arts & business council

MetLife Foundation National Arts Forums Series

Arts & Business Council of Miami
Miami, Florida

Creative Learning: How the Arts Prepare Students for the Workforce
01/23/2007

Moderator: Jerry Santiero, Marketing Director, Matrix

Panelists:

• Lilia Garcia, Administrative Director, Division of Life Skills, Miami Dade Schools
• Sheila Womble, Executive Director, Arts for Learning Miami
• Jeffrey Hodgson, Dean of Music, New World School of the Arts
• Dia Carter Webb, Education Director, Arts for Learning Miami
• Carla Hill, Program Manger, National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts in Miami

Moderator Jerry Santiero opened the forum by outlining the case for arts education and its application in workforce development. In the modern business environment, employees must be able to communicate effectively, adapt to change, diagnose problems, and find creative solutions. Creative thinking includes various aspects of problem solving: how many ideas a student has in response to a problem, how original and detailed those ideas are, and the student's ability to keep their mind open long enough for innovative ideas to surface.

Miami-Dade Schools, a public school district serving Miami-Dade County, Florida, faces many challenges. It is the largest and most diverse school district in Florida and the fourth largest in the United States. Studies show that students in a handful of big city school districts, including Miami-Dade, have less than a 50 percent chance of graduating from high school. These findings present a bleak picture and are sure to generate controversy as lawmakers and others push to keep Miami-Dade students competitive globally.

Lilia Garcia is working to advocate on behalf of arts and education programs as part of the remedy. Based on her observations as an educator and her non-scientific assessments of Miami-Dade arts programs, Garcia has found that students with high levels of arts participation outperform “arts poor” students in virtually every category. She also noted that significant student improvement and measurable impact in reading and math were observed where schools developed arts-integrated curriculum. 

Sheila Womble discussed the important work Arts for Learning Miami (A4L/Miami) does in placing artists in the schools with programs that connect the arts to the core curriculum. She also discussed A4L/Miami’s professional development, arts instruction, and classroom resources that train teachers how to integrate the arts in their lessons and core curriculum. She quoted some of the teachers that participated in a recent training at the Miami Museum of Science who said: “This training opened my eyes to the hundreds of practical applications for the arts in teaching reading and other subjects,” and “As a science teacher, I was skeptical about using the arts as a tool in my classroom, but this training proved to me that the applications are real and can work.”

Dia Carter Webb added that A4L/Miami’s afterschool programs for at-risk children keep them engaged and off the streets. One of these is a program with Miami-Dade Parks which provides a free summer program in the parks that uses storytelling. Over 200 children participated last year and half of them increased their reading and writing skills in the program according to pre- and post-program tests.

Dr. Jeffrey Hodgson talked about the importance that schools play in making the arts available to students from all socioeconomic levels. The arts are like a common language that cut through individual differences in culture, educational background, and ability. This is especially important in Miami where less than half of the population is native and where English is the primary language of only 40 percent of the population. Dr. Hodgson believes the arts can bring every subject to life and turn abstractions into concrete reality.

Carla Hill spoke about the power of the arts to foster dreams. She cited an example of a student who was gifted in writing but having difficulties in other subjects. The recognition the student received for her writing made her feel empowered and motivated her to stay in school.

Santiero reminded the audience that they have a lot of power, as business professionals, as parents, and as advocates. Local school board and statewide elected officials respond to action. He encouraged participants to call state legislators and local elected officials to advocate for the dozens of great arts programs that have been shelved during the last five years to accommodate the standardized testing goals of the No Child Left Behind Act. He encouraged business participants to take this message to the chamber of commerce and other professional groups. We must share the importance of creative learning in our schools with the executives and workers they will be hiring in the future.