Art for our sake - The Boston Globe

An argument for including the arts in education not because the courses raise standardized test scores, but because of the innovation, analysis, persistence, envisioning and other skills students develop through learning art, music, drama, and dance. (Registration required to read the full article)
"Teachers in our study told students not to worry about mistakes, but instead to let mistakes lead to unexpected discoveries."
"We don't need the arts in our schools to raise mathematical and verbal skills - we already target these in math and language arts. We need the arts because in addition to introducing students to aesthetic appreciation, they teach other modes of thinking we value. For students living in a rapidly changing world, the arts teach vital modes of seeing, imagining, inventing, and thinking."