A remarkably consistent picture of the value of the arts in a comprehensive Pre-K-grade 12 education emerges from a review of two decades of theory and policy recommendations about arts education. Over the past decade, the National Governors Association, the Education Commission of the States, the National Association of State Boards of Education, the SCANS Commission (Department of Labor), and the Council of Chief State School Officers--professional groups with a broad education interest--have begun promoting the value of arts education using the same arguments as traditional arts advocates such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Arts Education Partnership, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and Americans for the Arts. Last year's U.S. Conference of Mayors, which represents the mayors of over 1200 cities nationwide, urged school districts to use federal and state resources to provide direct instruction in the arts and integrate the arts with other core subjects. While there is support for the intrinsic value of developing cultural literacy and teaching artistic skills and techniques, leadership groups typically emphasize instrumental outcomes derived from high quality arts education in one or more of the following categories: (1) Student achievement; (2) Student motivation and engagement; (3) Development of habits of mind; and (4) Development of social competencies. Each category of outcomes is composed of many distinct behaviors that have been described with a variety of labels and supported by findings from research studies and evaluations. This document highlights examples of landmark research findings and more recent evaluations related to the outcomes associated with arts education. Appended are: (1) Selected Studies about the Benefits of Arts Education; (2) Programs that Connect Artists to Schools; (3) Selected Federal and Other National Programs; and (4) Bibliography. (Contains 32 footnotes.) [Additional support was provided by the Stephen and Myrna Greenberg Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Communal Fund. For "Re-Investing in Arts Education: Winning America's Future through Creative Schools. Summary and Recommendations," see ED522821.]