Newcastle's plan to cut all funding for venues including the Theatre Royal attractedwidespreadattention with deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg calling it "shameless political opportunism and cynicism".
Not only did U.S. educators play a leading role in designing and carrying out the study, but the results, which showed U.S. high school students lagging behind those in other industrial countries, attractedwidespreadattention in the news media and in educational circles.