In 2004 Professor Anne Bamford conducted the first international analysis of arts education research for UNESCO, in partnership with IFACCA and the Australia Council. Comparing data and case studies from more than 60 countries, the book analyses the differences between ›education in the arts‹and ›education through the arts‹. While appreciating that arts programmes are embedded in their unique social and cultural contexts, she develops internationally comparable standards for quality arts education. In addition, she identifies a number of concrete educational, cultural, and social benefits of arts education. This definitive work is of major interest to policy-makers, educators and artists.

The Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education was unanimously endorsed by all UNESCO Member States in 2011. It is the only existent policy paper of global relevance on arts education. It provided the frame of reference for an international inquiry into arts education experts’ perceptions of key issues in the field: access and participation, quality, and the benefits of arts education. Nearly 400 experts from 61 countries around the world participated in this research. The book presents findings, commentaries, and reflections contributed by 51 international scholars and expert practitioners.