Student engagement has become one of the defining challenges in education today, and one of the clearest indicators of whether meaningful learning is actually happening.

Across the country, educators are grappling with a decline in student engagement in the classroom. According to EdWeek, 83% of students state there are not enough opportunities in the classroom for them to be curious. When engagement declines, academic achievement and long-term student success often decline alongside it.

At ArtsNOW, we work directly with schools navigating this challenge and know that when classrooms become creative and collaborative, student engagement rises—and outcomes follow.

What Is Student Engagement?

Student engagement is the degree to which students are emotionally connected, cognitively invested, and behaviorally involved in learning.

• Cognitive engagement: students think deeply and pursue understanding, not just task completion.
• Behavioral engagement: students actively participate, collaborate, and persist in learning.
• Emotional engagement: students feel connected to their learning, peers, and teachers.

When all three are present, classrooms shift from passive instruction to active learning environments with students genuinely invested in their work.

Why Student Engagement Matters

Engagement is a critical driver of learning. Students who are engaged are more likely to retain information, think critically, participate confidently, and persist through challenges.

Low engagement is closely tied to many of the challenges schools are currently facing:

• Chronic absenteeism
• Declining literacy rates
• Behavioral challenges
• Teacher burnout
• Lower academic achievement

Approximately 28% of U.S. students were chronically absent during the 2022–23 school year, with disengagement widely recognized as a major contributing factor.

In Georgia and South Carolina, large percentages of third graders are not reading proficiently—a critical benchmark because third grade marks the transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn.” Students who fall behind at this stage face significantly greater risks of future academic struggles and dropout.

Teachers are feeling the impact as well. Between 40-50% of new teachers leave the profession within their first five years, often citing burnout, challenging classroom environments, and lack of support.

The causes of student disengagement are complex, but several themes consistently emerge across schools nationwide. According to educators, some of the biggest contributors include:

• Limited opportunities for creativity and active participation
• Heavy reliance on lecture-based instruction
• Weak connections between classroom content and students’ real lives
• Gaps in belonging and social-emotional connection
• Increased distractions from screen use
• Lingering impacts of disrupted learning environments

Students are far more likely to invest in learning when they can actively experience it, connect it to the world around them, and see themselves reflected in the process.

What’s Working in Classrooms Today

One of the most effective strategies emerging in schools today is arts integration.

Arts integration combines academic instruction with visual arts, music, theatre, and dance to create hands-on, inquiry-driven learning experiences. Rather than treating the arts as separate from academics, arts integration uses creativity as a pathway into rigorous learning.

This approach is highly effective at increasing student engagement. A 2025 ArtsNOW Partner School Study conducted by the University of South Carolina’s Research, Evaluation, and Measurement (REM) Center found that  95% of educators reported higher student engagement in classrooms supported by ArtsNOW.

Engagement and Academic Achievement Go Hand in Hand

Schools partnering with ArtsNOW have reported measurable academic gains, including:

• 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.
• In Cobb County, 97% of English Learners in ArtsNOW partner schools improved language proficiency in a single year, significantly outperforming similar schools at 74%.
• 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 jumped 24%.

These outcomes reinforce that students learn more deeply when they are engaged meaningfully in the learning process.

These results deliver a clear message that achievement, especially in literacy, rises when schools integrate the arts with intention and fidelity.

The Path Forward

In ArtsNOW partner schools, students are:

• Building robots to demonstrate energy transfer in science
• Using tableau theatre techniques to model math concepts and equations
• Creating human soundscapes to explore migration and environmental change in social studies
• Choreographing movement to represent scientific and mathematical concepts
• Using visual arts to deepen literary analysis and comprehension

Improving student engagement is not about making learning easier. It is about making learning more meaningful.

At ArtsNOW, we know engaged students become stronger learners, confident communicators, and creative problem-solvers. When classrooms come alive, learning outcomes can change. If you're ready to explore how arts-integrated learning can strengthen student engagement at your school, we’d love to connect.

And if you believe in building more engaging, effective classrooms through proven solutions, consider supporting this work with a donation to ArtsNOW.

This summer, ArtsNOW offers one clear recommendation to families and students: stay creatively engaged.

Research from the National Summer Learning Association shows that students can lose up to 2 months of academic progress over the summer, underscoring the importance of sustained learning beyond the classroom.

Arts integration provides a practical, research-based solution. Connecting academic content with visual art, music, movement, and theatre deepens engagement while making learning both relevant and enjoyable.

Summer should absolutely remain a time for rest and renewal for students, families, and educators. At the same time, maintaining light-touch learning experiences is critical to preventing learning loss and preserving academic momentum.

With that balance in mind, ArtsNOW is pleased to share a curated collection of eight at-home lessons based on wherever this summer is taking you and your family! They are accessible, engaging, and easy to implement, empowering families to reinforce key academic concepts while fostering creativity and joy.

Click here to download a print version of our Summer 2026 Creativity Calendar, and continue reading to explore each lesson in-depth. For additional support, families are encouraged to explore the rest of ArtsNOW’s at-home resources.

1. On A Day Outside, Explore Nature with Leaf Print Art

Your backyard, neighborhood park, or hiking trail is the perfect starting point for this visual arts activity. Head outside and collect leaves with interesting shapes, textures, and sizes, then watch this video to learn how to transform your nature finds into beautiful leaf prints. This activity connects observation skills with artistic expression, encouraging children to look closely at the world around them.

Supplies needed: Leaves in a variety of shapes and sizes, any type of paper, crayons (with paper removed) and/or chalk

2. On A Morning Stroll, Take an Emotion Walk and Talk

This activity turns a leisurely summer walk into a meaningful exploration of social-emotional learning. Use Emotion Walk and Talks as a vehicle for discussing feelings, building vocabulary, and deepening family connections. Watch this video to learn theatre-based exercises for making these conversations engaging, age-appropriate, and fun for the whole family.

3. On A Rainy Day Inside, Make Music with Wacky Water Xylophone

When summer showers put outdoor plans on hold, head to the kitchen for this science-meets-music experiment. Using everyday household items, children can construct their own water xylophone, explore sound and pitch, and even begin notating their own melodies. Watch this video for step-by-step guidance.

Supplies needed: Paper, identical cups or containers filled with varying levels of water, kitchen utensils (metal spoon, wooden spoon, rubber spatula)

4. Jam with Hand Jives on a Long Car Ride

Long stretches in the car don't have to mean restless kids and screen fatigue. Hand jives—rhythmic, partner-based clapping and movement patterns—are a way for students to learn how to create steady beats and build rhythm skills. Watch this video and learn how to create a hand jive routine with your child that will make the miles fly by.

5. On a Quiet Day, Use Steady Beat to Boost Reading Comprehension

Summer is a wonderful opportunity to keep reading skills sharp, and adding a rhythmic, musical element can make that practice feel less like a chore and more like play. Steady beat has been shown to support language processing and reading fluency. Watch this video to learn how to incorporate beats into at-home reading, turning it into an active, brain-building experience.

6. While Playing Outside, Discover Geometry Through Movement

Summer's wide-open spaces are the perfect setting for this kinesthetic geometry lesson. Using their bodies and a single piece of string, students can physically create and explore geometric shapes, bringing abstract math concepts to life through movement. Watch this video and experience this lesson that is as active as it is academic.

Supplies needed: One long piece of string

7. Bring Family Photos to Life with Tableau

This theatre activity is a perfect complement to family gatherings this summer. Using the theatrical technique of tableau (frozen, silent scenes created with the body), children and adults can bring family photos to life, stepping into the roles of the people and stories captured in those images. Follow along with this video and learn how to tell stories through tableaus!

8. On A Pool Day, Dive Deeper with Pool Talk

A splashy summer day by the pool is the perfect backdrop for this conversation-based theatre activity. Watch this video for creative conversation prompts and facilitation strategies that help children and parents get to know each other in richer, more meaningful ways—right from the pool deck.

Picture this: A teacher attends an inspiring workshop on integrating the arts into their instruction. The presenter is engaging, the ideas are fresh, and the room is electric with possibility. The next morning arrives. Now what?

For too many educators, that electric feeling fades by the time the bell rings. Binders get shelved, strategies go untried, and students never feel the difference.

This is the challenge with one-off professional learning—and it's exactly why ArtsNOW takes a different approach.

The One-Off Challenge

One-time workshops are a familiar feature of the school calendar. But decades of educational research point to a sobering truth: isolated training rarely changes what happens in classrooms.

Why? Because sustainable change requires more than exposure to an idea. It requires time to practice, space to reflect, and ongoing support to troubleshoot.

A single workshop, no matter how well designed, does not provide enough time for educators to implement meaningful changes. The revised Standards for Professional Learning, released by Learning Forward in April 2022, state that fragmented, isolated, and short-term professional learning has little impact on teacher practice or student learning.

At ArtsNOW, we believe that when it comes to professional learning, continuity and customization are everything.

What Makes ArtsNOW's Professional Learning Model Different

ArtsNOW's Professional Learning model is built around one core principle: Meet educators where they are, and walk with them all year long.

Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all workshop, our model is deeply customizable to fit your school's unique context, goals, and community. Here's what that looks like in practice:

1. Customizable to Your School's Needs

No two schools are alike, making no two ArtsNOW Professional Learning engagements exactly the same. Whether your school is brand new to arts integration or looking to deepen an existing practice, we co-design a learning pathway with your instructional leadership team.

Schools can customize things such as:

• Focus areas
• Grade bands and content areas prioritized
• Session frequency and format
• Intensity of coaching and classroom support
• Connections to school improvement goals and state standards

2.  Sustained Engagement Throughout the School Year

ArtsNOW's model is structured around multi-session, year-long engagement—not a single day. A typical partnership includes a combination of:

• Foundational Seminar: Introduce arts integration frameworks and build a shared language across teachers at this multi-day seminar held each summer.
• Collaborative Planning Time: Educators, including district and school leaders, work alongside ArtsNOW facilitators to design and refine arts-integrated lessons.
• Classroom Modeling: ArtsNOW consultants demonstrate arts integration in the classroom with your students
• Reflective Practice & Coaching: Dedicated time to debrief, problem-solve, and celebrate what's working.

3.  Job-Embedded and Classroom-Connected

Our professional learning happens in the context of real teaching and real students. There is no preset ArtsNOW curriculum or guidebook to follow. Facilitators partner with teachers to apply new strategies directly in their classrooms, making the learning immediately relevant and actionable.

ArtsNOW is ready to support educators and students even when we’re not in the building. Through our website, we offer a digital resource library that includes fully-designed lesson and unit plans, video modules, and at-home lessons. We offer these 100% free to educators, and they serve to extend the impact of ArtsNOW’s sustained professional learning even further.

The Impact of Continuous Engagement

When schools commit to sustained professional learning, something remarkable happens—not just in professional growth, but in student outcomes. The research is consistent: ongoing, job-embedded professional learning leads to deeper instructional shifts and measurable gains for learners.

Hundreds of teachers across ArtsNOW partner schools report:

• Increased teacher confidence in designing and delivering arts-integrated lessons
• Stronger school culture built around collaboration and communication
• Higher student engagement and participation
• Improved academic outcomes and social-emotional skills
• Durable classroom practice that outlasts the partnership

“Thank you for a fantastic three days! I appreciated being able to watch you guys in action with the students,” said one Georgia teacher. “I am walking away with a wealth of new practices for class. I’m so excited for ArtsNOW to come back next quarter!"

Is Your School Ready to Go Deeper?

If your school is ready to move beyond one-off workshops and invest in the kind of sustained professional learning that actually transforms lives, ArtsNOW is here to partner with you.

Our team of experienced arts integration specialists will work with your leadership to build a customized, year-long professional learning plan that fits your school's rhythm, your teachers' needs, and your students' goals.

Ready to get started? Connect with ArtsNOW to learn more about our fully customizable Professional Learning for your school.