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1. Every day, 2,833 children drop out of school. 2. Every day, 135,000 children carry a gun to school. 3. STARS, a multifaceted arts program for at-risk youth in Ft. Myers, Florida, offers a variety of arts classes. In the program's three years, juvenile crime dropped 27 percet. 4. For youth aged 11 and 12, the rate of repeat criminal behavior dropped 64 percent. 5. Arts programs are not about delinquent youth; learning to play a musical instrument, learning to play a musical instrument, rehearsing a play or executing mosaic mural requires long hours of practice, focus, and perseverance--all components of self-discipline, a trait that many at-risk youth are desperately lacking.

According to early findings of researchers provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, participants in youth arts programs exhibit the following improvements: 6. Increased ability to express anger appropriately, to communicate effectively with adults and their peers and to cooperate with others, among other interpersonal skills. 7. Increased ability to work on tasks from start to finish, which is vital for both academic and vocational success. 8. Fewer new court referrals during the program period compared with nonparticipating youth. 9. New offences committed during the program period tended to be less severe than those committed prior to the program. 10. More likely to report decreased frequency of delinquent behavior than their nonparticipating peers. 11. More likely to show improvements in their attitudes toward school, self-esteem, and self-efficacy than are nonparticipating youth.

The Juvenile Gang Prevention Program in Dallas offers free classes at four recreation centers, where participants create plays and visual works of art based on personal experiences. Results: 12. Eighty percent attendance rate. 13. Rival gang members working together on projects. 14. At the Boys Choir of Harlem, 98 percent of the members graduate from high school and go on to college. 15. Midnight Shakespeare participants--a San Francisco-based program for at-risk Hispanic youth--build sets and costumes, rehearse scenes, and produce a public performance. Results include a 90 percent retention rate, compared with with the sixty percent retention rate of other youth programs (that did not include the arts).