Does daily free choice reading really help students succeed academically?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.
_​"Once teachers unravel the facts from the misinterpretations and opinions, they will find that Sustained Silent Reading is not only intuitively appealing but also is supported by research." 
The Benefits of Sustained Silent Reading: Scientific Research and Common Sense Converge
Elaine M. Garan, Glenn DeVoogd

Why not require students to read on predetermined levels during Just Read Time??

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.
Educators have sometimes made the mistake of thinking that guided reading is the reading program or that all of the books students read should be leveled. We have argued against the overuse of levels. We have never recommended that the school library or classroom libraries be leveled or that levels be reported to parents. We want students to learn to select books the way experienced readers do—according to their own interests, by trying a bit of the book, by noticing the topic or the author. Teachers can help students learn how to choose books that are right for them to read independently. This is a life skill. The text gradient and leveled books are a teacher’s tool, not a child’s label, and should be deemphasized in the classroom. Levels are for books, not children.


How will students know what books to read without levels?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.
This is quote from research with a link.

Why should the whole class read together during Just Read Time?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.

What is wrong with assigned reading?  

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.

Every Child Every Day |  Richard L. Allington and Rachael E. Gabriel
"The research base on student-selected reading is robust and conclusive: Students read more, understand more, and are more likely to continue reading when they have the opportunity to choose what they read."

A whopping 92% of children say they are more likely to finish a book they pick out themselves versus one an adult forces them to read.
BookRiot  06-12-17

Why should we allow students to read graphic novels?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.

Why should we allow students to read books that are too easy  for them?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.
We also know the other side of reading, the cases in which someone may dip well below his or her level in order to begin comprehending a new subject. Librarians, for example, frequently suggest that grown-ups take a particular book from the children’s section because it offers basic information not necessarily found in adult works. And children will, on their own, select simple texts as their introductions to unfamiliar material. If a goal of education is to introduce youngsters to that which they don’t already know, then this kind of choice must be permitted
SLJ 2000 

Why should we allow students to read books that are too hard  for them?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.
We all know students whose test scores paint dismal pictures of their reading ability. Yet over and over these youngsters find, read, understand, and enjoy books that, based on their reading levels, they should not be able to handle..
​SLJ 2000

Why should we not give tests or assignments on Just Read  books?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.

Sustained Silent Reading: Let's Revisit the Research  |  Stephen Krashen
"There is massive, well-documented evidence that sustained silent reading (SSR) works very well for both first and second language acquirers with little or no accountability as long as certain common-sense conditions are met, e.g. a long enough duration (short-term SSR programs are not as effective as long-term programs), access to interesting reading material, a comfortable physical environment, and no anxiety over evaluation.

How can we hold students accountable without giving tests or assignments? 

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.

Why not give students prizes or points for reading?

Yes.  Research tells us that students will perform better on academic testing if they free read every day.
“If you pay kids to read you’ll get them to read,” said Edward Deci, the author of “Why We Do What We Do” and a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. “They’ll continue to read until you end the experiment, and then they’ll stop.” Rewards encourage children to think of reading as something you have to be paid to do, not something that brings pleasure in itself, he says.
New York Times 7.23.16