According to the National Reading Panel's (2000) report, there was not enough evidence in previous reading research to recommend the instructional practice of having students spend classroom time reading independently. The 2019 National Assessment of Education Progress report, however, reported that more than half of fourth grade and eighth grade students are reading below their current grade levels. For this study, the researcher focused on the relationship of reading engagement and the time that students spent engaged in silent reading by using historical data entered by classroom teachers who had formally assessed their students' reading behaviors and understanding of books they read. The researcher aimed to examine the relationship between silent reading practices and students' reading engagement with students' reading performance. A linear regression was conducted to explore whether a correlation existed between student engagement and the time spent reading independently as it related to increased reading comprehension. Then, an analysis of variance was run to determine whether there was a difference between sample groups. The findings of the study showed that reading engagement had a statistically significant correlation to reading comprehension growth, while time spent reading did not. There was no significant difference in these findings among sample groups. The results of this study may potentially impact instructional practices by teacher leaders, school administrators, and classroom teachers as the district designs, develops, and implements the core reading curriculum by including authentic reading instruction that allows for students to choose the text that they are reading. [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://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]