Creativity in the schools: A rapidly developing area of positive psychology

Th e positive psychology movement has generated much energy and excitement within psychology, education, and related disciplines. It comes as no surprise that creativity studies represent a central component of the positive psychology movement (Simonton, 2002). Indeed, nurturing creativity has many positive and benefi cial aspects. For instance, creativity has been linked with economic growth and prosperity (Florida, 2002), physical health (Lepore and Smyth, 2002; Pennebaker, 1997), social harmony (Russ, 1998), and general well-being (Plucker, Beghetto, and Dow, 2004; Richards, 2007; Runco and Richards, 1998). Schools represent an important site for the cultivation and nurturing of creativity. Specifi cally, schools and classrooms present opportunities for students to recognize the value of human creativity and develop their own creative talents.