Sold a Story

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: [email protected]

Video: Mark Seidenberg at Yale
Article: Seidenberg on translating the science
Article: Lyon’s most important findings

Read: 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 atsoldastory.org/extracredit.

Schools around the country are changing the way they teach reading. And that is having major consequences for people who sold the flawed theory 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 atsoldastory.org/extracredit.

A Spanish adaptation of Sold a Story is now available. Hosted by journalistValeria Fernández, the podcast is condensed into one 58-minute episode, plus a conversation betweenFernández and Emily Hanfordfor 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

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 bonus 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 reporting from APM.

EXTENDED READING

Blog: Seidenberg on translating research into practice
Article: Goldenberg, Goldberg on premortem (paywall) | Excerpt

Messages poured in: voicemails, emails, tweets. We got a lot of messages from people after they heard Sold a Story. In this bonus 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 reporting from APM.

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.org

Support our show: Donate to APM Reports

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 need

Support this show: Donate to APM Reports

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 readers

Support this show: Donate to APM Reports

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 Aptus

Support this show: Donate to APM Reports

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 dyslexia
Q&A: What is dyslexia, with neuroscientist Guinevere Eden

Support this show: Donate to APM Reports