Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 4.djvu/483

 PUBLIC LAW 106-533—NOV. 22, 2000 114 STAT. 2545 Public Law 106-533 106th Congress An Act To amend the Congressional Award Act to establish a Congressional Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Board. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARTS EDUCATION. (a) IN GENERAL. —The Congressional Award Act (2 U.S.C. 801- 808) is amended by adding at the end the following: "TITLE II—CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNI- TION FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARTS EDU- CATION Nov. 22, 2000 [S. 2789] Congressional Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Act. "SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. "This title may be cited as the 'Congressional Recognition for Excellence in Arts Education Act'. "SEC. 202. FINDINGS. "Congress makes the following findings: "(1) Arts literacy is a fundamental purpose of schooling for all students. "(2) Arts education stimulates, develops, and refines many cognitive and creative skills, critical thinking and nimbleness in judgment, creativity and imagination, cooperative decisionmaking, leadership, high-level literacy and communication, and the capacity for problem-posing and problem-solving. "(3) Arts education contributes significantly to the creation of flexible, adaptable, and knowledgeable workers who will be needed in the 21st century economy. "(4) Arts education improves teaching and learning. "(5) Where parents and families, artists, arts organizations, businesses, local civic and cultural leaders, and institutions are actively engaged in instructional programs, arts education is more successful. "(6) Effective teachers of the arts should be encouraged to continue to learn and grow in mastery of their art form as well as in their teaching competence. "(7) The 1999 study, entitled 'Gaining the Arts Advantage: Lessons from School Districts that Value Arts Education', found that the literacy, education, programs, learning and growth 2 USC 801 note. 2 USC 811.

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