8 episodes
Sold a Story American Public Media
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- Society & Culture
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4.7 • 24 Ratings
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Millions of kids can't read well. Scientists have known for decades how children learn to read but many schools are ignoring the research. They buy teacher training and books that are rooted in a disproven idea. Emily Hanford investigates four authors and a publishing company that have made millions selling this idea.
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1: The Problem
Corinne Adams watches her son's lessons during Zoom school and discovers a dismaying truth: He can't read. Little Charlie 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 listRead: Transcript of this episodeSupport: Donate to APMMore: soldastory.org -
2: The Idea
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 listRead: Transcript of this episodeSupport: Donate to APMMore: soldastory.org -
3: The Battle
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 cueing idea saw Bush’s Reading First initiative as a threat.
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4: The Superstar
Teachers sing songs about Teachers College Columbia professor Lucy Calkins. She’s 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?
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5: The Company
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 reachRead: Transcript of this episodeSupport: Donate to APMMore: soldastory.org -
6: The Reckoning
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. In our final episode, we try to get some answers.
Map: How states approach reading instructionOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guide Read: Transcript of this episodeSupport: Donate to APMMore: soldastory.org
Customer Reviews
Fascinating analysis of US education
I usually listen to true crime podcasts - came across this one - eye-opening, shocking and enthralling. Great presenter too
A must-listen for teachers and researchers
I’ve been glued to this podcast all week. It’s completely eye opening to hear about the history of literacy education in the US, and how one NZ teacher/researcher had a poorly-evidenced idea that influenced the literacy development of so many children (sadly for the worse in many cases). Hopefully the tide is shifting and this kind of high quality journalism can help maintain the momentum.
Riveting, fascinating, infuriating all at once
As a teacher who lived my own version of events that parallel those described here, I couldn’t stop listening. Anyone who cares about children learning to read must listen. It’s terrifying how much one person’s seemingly innocuous ideology, when mixed with politics, power, and turning profits, can completely shape the lives of literally millions of people. We know better now, so let’s learn from this as we move forward—not just about reading instruction. Money and politics have no place in defining what is best for learning. Let us all be constantly questioning our own bias and practice.