Young Audiences to host speech highlighting arts education

Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio, one of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s community partners, will host a City Club speech on June 13 to highlight the importance of arts education.

The nonprofit organization is bringing in Nick Rabkin, a popular arts advocate for the Huffington Post website. Rabkin will argue that the arts are a “core element” in education reform.

His message will be based on a three-year study conducted at the University of Chicago. Titled “Teaching Artists and the Future of Education,” the study has shown a strong correlation between arts learning and improved student behavior, attendance, engagement in school, critical thinking, problem solving and, not surprisingly, higher test scores.

The study showed the improvements were magnified in students from low-income backgrounds.

“We see every day how the arts can enhance the curriculum across subject areas,” said Marsha Dobrynski, executive director of Young Audiences. “The evidence in this study shows that teaching artists can create real improvement in schools.”

Young Audiences, a multi-arts resource for schools in the region, has played a significant role in keeping arts thriving in Cleveland’s Public Schools. The organization promotes creative learning by uniting arts and education.

For ticket information, email the City Club at www.cityclub.org or call its toll free at 888.223.6768 or 216.621.0082. Tickets are $15 for City Club members, $25 for guests.