Imagine a program that produced a fourfold increase in the number of students recognized for academic achievement. What if that initiative also resulted in three times as many students elected to leadership positions at their schools? And imagine that these children would be four times as likely to be in math or science fairs, and also to perform community service. On top of all that, they would also be three times as likely to win an award for exceptional school attendance.

If public school administrators and government officials knew of such a program, I would demand that it be implemented in our schools and that we invest in it immediately. Guess what? We already know of such a program that does achieve all those benefits: It 's called the arts.

According to Americans for the Arts, children deeply involved in arts programs receive the aforementioned benefits, and then some. Yet, paradoxically, schools are cutting arts programs -- ranging from band to theater to painting -- because of funding limitations.

You would think a field that produces such dramatic results would be cultivated, not cut. However, school districts have had to make tough decisions, in part because of a lack of support from state and federal government. Indeed, with state-imposed revenue caps on local districts, schools throughout Wisconsin have had to rely on referendums to keep up with increasing costs of operation, according to the Wisconsin Education Association Council. When these referendums fail in the communities, arts education is often one of the first items eliminated.

And the federal No Child Left Behind Act has only exacerbated the problem.

The Bush administration has emphasized science, technology, education and math, and while these fields are essential to early education, the untested areas of arts and literature are ignored in the quest to increase test scores. And thus, with a shift in resources to "teach to the test, " arts don 't quite fit in the picture.

For these reasons, the money doesn 't exist right now for arts programs in public schools. However, it is a necessary investment that needs to be made.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, every school that trimmed its arts classes ended up spending more on discipline within three years, and also saw falling test scores.

Newly elected Dane County Sup. Wyndham Manning ran on a platform that included a "public arts initiative. " According to his campaign Website, community funding for arts programs could benefit at-risk youth and deter delinquency.

Imagine the money Dane County could save on incarceration if a small investment were made in the arts. As the Wisconsin Assembly for Local Arts calculated, such educational programs have an economic impact of $289 million annually in the state, and they only cost the government $2.5 million.

Arts help students succeed in all areas of education. They save communities money on disciplinary programs, and they have a yield of more than 100 times the initial investment.

So what are we waiting for? Who in their right mind would keep cutting these programs? Why haven 't we made this seemingly magic bullet a priority?

Thankfully, some government leaders recognize the value of arts education. Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Elizabeth Burmaster recently launched the Wisconsin Task Force on Arts and Creativity in Education.

Designed to promote access to arts programs in public schools, this task force will also contribute to today 's knowledge-based economy, one that demands individuals be able to think outside of the box. As Lawton said in a press release, "creativity and innovation will be the cornerstone of Wisconsin competitiveness in the years ahead. "

Likewise, as Americans for the Arts claim, there is no better way to stimulate creativity than through early arts education.

Such programs demand self-expression that cannot be achieved by plugging through algebra problems or mixing chemicals in a lab. I am by no means suggesting science and math are not vital, but the arts deserve equal treatment.

It pains me every time I hear of another school district having to cut music or drawing or theater. I could only imagine the public outcry if, instead of the marching band, schools were cutting the football team. Both are essential enriching activities, and we must make an investment in our future generations by adequately funding these programs.

I 've centered my argument here on the economic benefits of arts programs, and maybe that is what is needed to convince our communities and our governments.

But I wish it were sufficient to just use the words of the Wisconsin Arts Board as reason enough to support such initiatives: "The arts are basic to human life and essential to the human spirit. "

Shah is a senior studying neurobiology at UW-Madison. This column first appeared in The Badger Herald.