By 1981 Project READ had distributed more than one-half million books to 500 American schools or alternative institutions and had established workshops to train teachers in reading motivation techniques and the use of sustained silent reading. To evaluate the project, pre- and post-testing of reading gains, student evaluations, and individual interviews were introduced in two experimental (Project READ) and two control schools in Washington, D.C. The achievement data indicated gains of eight months or more in grades seven and eight, and somewhat lower but still significant gains for grade nine over a 6-month period. On the student evaluations, control subjects depended more on word attack skills, while the experimental subjects relied more on student-directed, independent learning. The experimental subjects also often used book content as a criterion for selection, while the control group relied on category and title. More experimental subjects were reading books at the time of the questionnaire and had read more books during the year than control subjects. The project staff learned that with proper motivation, the right materials, and sufficient practice time, students could significantly improve their reading achievement. (HTH)