The practice of sustained silent reading (SSR) is based on the belief that motivation, interest, self-selection, modeling, and time spent reading contribute to student reading achievement. This article describes a study designed to ascertain the prevalence of SSR in classrooms in a particular geographic area and the degree to which the program's original goals are being met. Seventh-grade teachers were surveyed regarding participation in SSR, organization of the program, material selection, and methods of evaluation. Findings indicate that silent reading is popular in the classroom in part because of the opportunities for instructional decision making it provides teachers. However, the individual implementation of the program has resulted in many aspects of the actual practice of SSR deviating from the original model. Questions regarding the integrity of current practices as compared to the original model are discussed, and suggestions to teachers who plan to implement or revise SSR programs are offered.

The article consists of the following sections:

• Introduction
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Deciding Whether and How to Implement the Program
• References
• Survey of Sustained Silent Reading Practices
• A Word About Motivation
• A Word About Reading Workshop
• Additional Internet Resources for SSR

Nancy Mammarella Nagy earned a Ph.D. in education from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Currently she is an associate professor and director of the graduate reading program at Marywood University, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Her research interests include examining literacy practices, writing as a part of reading and learning processes, and effective teaching methods in higher education. She can be contacted by e-mail at nagy@ac.marywood.edu.

Estelle Campenni (e-mail campenni@ac.marywood.edu), who holds a doctorate in experimental psychology from Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA, is an associate professor of graduate psychology and counseling at Marywood University. Her research interests include factors influencing gender stereotyping of toys and the impact of that stereotyping on children's behavior, as well as the effects of odor on mood and the immune system.

Janet Shaw earned her M.S. degree in reading education from Marywood University. She is a seventh-grade teacher in Pennsylvania's Tunkhannock Area School District.

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