Describes the American public's growing interest in art after World War II. Discusses the problematic history of arts in the public school curricula, in which arts programs are seen as a last priority in school reform and are the first to be eliminated in school districts facing financial retrenchment. (SR)

Finds only a very limited research basis for claims about the effects of art experience on academic achievement. Identifies three levels to which arts education contributes: arts-based, arts-related, and ancillary outcomes of art education. Discusses four contributions arts education makes to the arts and to life beyond them. (SR)