Integrating the Arts into School Curricula

"The challenge for all of us, I believe, is to find innovative ways to link our educational curriculum to the real-world experiences of our students. We must foster creativity, develop imagination, and enable students to envision alternative possibilities in problem solving. Our children learn best by doing, not by listening to someone tell them how to do something. The arts provide a natural language for children to bring meaning to the world and to provide a means to express their own uniqueness".

Champions of Change is a weekly initiative to highlight Americans who are making an impact in their communities and helping our country rise to meet the many challenges of the 21st century. Dr. Kevin Maxwell has been Superintendent of Anne Arundel County Public Schools in Maryland since June 2006. He has worked with the Board of Education to create a rigorous and relevant arts-oriented curriculum.