letters. Yet for 8 years we saw this 
accumulate and accumulate and said nothing.
  In my town of Paterson, where I grew up and still live, 50 music 
teachers and 38 art teachers got their pink slips. John F. Kennedy High 
School in Paterson performed just its second spring musical in 30 years 
in April. Talk about austerity. Due to the cuts, it could be another 30 
years. I'm not exaggerating. These are the numbers. You can't make this 
stuff up.
  Before this crisis a 2007 study found out more than 75,000 students 
in New Jersey have been attending school every day with no arts 
education. If we want to encourage arts in education, then we can't 
talk out of both sides of our mouths. So it is nice to recognize the 
arts in a week, a month, a year. That's fine. That's great. If we were 
to fire all the arts teachers, what would that be like?
  It looks like the Senate has decided to strip the $10 billion that 
this House voted for to keep our teachers in their classrooms. I don't 
know what is happening at the other end of the building. By failing to 
provide our children with

[[Page H6013]]

opportunities to supplement their classes, we are robbing them of a 
complete education. We must consider the arts, which enrich our lives, 
the lives of our youth, which spark a life-long love and passion for 
creativity, not as a secondary priority in our educational system but 
as an essential pillar of its foundation.
  So I urge the support of H. Con. Res. 275, which expresses the 
support for the designation of this week beginning on the second Sunday 
of September, and I urge the Senate to keep up with the House on some 
issues at least.
  Mr. POLIS. Madam Speaker, once again, I want to thank Representative 
Speier of California for introducing this concurrent resolution, and I, 
once again, express my strong support for designating the week 
beginning on the second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution of arts 
in education.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Polis) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 275, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the concurrent resolution, as amended, was 
agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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