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Past studies have shown positive correlations between the arts and academic achievement when the arts were integrated into the literature curriculum. Other studies have shown positive associations between the arts and other areas of the curriculum, such as mathematics and science. Considering the Theory of Change, which employs understandings in Critical Literacy, Multimodal Literacy, and Transmediation, this study employed a multi-stage cluster randomized design and conducted a series of comparison and treatment group statistical analyses among predominantly low income students in an urban school district, some of whom had participated in the Integrating Theater Arts Project (ITAP). The study assessed whether a relationship existed between the presence of a theater arts intervention and student achievement in language arts and mathematics. Results showed that students receiving intervention often outperformed their control group counterparts in both math and language arts. Furthermore, students in the theater arts program outperformed their control group counterparts in every case that showed statistical significance. These cases included math achievement among sixth grade students, both language arts and math achievement of sixth grade males, and math achievement of sixth grade Hispanics. The authors conclude that programs like ITAP and methods relative to the Theory of Change may in fact promote academic achievement among participating students. They also invite future studies to consider how achievement of other academic subjects-in this case, mathematicsmay also relate to such interventions. Introduction and Background Madeleine Grumet (2004), in writing about the importance of integrating arts into the literature curriculum, states that, "When children understand literature as something meaningful and complex, they sense its capacity to inform their lives. This is the kind of literacy that influences reading scores in middle school and high school, when we often see the gains of intensive reading instruction diminish in national assessments" (p. 67). Over the past 30 years, there has been a growing awareness of the effectiveness of arts integration in improving classroom learning, especially for students from low income families. For instance, Stevenson and Deasy (2005) studied 10 schools where students from economically disadvantaged circumstances were succeeding. These 10 schools identified the arts as a key reason for that success. Teachers in the case study schools also said they derived delight, professional renewal, and satisfaction from incorporating arts into their teaching. Another example is the study of the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) program that partnered artists and art agencies with teachers at all grade levels in low-socioeconomic urban public schools. Findings demonstrated that CAPE schools clearly outperformed the control schools in a wide variety of outcomes, such as, positive changes in school climate and improved reading and math scores (Catterall and Waldorf, 1999). M...

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