The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) READ 180 program was effective in helping to bridge the gap in reading achievement between African American and White students in three middle schools within one school district. The study took place in a rural public school district in the southeastern United States. The sample population comprised two treatment groups (n = 267; n = 100) and two control (n = 197; n = 137) groups. Students' growth scores were calculated by evaluating the difference between their Scholastic Reading Inventory pre-test and post-test results. Independent samples t-tests were used to test the hypotheses. It was seen that the African American students who participated in READ 180 showed a statistically significant difference in reading growth, when compared to those who did not participate. However, the effect size was small (d = 0.21). The White students who participated in READ 180 did not show a statistically significant difference when compared to those who did not. There was no statistically significant difference in the reading growth of African American and White students who participated in READ 180. The present study contributes to the body of literature by emphasizing the need for an equitable reading achievement for African American students. [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.]