Sustainable change in education requires long-term commitment. In 2025, ArtsNOW launched the Legacy of Learners Society to build and acknowledge a community of supporters who understand that sustained investment drives meaningful, measurable impact.

When donors give consistently and strategically, they provide the stability necessary for thoughtful planning and scalable growth. This support enables ArtsNOW to strengthen our delivery and expand into new schools with confidence.

We recently spoke with several members of the Legacy of Learners Society, each offering a distinct perspective on why sustained support for ArtsNOW’s work matters. We learned that behind this commitment are individuals with distinct experiences, perspectives, and motivations. Their responses tell a larger story about sustainability, shared responsibility, and the power of arts integration. 

Dr. Carol McGrevin & Gene McGrevin

For ArtsNOW Board Chair Dr. Carol McGrevin, joining the Legacy of Learners was both personal and strategic.

“I wanted to support this new initiative because I believe in sustained giving and hoped to encourage others to do the same. As a non-profit, it is imperative that we generate recurring funds so we can build a solid budget on secure funding sources. Hopefully, we will build a community of givers who believe in ArtsNOW's work and want to be more involved in the organization's long-term success.”

With more than 50 years in education, Dr. McGrevin sees ArtsNOW’s work through the lens of deep professional experience.

“I understand how children learn and what best practices will motivate students to engage in the learning process. Arts integration has a proven track record of success. Learning becomes fun, helping students internalize the material and express their understanding of the concepts in a way that makes sense to them. ArtsNOW brings learning to life, stimulating student engagement with core subjects. The US needs an educated society to survive and flourish in today's technological environment.”

From a governance perspective, she is clear about why giving circles matter.

“These funds create a financial base for ArtsNOW's continued growth. By joining other like-minded individuals, you can significantly influence the education of the next generation.”

For the McGrevins, sustained giving is not simply generosity. It is infrastructure.

Andy Hurt

Andy Hurt’s journey to philanthropy began in an unexpected place.

“Becoming a teacher at Hillside Conant School has been the most rewarding experience in my six decades of living. A good deal of this reward is by-virtue of our close-knit relationship with ArtsNOW.”

Andy initially learned about ArtsNOW through participating in professional learning at Hillside Conant.

“Philanthropy is not my usual wheelhouse, so the idea that I could actually give back was a rather new and strange concept,” he reflects candidly. “When I found myself graced with the opportunity of directly helping those truly in need of support, I finally began to occupy myself in the full-spectrum realization that the ‘gathering of wealth’ is ultimately a spiritual endeavor.”

He recalls a recent classroom moment:

“I was running late to school two weeks ago… I entered the classroom minutes after my kiddos. Many of them sang ‘Mister Andyyyieeee!’, and I immediately voiced ‘eee... come-on everyone, let’s harmonize!’ The whole class shared a harmonic, shared ‘eeeeeee...’. It was fantastic! I am not ashamed to say that this was the first, actual moment of my becoming able to add the A that was missing from my STEM.”

His encouragement to fellow educators is direct with giving:

“From one teacher to another: if you have the extra funds to spare, financially supporting ArtsNOW helps feed us all. The most important gift we can provide is to immerse ourselves in any way we can: the value of sharing ourselves with our kiddos is absolutely priceless.”

Bob & Marcia Stewart

Marcia Stewart, a retired educator, and her husband Bob support ArtsNOW because they understand how students learn.

“Students learn in many different ways. Not everyone responds well to a heavily STEM-based curriculum. We understand and support the inclusion of additional arts integration and learning opportunities into the classroom.”

She points to music as a powerful example.

“Music has a huge influence on children. They remember song lyrics to a catchy tune, and if relevant subject matter is incorporated into those lyrics, students will remember them more readily. If a student can enjoy or even have fun learning classroom material, that material will stick with a student longer.”

They also recognize the importance of staying current in a rapidly evolving education landscape.

“ArtsNOW provides the current understanding of the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ to channel energy and resources appropriately into the classroom for teacher support, program execution, and student results.”

Looking ahead, they hope to see a broader impact in public education.

“We are also hoping to see ArtsNOW expand into Tennessee public schools, where Tennessee funds are now being used for students to attend private schools instead of improving the public schools.”

A Shared Commitment

If you believe classrooms should spark curiosity, strengthen critical thinking, and give every student room to create, this is your opportunity to leave a tangible mark on education.

Educators return to ArtsNOW resources because they work. From March 16-20, ArtsNOW will host a one-week campaign to raise $26,000 to expand our online arts-integrated resources for students, families, and educators nationwide. Contributions will directly fuel the creation and distribution of free digital lesson plans, instructional units, video modules, and at-home learning activities. These tools are already among the most visited pages on our website, proving that educators are actively seeking high-quality, ready-to-implement arts integration. This campaign ensures access isn’t limited by zip code, budget, or bandwidth.

“Real change in education happens when people choose to invest in tools teachers can use immediately and students can benefit from right away,” said ArtsNOW President & CEO Pamela Walker. “Every gift helps to equip a classroom with new ways to think, create, and succeed.”

Invest in learning that works. Invest in ArtsNOW. Click here to donate $26 in ‘26.

Each February, National Career and Technical Education (CTE) Month invites educators, families, and communities to spotlight the programs that prepare students for real-world careers. At its core, CTE is about helping students see how what they learn today connects to the opportunities they will pursue tomorrow. That mission mirrors ArtsNOW’s work in classrooms every day.

Through arts-integrated instruction, ArtsNOW helps students connect academic learning to creative thinking, problem-solving. These are essential soft skills in every career pathway. As CTE Month highlights workforce readiness, ArtsNOW expands the lens, showing teachers, students, and families that creativity is a core career competency.

That belief is at the heart of our newest resource, Where Creativity Meets Career, a guide that explores 175+ career opportunities across all art forms and connects them directly to skills students need to thrive in today’s economy. Discover the full guide here.

Where Creativity Meets Career is designed to be practical, accessible, and actionable. Whether you’re an educator guiding students, a school leader shaping pathways, or an advocate championing workforce development, this guide provides concrete examples of how creativity and career readiness intersect.

During National Career and Technical Education Month, we invite you to explore the guide, share it with your community, and help expand the conversation around what it truly means to prepare students for the future. Take a look at the guide and start exploring possibilities.

Schools that partner with ArtsNOW see instruction connect more clearly to real-world pathways, higher student engagement, and measurable academic gains across disciplines. If your school is ready to help students explore careers, strengthen STEAM learning, and see the arts as a gateway to future opportunity, ArtsNOW is positioned to support that work. Connect with us to learn how to get started.

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.