A study investigated whether sustained silent reading encourages college students to increase their reading rate. Subjects were 76 education majors or students otherwise interested in teaching who were enrolled in an undergraduate course in teaching reading/language arts in a university in the southeastern United States. Subjects recorded their reading rate after reading for 15 minutes per day, five days per week, for five weeks. Results indicated a substantial increase in reading rate over the five week period and suggest a strong linear relationship between the number of weeks of participation in the sustained silent reading program and increase in reading rate. Further research is needed to determine if such gains appear permanent. (Contains 14 references and a figure of data.) (RS)