As college and workplace success becomes increasingly dependent on reading, parents and educators have become more interested in how to engage students in reading. Teachers at a rural Georgia high school have reported that students are reluctant to engage in academic reading. Guided by previous research on the factors that promote or discourage adolescent reading motivation, as well as Bandura's social learning theory and Guthrie's engagement theory, this collective case study assessed what factors affected reading motivation among students at a rural Georgia high school. Eight students from Grades 9, 11, and 12 comprised the sample. Data sources included the Adolescent Motivation to Read Profile (AMRP) Reading Survey, the AMRP Conversational Interview, and a focus group. Data analysis included line-by-line coding based on 5 major themes: relevance, parent attitudes, social aspect, identity/self-efficacy, and experiences. The analyses revealed that many of the students possessed rich, personal reading lives separate from their academic lives. Findings also indicated that students' experiences with academic reading in the school often decreased their motivation to engage. The resulting project was a Professional Learning Community with a focus on improving teacher practices with academic reading through an action inquiry cycle, thus increasing student reading motivation. This study may help students to develop the critical reading skills for collegiate and noncollegiate careers through increased engagement in effective academic reading experiences. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]