In January 2007 France will host ::

A EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUMON
RESEARCH CARRIED OUT INTO EVALUATING
THE IMPACT OF ARTS AND CULTURAL EDUCATIONON CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The arguments that are likeliest to promote the need for arts and cultural education within educational policies in the eyes of decision makers and public opinion are those which highlight the positive impact arts and cultural education has :
:- on the cognitive development and academic achievement of children, Activities implemented are designed to have a positive effect, not only by helping children acquire specific skills for curriculum-based arts subjects, but also by increasing their motivation to learn, and by providing them with general skills applicable to other areas of learning, most notably reading and the mastery of language, or mathematics;
- on the acquisition of certain personality traits, Examples include: self-confidence, perseverance, creativity, imagination, the ability to express and assert oneself, the development of a critical mind;- on the acquisition of social skills,Examples include tolerance, care for others, the ability to interact and cooperate with others, the ability to resolve conflicts and therefore learn to be a good citizen; another aspect is the effect on children’s behaviour both in class and in other social contexts;
- on helping reduce the disparity between the academic results of privileged and underprivileged children,Activities carried out in arts and cultural education may have more of an impact on children from underprivileged backgrounds than on those who enjoy a richer cultural and family environment;- on helping each individual to build his own cultural identity, to understand and respect different cultural identities ,
- on the sensitivity to the arts.Does arts and cultural education enhance young people and children’s valuing of the arts?
Does it have a positive impact on their attitudes towards the arts?

The cumulative effect of all this is to increase public attendance at cultural institutions, to improve economic development and cultural diversity (recognising its legitimacy, as well as seeking to preserve and enrich it), and to help build a common culture and, consequently, greater social cohesion.

Throughout the world, and particularly in Europe, the same arguments are used, with certain variations showing how diverse the arts and cultural educational process can be, both in terms of its philosophical roots and the cultural contexts in which it takes place.
Nowadays these arguments are fuelled by the work of teams of researchers who fuse a variety of different disciplines (psychology and child development, social psychology, sociology, cognitive sciences etc.).

Its aim will be to take stock both of completed research and of research still in progress. The parameters of this research should be understood in the broad sense that the notion of arts and cultural education carries in France: arts teaching as part of the school curriculum, arts and cultural activities carried out during school time and free time, arts teaching given out of school hours by specialised teaching institutions.Through its evaluation of the impact of arts education, the symposium will seek to highlight the relationship between details of implementation of arts and cultural education and results obtained, trying in particular to assess the added value of the various schemes offering cultural activities. This evaluation will also focus on training schemes for teachers, artists and other professionals involved in the educational field. Lastly, the symposium will focus on research conducted over wide areas (be they national or regional), in order to measure the global impact of educational arts policies (for example, in terms of pupil success, or the development of new cultural practices).In addition to European researchers, the symposium will welcome teams specialising in these subjects from other parts of the world, in particular the United States.

The scientific committee is composed of : Bernard Darras (University of Paris 1), Olivier Donnat (French Ministry of Culture and Communication), Alain Kerlan (University of Lyon), Bernard Lahire (University de Lyon), Vincent Maestracci (French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research), Joël Paubel (University Institute for Teacher Training of Versailles), André Petitjean (University of Metz), Catherine Régnier (French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research), Bruno Suchaut (Institute for Research in the Sociology and Economics of Education - French National Center for Scientific Research, University of Bourgogne), Emmanuel Wallon (University of Paris X) et Anita Weber (French Ministry of Culture and Communication).
It is chaired by Mr. Emmanuel Fraisse, Director of the French National Institute of Pedagogic Research.
The steering committee is chaired by Mr Jean Marc Lauret, Head of the Department of Education, Training, Teaching and Careers, Delegation for Development and International Affairs of the Ministry of Culture and Communication.

For the plenary sessions and roundtables, the working languages will be: French, English and Spanish (simultaneous translation in these 3 languages).For the workshops, the working languages will be: French and English (simultaneous translation in these 2 languages).However some special arrangements might be found in case some contributors can not use one of these languages.

A European and international symposiumat the Centre Pompidou in Paris on January 10,11 and 12, 2007 will bring together teams of researcherswho are specialised in evaluating arts and cultural education.

Information on this, as well as proposals for contributions, should be sent, as soon as possible, to :

Mlle Charlotte FESNEAU , official representative of the Director of the Public and Educational Action Unit of the Centre Pompidou postal address: DAEP, 75191 Paris Cedex 04,
Franceemail: adèle: / tél : + 33 (0)1 44 78 12 68

Please enclose a copy addressed to M Jean Marc LAURET, Head of the Department of Education, Training, Teaching and Careers, member of the Delegation for Development and International Affairs and of the Ministry of Culture and Communications, General Secretary of the Steering Committee.postal address: 182, rue Saint Honoré, 75033 Paris cedex 01, France email: adèle : / tél : + 33 (0)1 40 15 78 72

For further information, please contact Charlotte Fesneau, charlotte.fesneau@cnac-gp.fr,