I'm looking to replace AR...

Ya'all - this came into my inbox today. I'm so excited that I'm not sure that I am thinking clearly. This is BIG. Can you read below and comment on what else I might need to say to this brave leader? 

Mrs. Rose,

My name is _______________ and I am the _____________ at ____________.  I'm looking for a good reading program to replace the AR program I currently have on my campus.  Are there any you would recommend?

Thanks,

XX

OH MY! I am dancing in my cube! WHEEEEEEEE! That is just the most exciting thing I have heard ALL YEAR! Research shows that AR actually causes harm after second grade. Instead, teach them to read like a wolf eats, as Gary Paulsen says.

Here’s some ideas to begin:

1. Buy BOOKS for the classroom... and the library... and for kids to have an hold. Here's a place to look for resources. 
2. All teachers need a copy of Book Love by Penny Kittle. 
3. All teachers need a copy of Disrupting Thinking by Kylene Beers and Bob Probst
4. Then they can listen to this podcast  about how Penny Kittle started thinking this way.
5. Teachers can read anything by Terri Lesesne:
1. Making the Match:  The Right Book for the Right Reader at the Right Time, Grade 4-12
2. Reading Ladders: Leading Students from Where They Are to Where We'd Like Them to Be
3. Naked Reading: Uncovering What Tweens Need to Become Lifelong Readers
6. Teachers and students start doing book talks. A neat place for students to begin sharing their ideas is the Reading Tease Facebook page. It would be an authentic place where they could contribute their love for books as recommendations to other students across the world. 

Books + reading + writing = change...dramatic and purposeful... change.  You'll be doing more than replacing a reading program.