The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA) is a sweeping, 391-page law that transforms the federal government’s role in public education. It introduces several new funding streams that states and districts can use to improve schools, including 12 that could be used to support arts integration. But in order to access those funding streams, education agencies must cite evidence demonstrating that the efforts they propose can, in fact, improve student achievement.

A report from the American Institutes for Research on arts integration activities finds 44 that could qualify for ESSA funding, including those that use music to teach students fractions, drama to help improve vocabulary and dance to teach kindergarteners to read.

On average, researchers find statistically significant improvements in student achievement, suggesting that arts integration could move the average student from the 50th to the 54th percentile.

Read the full report from AIR about arts integration in schools at The Wallace Foundation.