U.S.

Senator Jon Tester

Americans for the Arts
March 8, 2016
Thank you, Bob.
[If Nancy Stephens is here, say hello to her as well]
I want to thank you all for inviting me here today.
As a former music teacher, current trumpet player, and perpetual Elvis Presley fan, the arts have
always played a big role in my life.
*********JT RIFFS ABOUT THE IMPACT OF THE ART ON HIS CHILDHOOD/LIFE***********
And Im sure every other Senator in this building can tell you a similar story about how things like
music or movies or literature have shaped who they are.
Thats because the arts arent something that can be clearly identified or isolated, they are a million
different threads woven throughout the fabric of our society and our lives.
Theyre what distinguish us from the animals, underlie our humanity, and bring us purpose and joy.
And they also serve an important role when it comes to educating our children and improving our
economy, and thats what Id like to talk about with you today.
[LAME DEER]
A few years ago the White House partnered with groups like Americans for the Arts and the National
Endowment for the Arts to launch the Turnaround Arts Initiative.
They aimed to test the theory that arts education could be a powerful tool to help improve overall
student performance and revitalize low-performing schools.
So they took eight of the lowest performing schools across the country and equipped them with the
resources, training, and staff to implement an intensive arts education curriculum.
One of these schools was Lame Deer Middle School in my home state of Montana. This is a school
where 100 percent of the students qualified for free or reduced price school lunch.
Lame Deer added five new arts specialists to their staff and students began to receive more than four
hours of additional arts instruction per week.
Other teachers also began to integrate the arts into classes like math and science.
The results were remarkable.
After two years the math proficiency among students at Lame Deer had improved by more than 40
percent.
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And Lame Deer wasnt alone... six out of the eight schools experienced an increase in math
proficiency and seven out of eight schools experienced an increase in reading proficiency.
[ESSA]
Thats why I strongly supported the Every Student Succeeds Act, which is now law and includes arts
in the definition of a well-rounded education.
Aside from acknowledging the obvious, this means schools can include arts programs in their plans to
use Title 1 & Title 2 fundingtwo of the largest pools of federal money available to local schools and
state agencies.
The ESSA also establishes Assistance for Arts Education grants to invest in art curriculum,
professional development in the arts for teachers, and partnership programs between schools and
local arts organizations.
This is significant.
Because, as we have seen, integrating art into the classroom is not only critical to a students social
and psychological well-being, but it can also play a role in improving academic performance in
subjects like math, science, and reading.
Thats why ESSA incentivizes schools to not only offer STEM courses, but STEAM courses that
integrate art into the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathwhich makes a lot of
sense.
[ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT]
Now, I know a lot of folks have concerns about the kind of living someone can make in the arts. Ive
heard this as parents try to steer their kids into fields that are better-known for higher salaries.
But in reality, there are huge career benefits to having a background in the arts. Thats because an
education in the arts isnt just about learning a craft.
Its also about immersing students in a different way of thinkingone that values creativity over
replication and innovation over routine.
And trust me, if a student can master skills like these, they will never have to live off ramen packets
and mac and cheese.
In fact, a guy named John Madeawho I think some of you may have heard ofrecently put out a
#DesignInTech report, which detailed the growing importance of art and design expertise in one of
largest sectors of our economy...technology.
In the report, he notes that 27 startups co-founded by designers have been acquired by major tech
companies in the last four years, including Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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And whats more, 10 percent of Fortunes top 125 companies have executive-level positions for
design. This includes, Applewho, at #5 on the list, has its own Senior VP of Designand Nike,
whose CEO is himself a designer.
These are good paying jobs that help grow our economy.
[ARLENE PARISOT]
Someone else who understands the importance of art and economic development is here with us
today.
Arlene Parisot [PARIS-OWE] is the State Arts Advocacy Captain for Montana and until recently she
was the Director of Workforce Development and Two-Year Education for the Montana University
System.
She has written and presented all over the country about the relationship between economic growth
and the creative economy.
More than ten years ago, a report issued by the Montana Governors Office of Economy Opportunity
found that creative enterprises were one of, if not the largest driver of Montanas economy.
And in response to these findings, Arlene developed a program at MSU - Great Falls to bolster
creative enterprises and help turn artisans into entrepreneurs.
[CONCLUSION]
So I want to thank Arlene and everyone else here today who has worked so hard to ensure that the
arts continue to be an integral part of both our schools and our society.
Thank you and good luck today as you storm Capitol Hill.

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