“The arts have the potential to play a distinct and unique role in bringing the ideals of quality education into practice. As a creative medium, the arts stimulate cognitive development, encourage innovative thinking and creativity, engender understanding of the importance of cultural diversity and reinforce behavior patterns underlying social tolerance… This report includes many of the papers presented at these two meetings and an overview of the outcomes of those meetings. These papers, prepared by artists, educators, policy makers and experts in art and culture from across Asia, together reflect the convergence in the goals of the people of the various nations that make up the Asian region, and provide a comprehensive summary of the aims and achievements in arts education in Asia, and of the direction and progress of education reform efforts so far." (pp. vii-viii)