Forbes – Natalie Wexler 
Education policymakers have seen arts classes and cultural field trips as far less important than reading and math skills. Now there’s evidence that those experiences can have significant benefits, especially for disadvantaged students. An overwhelming majority of Americans believe the arts are part of a well-rounded education. But for the past 20 years, policymakers have prioritized reading and math and assumed that taking time away for other subjects would cause test scores to stagnate or worse. As a result, the amount of time schools devote to the arts—along with social studies and science—has declined dramatically. (more)