Overwhelmingly, both the superintendents who educate future workers and the employers who hire them agree that creativity is increasingly important in U.S. workplaces (99 percent and 97 percent, respectively), and that arts training and, to a lesser degree, communications studies are crucial to developing creativity. Yet, there is a gap between understanding this truth and putting it into meaningful practice. Our findings indicate that most high schools and employers provide such training and studies only on an elective or "as needed" basis.

Eighty-five percent of employers concerned with hiring creative people say they can't find the applicants they seek.

Employers concerned with hiring creative people rarely use profile tests to assess the creative skills of potential employees (less than 20 percent). Instead, they rely on face-to-face interviews. More than 1 in 4 say they assess creativity based on interviewees' appearance.

Superintendents and employers cite many of the same skills as indicators of creativity. Yet when asked to rate mastery of these skills, superintendents are more likely than employers to rate graduates/new entrants as meeting or exceeding expectations.

While 97 percent of employers say creativity is of increasing importance, only 72 percent say that hiring creative people is a primary concern.