Reading Zone

I'm working on my master's right now through Longwood University mainly for my Reading Specialist endorsement (who knows if I'll use it, but I wanted to get my master's). The books they've got us reading this semester really have me wanting to completely throw out what we're required to do right now and start all over with something similar to what I've always dreamed of doing.
Specifically, the book I'm reading right now is called The Reading Zone by Nancie Atwell. The whole program she has is a reading workshop where readers have complete choice in what they read. She makes sure they're reading at home, and they are given class time every day to "enter the zone". Then she assesses them through book talks, chats, and reading responses. It's all about students learning to love books and understanding the true purpose of reading. I'm trying to plant the bug in my coworker's heads right now so we can confront the principal and possibly get some changes in place. I mean, now's the time - we had low reading scores and they're all about trying things that work.