SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 333
	WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas is pleased to
	recognize the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education, an
	organization dedicated to the advancement of arts education in
	this state; and
	WHEREAS, Texas is a state with a rich supply of natural
	resources, and one of the greatest among those resources is the
	artistic talent and creativity of our citizens; and
	WHEREAS, More than 1.5 million middle school and high
	school students are enrolled in fine arts courses, and more than
	2.3 million elementary school students are receiving fine arts
	instruction; and
	WHEREAS, Hundreds of students from across the state are
	coming to Austin on March 4 and 5, 2013, to share their talents
	through performances and displays throughout the Capitol in
	celebration of Arts Education Days at the Capitol; and
	WHEREAS, Art, music, theater, and dance offer unsurpassed
	opportunities for self-expression, and early exposure to the
	arts through educational programs greatly increases the quality
	of a child's education and development; and
	WHEREAS, Studying fine arts gives students a unique
	opportunity to learn about our cultural heritage and the culture
	of others; and
	WHEREAS, Countless studies have found that students who
	participate in fine arts courses in school perform better in
	other academic courses, especially math and science, and achieve
	higher scores on standardized tests; and
	WHEREAS, Studies of Texas public school enrollment have
	found that campuses with a higher percentage of student
	enrollments in fine arts courses achieved higher academic
	ratings, and campuses showing academic rating improvement from
	2006 to 2010 reported increases in fine arts course enrollments;
	campuses with a higher percentage of student enrollments in fine
	arts courses also reported higher graduation rates; and
	WHEREAS, Fine arts education promotes creativity and
	innovative thinking that benefits all students, regardless of
	their field of study, and provides all students with skills that
	make them better prepared for college and for the 21st-century
	workforce; and
	WHEREAS, Businesses and industries have identified
	creativity and innovation as the keys to our nation's continued
	success and leadership in the world economy; now, therefore, be
	it
	RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 83rd
	Legislature, hereby commend the students enrolled in fine arts
	courses in Texas public schools and the more than 10,000 fine
	arts educators in Texas for their dedication and their
	contributions to the quality of life and future prosperity of our
	state; and, be it further
	RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be prepared for
	the Texas Coalition for Quality Arts Education as an expression
	of esteem from the Texas Senate.
	Van de Putte
		________________________________
		President of the Senate
		I hereby certify that the
		above Resolution was adopted by
		the Senate on March 4, 2013.
		________________________________
		Secretary of the Senate
		________________________________
		Member, Texas Senate