January 24, 2008
Voters See Imaginative Education as Critical to Improving Schools
By Albert Lang

A new national survey by Lake Research Partners of 1,000 likely voters finds that they believe education geared toward fostering the imagination is a critical missing ingredient in improving public education. The poll shows that 30 percent of American voters have grown dissatisfied with the increased focus on "core" subjects. In addition, a majority of those surveyed understand the importance of quality public schools, and share a common concern that United States schools lag behind what is offered around the world. These likely voters see the U.S. as devoting less time to developing the imagination, creative skills and innovation, with 88 percent of respondents indicating that education in and through the arts is essential to cultivating vital skills. When viewing this skill set, 63 percent of respondents see building the imaginative capacities as just as important as "core" subjects, and 91 percent of respondents believe imaginative learning should be considered part of the basics. Celinda Lake, president of Lake Research Partners, said "these are surprising results that indicate a strong set of shared public values are not being detected by public leaders."

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