This is the final week of a month long Arts Education forum on "Barry's Blog," a service of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF).  Throughout August, each week has begun with the posing of a new topic and question, which is then discusssed throughout the following seven days by leaders in the Arts Education field.  This week's topic is "research," the question:

"We have argued for a long time that the arts teach the necessary 21st Century skills our students need to be globally competitive - that deeper learning in the arts delivers the skills and knowledge students will need to succeed in a world that is changing at an unprecedented pace, but what research or data do we have to back up those claims? In what ways can we demonstrate and verify that it does prepare our kids for the future? Along the same lines, what areas of research do we need to shore up?"

Contributors to this week's forum so far include: Chris Shearer, Education Program Officer, Hewlett Foundation; Bernie Trilling, 21st Century learning expert, author; and Larry Scripp, arts educator/researcher, New England Conservatory.

Visit the forum at Barry's Blog.