Improving Literacy through Arts Integration: Evidence from ArtsNOW Classrooms

A National Literacy Challenge

Across the United States, literacy rates remain a significant concern. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about one-third of fourth-grade students read at or above a proficient level.

In Georgia, 62% of third-grade students and 69% of 8th graders are not reading at a proficient level. Nearly one million adults lack basic literacy skills (Georgia Municipal Association). In South Carolina, nearly 40% of students in grades 3-8 remain below proficient (South Carolina Department of Education).

This is putting students and families at a structural disadvantage from the start. Because third-grade reading is the pivot point from “learning to read” to “reading to learn,” those who fall behind face sharply higher risks of dropping out, unemployment, and poverty.

The need for innovative strategies that drive measurable gains in reading and language skills has never been greater, and ArtsNOW is at the forefront, delivering proven literacy improvements through our evidence-based arts integration model.

ArtsNOW’s Approach to Strengthening Literacy

ArtsNOW offers teacher professional learning designed to improve educational outcomes through arts integration. Through an ongoing, research-based approach, ArtsNOW partners with schools to integrate the arts across all grades and content areas. Our sustained professional learning equips teachers to deliver strong literacy instruction. Evidence from ArtsNOW partner schools shows that students consistently perform at higher academic levels when learning through arts integration.

To deliver this model effectively, ArtsNOW provides a mix of seminars, professional learning experiences, and personalized digital coaching sessions led by expert ArtsNOW Consultants. Every school is unique, and our approach reflects that. ArtsNOW works alongside school teams to design a fully customized plan that builds lasting capacity for arts integration in each school.

These practices are strengthened by literary resources that extend learning beyond the school day. ArtsNOW has distributed thousands of engaging books paired with Creativity Task Cards that provide support for families at home through the Reimagining and Accelerating Learning through Arts Integration (REALAI) federal grant and SmART Literacy initiative. Through other grant funding, we have provided books to classroom libraries and media centers to support literacy development. These approaches strengthen comprehension, vocabulary, and confidence while deepening literacy skills.

This impact would not be possible without strategic investments from our supporters, including the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, Lewis H. Beck Educational Foundation, and U.S. Department of Education.

Evidence of Literacy Growth Across Partner Schools

Through the REALAI federal grant, ArtsNOW supports more than 2,700 students and 170 educators across six schools in Georgia and South Carolina.

State English Language Arts assessments offer a clear benchmark for literacy progress beginning in third grade, tracking scale scores and performance levels over time. REALAI schools, in particular, have demonstrated outsized growth.

• The U.S. Department of Education sets a 30% year-over-year improvement target for participating fourth graders. In 2024, REALAI schools more than doubled that benchmark: 78% of fourth graders improved their scale scores. Longitudinal analysis shows nearly a 10-point gain in reading proficiency from 2022 to 2024.
• At J.C. Lynch Elementary, third-grade ELA scores surged 36% in a single year, outpacing the state average by 15 percentage points.
• Forest Hills and Cottageville Elementary advanced from “Below Average” to “Average” on their state report cards, while teacher confidence in using arts integration jumped 24%.
• Across all REALAI schools, the share of third- through fifth-grade students meeting or exceeding expectations rose from 26.5% in 2022 to 31.9% in 2024, providing promising evidence of the impact of arts integration on students’ reading achievement.

“Since partnering with ArtsNOW, we’ve seen teaching and learning at J.C. Lynch Elementary transform in meaningful ways. The growth in our literacy scores reflects not just improved skills, but the confidence and creativity our students bring to the classroom each day,” said J.C. Lynch Elementary Principal T.J. DeVine. “When the arts are woven into instruction, our students don’t just read the story; they experience it. ArtsNOW has been a blessing to our school and is a proven key to our success!”

Additional partner schools show the same trend.

• Powder Springs Elementary posted a 15% increase in third-grade ELA performance, nearly double the gains seen in a matched comparison school.
• At Angel Oak Elementary, the percentage of students reading at grade level climbed from 60% to 74% over five years, with ELA proficiency increasing 17%.
• Within the Cobb County KickstART Initiative, 97% of English Learners in ArtsNOW-supported schools improved language proficiency in a single year, significantly outperforming similar schools at 74%.

When looked at together, these results deliver a clear message: literacy achievement rises when schools integrate the arts with intention and fidelity. ArtsNOW works alongside your school to design a fully customized plan that is practical, evidence-focused, and builds lasting capacity for arts integration.

Why ArtsNOW’s Approach Works

When students learn through dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, they engage with content on a deeper level. Arts integration also strengthens retention and academic performance, creating a skill transfer that shows up across subjects. ArtsNOW invests in educators through coaching, modeling, and sustained support, showing teachers how they can build a toolbox of strategies they can deploy year after year. This consistent support is a major driver of the gains partner schools report.

In addition, direct access to books reinforces the work happening inside the classroom. When families receive engaging books and take-home Creativity Task Cards, literacy becomes part of the home environment. This increases vocabulary exposure, boosts family engagement, and strengthens comprehension through repeated interaction with text.

By combining arts integration, teacher support, and access to books in the broader community, our model fuels lasting literacy gains over multiple years. This innovative approach has earned ArtsNOW recognition as a Learn4Life Bright Spot for Early Literacy, demonstrating alignment with district goals and tangible student results.

As Cottageville Elementary Principal Tasheena Allen noted, “ArtsNOW has transformed our literacy block into a space where confidence grows, imagination leads, and every child sees themselves as a reader. When students learn through the arts, their reading mastery deepens and their love for reading shines.”

Schools that partner with ArtsNOW see instruction come alive, higher student engagement, and measurable academic gains. If your school is ready to elevate literacy performance, we’re positioned to help you launch that transformation. Connect with us to learn how to get started!

For supporters who share our belief that every student deserves learning that sparks curiosity and drives achievement, your investment accelerates this mission. If you believe every student deserves learning that truly comes to life, your investment fuels the work that gets us there. Supporting ArtsNOW, at any level, helps more classrooms unlock the literacy outcomes students deserve.