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Politics K-12 kept watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: Federal, States.

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‘Imaginative’ Poll: Voters Want Candidates to Support the Arts

By Michele McNeil — January 24, 2008 1 min read
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Voters with education on their minds aren’t concerned just about math and science—key areas of focus for politicians and policymakers—but with imaginination, innovation, and the arts as well.

That’s according to a new poll, backed by education groups including the nation’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association, and (not surprising, given the results and subject of the poll) the Arts Education Partnership.

The poll seems tailor-made for Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, whose education agenda centers on advancing the arts in schools—what he calls “weapons of mass instruction.” In fact, 56 percent of those polled said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports more arts funding.

More highlights from the poll: 69 percent of voters polled believe the U.S. is losing the imagination race—that schools here spend less time on the arts and fostering innovation than do schools in other countries. And, 63 percent said teaching the arts is as important as teaching the “basics"—such as reading and math.

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A version of this news article first appeared in the Politics K-12 blog.