Getting kids to read

It started when Principal Jason Greenway handed Medicine Bow Elementary teacher Shelley Cooper the book "Book Whisperer" by Donalyn Miller early in the school year.

The author of "Book Whisperer" is a teacher who says she has yet to meet a child she couldn't turn into a reader. Her method is unconventional. Miller does away with traditional reading instruction of book reports and comprehension worksheets and instead, focuses on letting students choose books and independently read. Miller's students read an average of 40 books a year and achieve high scores, at least 85 percent, on standardized...