Released by the New York City Board of Education, this document reports on the success of the Learning to Read Through the Arts program for grades two through six during the 1985-86 school year. The first section introduces the Chapter 1 program, which was offered for 32 weeks at 6 different New York City sites, and explains how students are chosen for it, the program's objectives, and the scope of the report. The second section reports on evaluation questions and methodology, while the third section looks at program organization and implementation. The fourth section is comprised of interviews with the staff and students, suggestions for changes in the program, and an account of increased parental support through information provided at Parent Teacher Association and Parent Advisory Council meetings. The fifth section looks at student attendance and achievement in the program, and notes a statistically significant gain in reading achievement, particularly for fifth graders. The section also notes that students with limited proficiency in English and special education students also improved, with each group exceeding the targeted goals for skill mastery. The final section offers conclusions about the program's success and recommendations for future programs. Copies of the student questionnaire, the teacher survey, the staff questionnaire, the parent meeting observation form, and excerpts from student comments are appended. (JC)