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Sold a Story

Author: APM Reports

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Millions of kids can't read well. Scientists have known for decades how children learn to read, but many schools don’t know about the research. They buy teacher training and books that are rooted in a disproven idea. In Sold a Story, Emily Hanford investigates four authors and a publishing company that have made millions selling this idea. The podcast has won some of the biggest awards in journalism. Twenty-five states (and counting) have changed their reading laws because of it. Now, Apple Podcasts has recognized Sold a Story as a Series Essential. To celebrate, we’re making it available without ads or other announcements for a limited time.
18 Episodes
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Trailer: Sold a Story

Trailer: Sold a Story

2022-10-1302:54

Nationally acclaimed journalist Emily Hanford's work is changing the ways schools around the country teach reading. In this award-winning podcast, she investigates why so many schools use an approach that cognitive scientists debunked decades ago.More: soldastory.org
1: The Problem

1: The Problem

2022-10-2033:13

Lee Gaul watches his daughter’s lessons during Zoom school and discovers a dismaying truth: She can't read. Little Zoe isn't the only one. Sixty-five percent of fourth graders in the United States are not proficient readers. Kids need to learn specific skills to become good readers, and in many schools, those skills are not being taught. Read: Emily Hanford’s reading list Read: Transcript of this episode Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org En español: soldastory.es Sold a Story is proud to be an Apple Podcasts Series Essential. To celebrate, we’re making it available without ads or other announcements for a limited time. Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
2: The Idea

2: The Idea

2022-10-2051:44

Sixty years ago, Marie Clay developed a way to teach reading she said would help kids who were falling behind. They’d catch up and never need help again. Today, her program remains popular, and her theory about how people read is at the root of a lot of reading instruction in schools. But Marie Clay was wrong.  Read: Emily Hanford’s reading list Read: Transcript of this episode Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org En español: soldastory.es Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
3: The Battle

3: The Battle

2022-10-2741:42

President George W. Bush made improving reading instruction a priority. He got Congress to provide money to schools that used reading programs supported by scientific research. But backers of Marie Clay’s ideas saw Bush’s Reading First initiative as a threat. Read: Transcript of this episode Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org En español: soldastory.es Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit. 
4: The Superstar

4: The Superstar

2022-11-0334:46

Teachers sing songs about Lucy Calkins. The longtime professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College is one of the most influential people in American elementary education today. Her admirers call her books bibles. Why didn't she know that scientific research contradicted reading strategies she promoted? Read: Transcript of this episode Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org En español: soldastory.es Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
5: The Company

5: The Company

2022-11-1048:28

Teachers call books published by Heinemann their bibles. The company's products are in schools all over the country. Some of the products used to teach reading are rooted in a debunked idea about how children learn to read. But they've made the company and some of its authors millions. Map: Heinemann’s national reach Read: Transcript of this episode Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org En español: soldastory.es Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
6: The Reckoning

6: The Reckoning

2022-11-1742:07

Lucy Calkins says she has learned from the science of reading. She's revised her materials. Fountas and Pinnell have not revised theirs. Their publisher, Heinemann, is still selling some products to teach reading that contain debunked practices. Parents, teachers and lawmakers want answers. Map: How states approach reading instruction Organize: Sold a Story discussion guide Read: Transcript of this episode Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org En español: soldastory.es Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
The parents knew something wasn’t right. The school said everything would be fine. But their kids weren’t learning how to read. In this documentary, originally published in September 2017, we look at why kids with dyslexia have a hard time getting the help they need in school.Read more: How American schools fail kids with dyslexiaQ&A: What is dyslexia, with neuroscientist Guinevere EdenSupport this show: Donate to APM ReportsDive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
Jack Silva had a problem. He was the chief academic officer of a school district in Pennsylvania, and more than 40% of the kids in his district were not proficient readers. He didn't know much about how kids learn to read, but he knew he had to figure it out. Originally published in September 2018, this documentary helped ignite a national conversation about the science of reading. Winner of an EWA Public Service Award.Read more: Why aren't kids being taught to read?Read in Spanish: Translation by AptusSupport this show: Donate to APM ReportsDive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
Molly Woodworth had a secret: She couldn’t read very well. She fought her way through text by looking at the first letter of a word and thinking of something that made sense.  Reading was slow and laborious. Then she learned that her daughter's school was actually teaching kids to read that way. In this documentary, originally published in August 2019, host Emily Hanford reveals that many kids are being taught the habits of struggling readers. Winner of a Gracie Award and finalist for an EWA Public Service Award.  Read more: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readersSupport this show: Donate to APM ReportsDive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
What the Words Say

What the Words Say

2023-04-0653:04

There are kids like C.J. all over the country. Schools tell their parents they are reading at grade level, but the kids are not. And whether they ever get the help they need can depend a lot on their family income and their race. In this documentary, originally published in August 2020, host Emily Hanford shows that America’s approach to reading instruction is having an especially devastating impact on children of color.Read more: Children of color are far less likely to get the help they needSupport this show: Donate to APM ReportsDive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
This week we have an episode of a show called Brains On. It’s a science podcast for kids from our colleagues at APM. In this episode, Emily joins the Brains On hosts to talk about how people learn to read. Grab the kids in your life and listen to this special episode made for kids and curious adults.More: brainson.orgSupport our show: Donate to APM ReportsDive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
7: Your Words

7: Your Words

2023-05-1125:10

Voicemails, emails, tweets: We got a lot of messages from people after they heard Sold a Story. In this episode, we bring you some of their voices. A 10-year-old figures out why he has struggled to read. A mom stays up late to binge the podcast. A teacher confirms what he's suspected for years — he's not really teaching kids how to read.   Read: Messages from our listeners More: soldastory.org Donate to support Sold a Story and other journalism from APM Reports. Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
8: The Impact

8: The Impact

2023-05-1824:54

Across the country, school districts are dropping textbooks, state legislatures are going so far as to ban teaching methods, and everyone, it seems, is talking about "the science of reading." Things have been changing since Sold a Story was released. In this episode, we tell you about some of the changes and what we think about them.  Read: Legislators look to change reading instruction More: soldastory.org Donate to support Sold a Story and other journalism from APM Reports. EXTENDED READING Blog: Seidenberg on translating research into practice Article: Goldenberg, Goldberg on premortem (paywall) | Excerpt Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit. 
A Spanish adaptation of Sold a Story is now available. Hosted by journalist Valeria Fernández, the podcast is condensed into one 58-minute episode, plus a conversation between Fernández and Emily Hanford for Spanish-speaking parents whose children are learning to read English in American schools. - Listen or share: Sold a Story en español - Learn more: soldastory.es
9: The Aftermath

9: The Aftermath

2024-04-0427:56

Schools around the country are changing the way they teach reading. And that is having major consequences for people who sold the flawed idea we investigated in Sold a Story. But Lucy Calkins, Irene Fountas and Gay Su Pinnell are fighting back — and fighting to stay relevant. And so are organizations that promoted their work: the Reading Recovery Council of North America and the publisher Heinemann. Read: Two universities stick with a discredited idea -  Transcript of this episode -  Donate to APM -  soldastory.org Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit. 
10: The Details

10: The Details

2024-04-1131:36

Some of the teachers, students, parents and researchers we met in Sold a Story talk about the impact the podcast has had on their lives and in schools — and share some of their hopes and concerns about the “science of reading” movement.  Portraits: Zoe and Lee Gaul, Christine Cronin, Reid Lyon Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org Video: Mark Seidenberg at Yale Article: Seidenberg on translating the science Article: Lyon’s most important findingsRead: Transcript of this episode Donate: Support APM Reports More: soldastory.org Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit. 
Nationally acclaimed journalist Emily Hanford's work is changing the ways schools around the country teach reading. In this award-winning podcast, she investigates why so many schools use an approach that cognitive scientists debunked decades ago. Apple Podcasts has recognized Sold a Story as a Series Essential. To celebrate, we’re making it available without ads or other announcements for a limited time. Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at soldastory.org/extracredit.
Comments (27)

Intrograted

I only just learned of this reading debacle, and based on the dates I've heard, I was incredibly fortunate to have been taught to read only shortly before this obviously flawed method took off. It's not like you DON'T use context clues and such when sounding out new words. How anyone thought replacing an intuitive primary strategy with those used to suppliment it would lead to more effective learning is beyond me.

Sep 21st
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Mona Peterson

Absolutely captivated by the 'Sold a Story' podcast! The way it delves into the complexities and nuances of its topic is nothing short of remarkable. Each episode is thoughtfully crafted, offering fresh perspectives and deep insights that keep me engaged from start to finish. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jose-duda4

Aug 3rd
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Melanie Marie-Jahnke Manning

I am floored at the amount of people and especially teachers who don't know that reading involves sounding out letters. This is not rocket science. look at a word and read it. You are sounding out letters That's how the English language works that's how the alphabet works. How is this such a crazy concept to everybody?

May 11th
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Melanie Marie-Jahnke Manning

I had no idea they were still teaching kids this way. I had read about this antiquated technique and thought that it had died out. My boys were both taught to read on the Isle of Man, in the Irish Sea between Ireland and Great Britain. We started with just all of the sounds that the letters make. Then putting the sounds together, learning about sound blends, learning the rules, etc. In fact they were even starting to talk about that in nursery school, what Americans would call preschool.

May 10th
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Ксения Васильева

Is it a cult or something? O.O

Apr 25th
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Ксения Васильева

It's so strange. English is not my native language so it's even more strange for me. How it can be possible?!

Apr 25th
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Aakash Amanat

I just wanted to share my recent experience of selling a story, and it's been quite the journey! Writing has always been a passion of mine, and over the years, I've amassed quite a collection of short stories and even a couple of novels. But I never really thought about selling them until recently. https://www.considir.co.uk/company/63932-packaging-mart I started by researching different platforms and publications that accept submissions. There are so many options out there, catering to various genres and styles. After carefully selecting a few that matched my work, I began the submission process. It was nerve-wracking at times, waiting for responses, but I tried to stay patient and persistent. https://britishforcesdiscounts.co.uk/biz/a/143567-Packaging-Mart

Sep 21st
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Rosemary Curtis

Have you heard of vision therapy? I am a teacher. I have a daughter who followed the path that is described in your podcast. she went through reading recovery, but she still couldn't read. I ended up pulling her from school and homeschooling. I thought I would help her. We made some progress at home, but we still struggled. I started doubting my own abilities. After talking with friends and pediatricians, I was told about vision therapy. After testing, I learned that my daughter had several vision problems. She had 20/20 vision, but there is more to vision when it comes to reading. The doctor described it to my daughter this way, he said, "Ellie, you have a 3rd grade brain, but your eyes are stuck at 1st grade." After going through the program, we started seeing so much growth. We still had a lot of ground to cover and holes to fill. My daughter went back to school and, over time, was able to read on grade level. We are still breaking bad habits she learned from her early rea

Apr 25th
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Greyson Milo

The sun was setting over the endless dunes, casting a golden glow over the desert landscape. As the group climbed into their 4x4s, they felt a sense of excitement and anticipation for the adventure ahead. The engines roared to life, and the vehicles kicked up clouds of sand as they set off into the vast expanse of the desert. The experienced driver expertly navigated the dunes, speeding up and down the sandy hills as the passengers held on tight. The wind whipped through their hair, and the thrill of the ride was palpable. As they reached the top of a particularly high dune, the driver stopped the vehicle to allow the group to take in the stunning panoramic views. The vastness of the desert was humbling, and the colors of the sky were breathtaking https://desertbookings.com/dubai-desert-safari/..

Apr 5th
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Sam R.

Marie Clay sounds like a cult leader. My son was in reading recovery last year and it didn’t really help, and now I’m second grade he’s still behind in reading... but now he’s in a science based tutoring program and it’s helping a lot.

Feb 19th
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Marianne Skul

Thank you for shedding light on this incredibly important topic! Your research and delivery is spot on. Hopefully this podcast stretches far and wide!

Feb 18th
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H

A story about uneducated people believing other uneducated people. Just because someone uses big words/terminology, they must know what they’re talking about, right ? WRONG. Gullible. They really should’ve asked these women how THEY learned to read. It obviously wasn’t the way that they were pushing. They talked that talk but didn’t walk it and that should’ve been a major red flag 🚩 As someone who’s always been a “good reader” I can honestly say that common sense truly isn’t common enough. What does a picture have to do with reading? Absolutely nothing. This all sounds like grooming and manipulation because these teachers are talking more about retreats and acting like the experience was about them having fun and being a part of something. A cult *cough*.

Feb 11th
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Callie Hagood

This was my son! We homeschool now are he is reading better now than he was when he was getting special tutoring at school. He's only 8 and loves to read but has struggled ever since kindergarten. This series has opened my eyes!

Feb 7th
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Cody Spendlove

I am one of the kids/generation you talk about un this series. God bless my mother who "meda me" sit with her ever afternoon, on that awful avocado green bed spread and "read" to her until I finally "got it". I can still remember the day I realized that the words on the page, told the story of the pictures! They were connected. I am forever grateful to her... and to you for doing such a wondeful presentation of these events. My question is "as opposed to what?" I would like to hear a 7th episode, investigating the alternatives districts had to choose from during the period un question, as far as curriculum goes. It is difficult to produce good curriculum at scale, and still make it profitable. Do we know what materials districts should have been choosing and why they did not? Just courious

Jan 5th
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Tom Johnston

Is there a podcast like this helpful reporting that covers mistakes in our math education approach?

Jan 3rd
Reply (1)

Barbara Bolich

fabulous! I was Gonzaga-trained by Project FollowThrough zealots...early reading science experts. After almost 30 yrs of teaching I finally had a principal ask me how to improve what we were doing as a sped team. She's now listening to this podcast!

Nov 18th
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little red book

thank you so much for this. I couldn't read until the third grade. my mom got me glasses and enrolled me in an after school phonics program. I went from barely literate to reading the lion the witch and the wardrobe by myself in a year. I taught both my children to read with Bob's books bc I didn't trust the school. they both were solid readers by kindergarten.

Nov 17th
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Shannon Compton

you wouldn't look at science because it came from a republican side? I'm so tired of the politics game.

Nov 12th
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Shannon Compton

of course we can only find that children are not being taught to read when rich kids can't read, of course poor parents are just uneducated swine that wouldn't know anyway 🙄

Nov 9th
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For The Love Of a HORSE

Can I go back to the stuffed shirts and SHOW them their cock sure address to the PARENTS of those children that their way was WRONG? AND..what about those children who grew up and the backlash of "just can't get it" how hard was it for them to hide this, feeling they failed somehow. AND, WHY does every darn thing have to be changed because it's a new year or a community somewhere else across four other states claim the new way is better. I'll tell you what is better...BACK OFF THESE KID'S. Leave what has worked, alone and guess what? If you're a true teacher, if there is an issue with a child, meet it head on with an attitude of assurance to that child, everything will be alright. It's so much more than a job, and it should be felt that way by all teachers, AND I WILL stand by this, parents, you teach your child to respect their teachers, to go to them for help. Then once in a while, for no reason at all, walk in that classroom and tell that person how grateful you are that they chose

Nov 5th
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