Chicago's golden teachers

May 9, 2008

It seems story after story on our schools is about what's not working. News on what is working is a welcome change ("Chicago teachers win Golden Apple Awards," May 7). On behalf of the Illinois Arts Alliance, I applaud Brooke Tippett Thompson for the creativity and dedication she brings to the classroom, and as Mayor Daley said, Ms. Thompson's success is a testament to the need for greater funding for arts education.

The arts and creativity are tools that are exceedingly important in today's economy. Corporations like General Electric, Ford, and Electronic Arts are altering recruitment strategies to identify and hire workers who excel in imagination, creativity, and innovative thinking. State policies and local education practices must promote the creative skills that arts education sharpens.

The Illinois State Board of Education's arts and foreign language grant program, funding for which was eliminated in the state's FY2008 budget, is the only program through the state to support curricular arts education. We urge the Governor and Illinois General Assembly to restore the program in FY2009 so that teachers throughout Illinois can follow the example of Ms. Thompson.

--Ra Joy