Rethinking DEAR Time: Making Independent Reading More Instructional

DEAR time, or “Drop Everything and Read,” has been a familiar part of many literacy blocks for years. The idea behind it is sound: students need time during the school day to read independently. The question is not whether students should read independently. They absolutely should. The question is whether simply providing time to read is enough to improve reading achievement.

Research offers mixed answers. Some studies point to benefits related to reading volume, motivation, and long-term literacy development, while others suggest that independent reading alone has limited impact on reading achievement. For this time to matter, students need clear expectations, teachers need a purposeful role, and accountability needs to go beyond a reading log or a reading test (National Council of Teachers of English [NCTE], 2021; ReadWriteThink, 2024).

What Proponents Say

Research supporting DEAR time and independent reading often emphasizes volume, choice, and long-term growth. A 2025 article on DEAR time argues that the practice aligns with research showing that daily reading volume and student choice are important contributors to reading development, vocabulary growth, and comprehension (Gibson, 2025).

Similarly, an article from C2 Educate notes that students who engage in voluntary independent reading tend to become better readers, score higher on achievement tests across subject areas, and develop greater content knowledge than peers who read less frequently (C2 Educate, 2025). The NCTE Position Statement on Independent Reading states that independent reading increases reading volume and supports the idea that “the more one reads, the better one reads” and the more knowledge one gains (NCTE, 2021).

At the same time, it is important to remember that many of the students who read extensively do so outside of school because they enjoy reading. Critics argue that these students may already be motivated readers and that the research may reflect their existing habits more than the impact of school-based independent reading time itself.

What Critics Say

Other researchers are more skeptical about the impact of DEAR and Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) programs. Tim Shanahan argues that studies of direct reading instruction generally show substantially larger effects on reading achievement than studies of independent silent reading. He notes that the effects of DEAR and SSR programs are often small and difficult to replicate consistently across studies (Shanahan, 2016).

Shanahan also raises an important question about cause and effect. Students who are already strong readers often choose to read more. In other words, reading achievement may lead to increased reading volume rather than reading volume being the primary cause of achievement (Shanahan, 2016).

The National Reading Panel (2000) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to demonstrate that independent silent reading alone significantly improves reading achievement, particularly for struggling readers. This finding does not suggest that independent reading lacks value. Rather, it highlights that independent reading is unlikely to replace the need for explicit instruction, guided practice, and meaningful feedback.

Research has also indicated that some students may disengage during DEAR time, pretend to read, or consistently select texts that provide little challenge, limiting the potential benefits of the practice (Quigley, 2024).

So,

what should educators make of this seemingly conflicting evidence? Perhaps the better question is not whether DEAR time works, but for whom it works, under what conditions, and how it is implemented.

Reader Proficiency Matters

The effectiveness of DEAR time may depend largely on the reading proficiency of the students involved. Students who are still developing foundational decoding skills—those learning to map sounds to print, build automaticity, or work through multisyllabic words—often benefit far more from explicit instruction, guided practice, and supported reading opportunities than from extended periods of independent reading.

Because these students may not yet be able to successfully access text on their own, the amount of meaningful reading they accomplish during DEAR time can be quite limited. For students who are still acquiring the code, unstructured independent reading time may inadvertently become practice in avoidance rather than practice in reading.

As students become more proficient readers, independent reading can play a larger and more productive role. For these students, DEAR time may provide valuable opportunities to apply skills learned during instruction while building vocabulary, background knowledge, comprehension, and reading stamina.

The key is matching the structure and expectations of independent reading time to where students actually are as readers—not where we hope they are.

The Teacher’s Role

Many teachers have been encouraged to use independent reading time to model their own reading by sitting with a book and demonstrating that reading is valued and enjoyable. While modeling a love of reading is important, independent reading time may provide a greater instructional return when teachers use those minutes to observe, confer, and support students as readers.

During independent reading, the teacher’s role should be active and purposeful. This may include conferring with students, observing reading behaviors, pulling small groups, and providing immediate support (Edutopia, 2020; Learning at the Primary Pond, 2018; Write On with Miss G., 2023).

Reading conferences are especially valuable because they allow teachers to see what a student is actually doing as a reader. A brief conversation can reveal whether a student understands the text, needs support with fluency, is struggling with vocabulary, or would benefit from a different book (Learning at the Primary Pond, 2018; Edutopia, 2020).

These moments provide real-time information that can inform instruction and help students move forward as readers.

What Students Should Be Doing

Students should be actively engaged in reading texts they can access and understand. They should not simply be filling time. The goal is for students to read with purpose, think about what they are reading, and engage with ideas, information, and stories in meaningful ways.

Students should also have periodic opportunities to demonstrate their thinking through discussions, written responses, conferences, oral retells, or goal reflections. Accountability is important, but it should not become so burdensome that it reduces students’ motivation to read.

The goal is not to create more paperwork. The goal is to create opportunities for reflection while maintaining engagement with authentic reading experiences.

Stronger Ways to Hold Students Accountable

Reading logs can show that students spent time with a book, but they do not always provide evidence of comprehension. Reading tests measure only a narrow portion of the reading experience.

If we want independent reading time to contribute to student growth, accountability needs to help us understand what students are doing as readers, not simply whether they completed the task.

Some stronger options include:

·        Quick conference notes from the teacher

·        A short-written response about character, theme, or main idea

·        Sticky notes that capture a question, connection, or strategy

·        A brief partner discussion

·        An oral retell or book talk

·        A reflection on a reading goal the student is working toward

These approaches help teachers gather meaningful information about student thinking while keeping the focus on reading rather than compliance (Edutopia, 2020; Moore, 2022).

A Better Use of the Block

Independent reading time should not become a teacher break. Instead, it should be viewed as another opportunity for instruction.

That may mean sitting beside a student, listening to a page read aloud, asking a comprehension question, helping a student select a more appropriate text, or teaching a strategy that supports successful reading (Learning at the Primary Pond, 2018).

This approach recognizes that students learn to read through instruction, practice, application, and feedback. Independent reading should be connected to those elements rather than separated from them.

When teachers use independent reading time as an opportunity to observe, confer, and teach, the value of the block increases for all students.

Conclusion

Independent reading deserves a place in the literacy block, but like every other component of instruction, it should be intentional.

DEAR time can support reading volume, motivation, vocabulary growth, background knowledge, and reading stamina, but it cannot replace explicit instruction. Students learn to read through instruction, practice, application, and feedback. Independent reading provides an opportunity to apply those skills, but the value of that time depends largely on how it is structured and supported.

The most effective literacy classrooms recognize that independent reading and explicit instruction are not competing priorities. When teachers thoughtfully match reading opportunities to students’ needs and use independent reading time to observe, confer, and teach, DEAR time becomes more than quiet reading—it becomes another meaningful part of literacy instruction.