Tim Mikulski

Late last week Melody Barnes, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, took to the White House website to inform the voting public of the recent President's Council on the Arts and Humanities (PCAH) report, Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America's Future Through Creative Schools.

Although the report recently made a splash in the arts education world and it was picked up for publication in some publications across the country, it was comforting to see that Ms. Barnes felt it important to utilize the stature of whitehouse.gov to spread the word, too.

In addition to highlighting the work of PCAH, Barnes also spotlighted the first family's series of concerts (and poetry reading) held at their home since moving to Pennsylvania Avenue. 

However, the most telling piece of the post is a reiteration for the support of arts education in schools coming directly from the director of the policy council as Barnes promises that the PCAH report isn't the end of the conversation, but the beginning:

"That means that arts education can’t be an afterthought — an investment that our schools can make only after they’ve solved all the other challenges they face. Instead, we must see it as a tool for keeping students more engaged, for closing achievement gaps and lowering dropout rates. My office, along with the Department of Education, is working with the President’s Committee to take next steps on the report’s recommendations and work with other government, private and philanthropic partners as well to realize a complete and competitive education – from cradle to career – for all children."

What do you think the "next steps" should be for the Department of Education and PCAH as it relates to their report recommendations?