<p>The Conference Board and Americans for the Arts, working with the American Association of School Administrators, surveyed 155 U.S. business executives (employers) and 89 school superintendents and school leaders (superintendents) to determine the skills and abilities that cultivate creativity. The survey results reflect employers' recognition that building an innovative workforce will depend on developing employees' creative abilities. The survey also reveals that school superintendents recognize their own role in preparing tomorrow?s workers for a creative economy and that many of the educators' perceptions about critical skills are consistent with those of employers.</p>
<p>Businesses in every country are competing in an increasingly global marketplace. To meet the challenges of tomorrow's business environment, employers need the best talent they can find employees with twenty-first-century basic and applied skills who are ready to transition from an industrial-based economy centered on the production of commodities to a knowledge-based economy focused on delivering services and highly customized products.</P>
<p>Businesses must be able to compete in a world of constant innovation pushed by, among other forces, accelerating waves of new technology that empower the customer and increase the speed of commerce. Are U.S. businesses and K-2 school systems making the link between creative skill sets in the workforce and innovation? Are businesses finding the creative talent they need to generate the innovative solutions and products demanded by the marketplace?And what efforts are both of these groups making to train employees in the needed creative skills?</p>