This sourcebook contends that arts education is essential to a good education, and that legislators and others interested in educational reform will find that arts education can help to solve broader problems in education and help students succeed. Organized into five chapters, the first chapter discusses a recent movement that has worked for an inclusive place within the curriculum for the arts and the development of a more comprehensive arts curricula. Some of the rationales for the importance of arts education include improved overall student achievement, training the workforce, and help for nontraditional students. The second chapter focuses on obstacles to state education reforms, including budgetary constraints, and how the arts and arts education are affected. The third chapter addresses how states and school systems currently approach such issues as the preparation of teachers, the curriculum, and assessment. Chapter four presents case studies of arts education in four states--Minnesota, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and South Carolina. The fifth chapter examines the major participants in arts education, some of the challenges they confront, and the role legislators can play in strengthening collaboration among the participants. An appendix lists arts education contacts throughout the country. Contains 44 references. (DB)