Education Week – Jessica Brown
“The idea of integrating art with scientific studies has been around for decades—centuries even, said panelist Kim Richards, co-founder and director of STEAMConnect. During the last century, however, an urgency emerged around STEM subjects (though it wasn’t actually termed that until around 2005). The focus on STEM gained traction when NASA was formed and again when the “A Nation At Risk” report came out in the 1980s, she said. STEM education has now worked its way into the nation’s conscience and policies as being key to a competitive workforce and better economy. Arts advocates, however, argue the acronym is missing a letter: “A” for arts. Ample research shows the importance of arts education.”(more)