Arts and Cultural Education at School in Europe

(L'éducation artistique et culturelle à l'école en Europe) and German (Kunst-und Kulturerziehung an den Schulen in Europa). The contents of this publication may be reproduced in part, except for commercial purposes, provided the extract is preceded b y a reference to 'Eurydice network', followed by the date of publication of the document. PREFACE The role of arts education in forming the competences for young people for life in the 21st century has been widely recognised at the European level. The European Commission proposed a European Agenda for Culture, which was endorsed by the Council of the European Union in 2007. This Agenda acknowledges the value of arts education in developing creativity. Furthermore, the EU strategic framework for European cooperation in education and training over the next decade clearly emphasises the importance of transversal key competences, including cultural awareness and creativity. 2009 is the European Year of Creativity and Innovation and is a further recognition of the links between cultural awareness and creativity. The Year addresses themes such as fostering artistic and other forms of creativity through all levels and forms of education. At the same time, the European Parliament's 2009 Resolution on Artistic Studies in the European Union puts forward key recommendations for the development of artistic education and calls for greater coordination of arts education at the European level. Previous research on the potential of arts education to enhance the creativity of young people has underlined the need to continuously improve its quality. To help meet this need and help identify best practices, Eurydice has produced this overview of the state of artistic and cultural education in Europe. The study contains comparative information on the provision of arts and cultural education within the curricula of 30 European countries. It covers the aims and objectives of such education, its organisation, the provision of extra-curricular activities, as well as initiatives for the development of arts and cultural education. In addition, it includes important information on pupil assessment and teacher education in the arts. It clearly shows, for example, that music and visual arts are the most widespread subjects taught in schools at primary and lower secondary level, and that the participation of professional artists in arts education is quite limited. The study draws attention to the importance of collaboration among the various actors in arts education. Arts and Cultur al Educ ation at Sc hool in Europe 4 I believe that …