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It is imperative for the success of any community that students have access to the arts in the educational environment. Students with an education rich in the arts have higher GPAs and standardized test scores, and lower drop-out rates — benefits reaped by students regardless of socioeconomic status. As former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett stated, “The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic … music, dance, painting and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.”