"Art makes you smart"

Here is an article published in the 11/24/13 New York Times about some research and data collected from school age children who went to an art museum, some for the first time. The information validates some of the goals of teaching art:

• critical thinking
• increased social tolerance
• historical empathy
• (my personal favorite) divergent thinking

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/24/opinion/sunday/art-makes-you-smart.html?smid=pl-share

FOR many education advocates, the arts are a panacea: They supposedly increase test scores, generate social responsibility and turn around failing schools. Most of the supporting evidence, though, does little more than establish correlations between exposure to the arts and certain outcomes. Research that demonstrates a causal relationship has been virtually nonexistent. 

Here at Capitol Hill we are trying our own small experiment to see if the new art program has a measurable impact on a certain area of learning.  I won't say anymore at this point, but if there is a difference in the specific test scores after my targeted projects, I'll be certain to announce it.