Sold a Story
Sold a Story

Sold a Story

APM Reports

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Episodes

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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.

Recent Episodes

10: The Details
APR 11, 2024
10: The Details
<p>Some of the teachers, students, parents and researchers we met in <em>Sold a Story</em> 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.  </p><br/><p><strong>Portraits: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/11/theres-a-thoughtfulness-about-reading-in-the-country-today?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">Zoe and Lee Gaul, Christine Cronin, Reid Lyon</a> <br><strong>Email us: </strong><a href="mailto:[email protected]" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">[email protected]</a> </p><br/><p><strong>Video: </strong><a href="https://seidenbergreading.net/2023/12/23/recorded-version-of-yale-talk/" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">Mark Seidenberg at Yale</a> <br><strong>Article: </strong><a href="https://seidenbergreading.net/2023/03/31/about-the-science-in-the-science-of-reading/" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">Seidenberg on translating the science</a> <br><strong>Article: </strong><a href="https://readinguniverse.org/article/explore-teaching-topics/big-picture/10-maxims-the-research-support" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">Lyon’s most important findings</a></p><br/><p><strong>Read:</strong> <a href="https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2024/04/11/sold-a-story-e10-the-details?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">Transcript of this episode</a> <br><strong>Watch:</strong> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmAxCgFDuLQ">The story behind <em>Sold a Story</em></a><br /><strong>Donate:</strong> <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-sn" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">Support APM Reports</a> <br><strong>More:</strong> <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">soldastory.org</a> </p><br/><p>Dive deeper into <em>Sold a Story</em> with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at <a href="https://cloud.connect.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story" class="Hyperlink SCXW208019507 BCX0">soldastory.org/extracredit</a>. </p>
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31 MIN
9: The Aftermath
APR 4, 2024
9: The Aftermath
<p>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 <em>Sold a Story</em>. 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. </p><br/><p><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2024/04/04/retraining-science-of-reading-ohio-state-lesley-university?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW87193775 BCX0">Two universities stick with a discredited idea</a> </p><br/><p>-  <a href="https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2024/04/04/sold-a-story-e9-the-aftermath?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW87193775 BCX0">Transcript of this episode</a> <br>-  <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-sn" class="Hyperlink SCXW87193775 BCX0">Donate to APM</a> <br>- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmAxCgFDuLQ">The story behind <em>Sold a Story</em></a><br />-  <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW87193775 BCX0">soldastory.org</a> </p><br/><p>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 <a href="https://cloud.connect.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story" class="Hyperlink SCXW87193775 BCX0">soldastory.org/extracredit</a>. </p>
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27 MIN
8: The Impact
MAY 18, 2023
8: The Impact
<p>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 &quot;the science of reading.&quot; 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.  </p><br/><p><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2023/05/18/legislators-reading-laws-sold-a-story?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">Legislators look to change reading instruction</a> <br><strong>More: </strong><a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">soldastory.org</a> </p><br/><p><a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-web" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">Donate to support </a><em><a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-web" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">Sold a Story</a></em> and other journalism from APM Reports. </p><br/><p><strong>EXTENDED READING</strong> </p><br/><p><strong>Blog:</strong> <a href="https://seidenbergreading.net/2023/03/31/about-the-science-in-the-science-of-reading/" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">Seidenberg on translating research into practice</a> <br><strong>Article:</strong> <a href="https://ila.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/trtr.2079" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">Goldenberg, Goldberg on premortem</a> (paywall) | <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/23815778-premortem-sidebar-from-lessons-learned_-reading-wars-reading-first-and-a-way-forward-1" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">Excerpt</a> </p><br/><p>Dive deeper into <em>Sold a Story</em> with a multi-part email series from host Emily Hanford. We’ll also keep you up to date on new episodes. Sign up at <a href="https://cloud.connect.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story" class="Hyperlink SCXW37696204 BCX0">soldastory.org/extracredit</a>. </p>
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24 MIN