Today on Seattle Public Radio: How Creativity and Art Can Help Us Learn

(6-24-10) This morning on KUOW's Weekday:

When schools face budget crunches, arts programs often find themselves on the chopping block. But as the sluggish economy continues to tighten school purse strings, many scientists and educators are emphasizing the tangible benefits of bringing creativity to the classroom. New brain research shows that teaching art can make it easier for students to learn other subjects, like math and science. Some arts advocates say we shouldn't need such ulterior motives — they say art is an end in and of itself. We'll hear both points of view, and we'll find out why Microsoft is interested in bringing creativity into the classroom (here's a hint: it has something to do with the workforce of tomorrow.)

Guests

Lisa Fitzhugh is founder and former director of Arts Corps, an organization that brings professional teaching artists into classrooms around King County. She's also founder of Creative Ground, a creative consulting business.

Suzi LeVine is a director in Microsoft's education group. She's also a founding board member of the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences.

James Catterall is Professor of Urban Schooling at UCLA's Graduate School of Education and Information Studies.

Listen starting at 9 AM PDT today or look for an archived copy here.