Making good on his campaign promise to bring light to America’s lack of arts education, Barack Obama and the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) released a report on May 6, Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools. The study confirms what dance teachers already know: When arts are integrated into the classroom, test scores are higher and attendance numbers and graduation rates improve. What’s more, students from low-income backgrounds who have regular involvement in the arts are more likely to attend and do well in college, sustain careers and volunteer and vote more consistently than those who do not participate in the arts.

“Well-designed arts programs are fundamental to excellence––they’re not icing on the cake,” says Mary Schmidt Campbell, vice chair of the President’s committee and dean of New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

The report summary recommends five steps to further integrate arts programming into public schools. “Arts and education––it’s a powerful team,” says Campbell. “The possibilities are extraordinary.”

To read the report, see www.pcah.gov.