Sophie was not likely to learn much today, having had a bad start at home. But as the class discussed the masterpiece, her head turned, her eyes opened, and I saw a spark. After all, we were talking ART.  "Are objects in the foreground smaller, darker, overlapped, or dimmer?" Sophie sat up and grabbed her pencil. She knew a lot about art. She recognized van Gogh's Starry Night and his energetic brush strokes.

In a year-long pilot study we are assessing what students learn through Art in Action lessons. How do we measure creativity? Students in select classrooms will take pre- and post tests and analyze masterpieces under the watchful eye of a camera. Educators will analyze the way students use critical thinking and will record observations about their ability to observe and interpret visual information.  We look forward to reporting our findings.