A program to improve sixth through eighth grade underachieving students' reading comprehension was developed. Students were identified by comparing their anticipated and actual national percentile scores on the Test of Cognitive Skills (TCS) and the Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills (CTBS). A survey of students' reading behavior, a review of school library circulation statistics, and the administration of the Estes Scale of Reading Attitudes revealed reading was not a priority interest for upper elementary grade students at Franklin Elementary School (serving grades K-8) in Franklin, New Jersey. The major solution strategies employed to improve achievement were designed to also increase positive attitudes toward reading. Strategies included the implementation of silent sustained reading, Accelerated Reader, a campaign for public library membership, a home reading contract, a read-aloud program, and a novel-based approach to reading instruction. As a result of the interventions, 82% of the 46 underachievers who completed the project improved their reading comprehension achievement on the CTBS and 52% met their original anticipated achievement as predicted by the TCS. Although the underachievers showed a mean increase of 8.36 normal curve equivalent points on the CTBS reading comprehension subtest, only eighth graders demonstrated a mean increase in positive attitude toward reading. Increased reading activity had a positive relation with improved reading comprehension; however, no clear association involving reading attitude and the interventions emerged. (Includes 22 tables of data. Appendixes present district goals in reading, data, survey instruments, the student-parent-teacher reading contract, and a read-aloud response form. Contains 34 references.) (Author/RS)