A survey commissioned by Willow Glen-based Cultural Initiatives of Silicon Valley, a nonprofit organization created to bolster arts education, points to continued community support for restoring arts education as part of the core curriculum in elementary schools. The survey's results are in line with arts-related surveys conducted in 1997 and 2002 by the organization.

"People in the region value good education. Many see arts as part of a balanced education," said John Kreidler, executive director of Cultural Initiatives. Silicon Valley also values creativity that is closely associated with arts education, he added.

The poll is part of a number of arts-related surveys that the organization commissioned the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San José State University to conduct in preparation for a fall conference. But the support was so strikingly uniform across gender, age and income groups that Cultural Initiatives decided to release the results.

The adults polled also said they wanted three to four hours of arts education classes per week.

"The results demonstrate how much the public wants art education back in school," Kreidler said. "We're not saying that other subjects are not important, just that arts are part of a balanced education."

To help bring the arts back to schools, Cultural Initiatives has been providing grants, technical help and training through its Creative Education Program. Schools receive $10,000 for four out of five years and teacher liaison and technical support for a full five years.

Booksin Elementary is the only Willow Glen school enrolled in the program. The other three elementary schools from the San Jose Unifed School District are Cory, Los Alamitos and Simonds.

The infusion of funds, training and technical support has "enabled Booksin to focus on arts education in a structured way," said Principal Sharon Roddick.

With the grants, Booksin has been able to purchase items like drama and play scripts. Students are benefiting from more creative classes, as teachers are able to weave the arts into their core curriculum. "Even in math, you can use some concepts of arts and design in geometry," Roddick said.

Their partnership with Cultural Initiatives has prepared Booksin to run its own program when the funding ends in 2006. The annual $10,000 grant ends this year, but Cultural Initiatives will continue to provide a teacher liaison and technical support for one more year.

"Through the partnership, we have gotten the right training and the right tools. We have every intention of carrying on the program," Roddick said.

Full results of the survey will be released in October.

For more information, call Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley at 408.283.700 or visit www.ci-sv.org