Sold a Story

Written by: APM Reports
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  • Summary

  • 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.
    Copyright 2025 Minnesota Public Radio
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Social Sciences
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Episodes
  • 1: The Problem

    1: The Problem
    Oct 20 2022

    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
    Watch: The story behind Sold a Story
    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.
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    33 mins
  • 2: The Idea

    2: The Idea
    Oct 20 2022

    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
    Watch: The story behind Sold a Story
    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.
    Show more Show less
    51 mins
  • 3: The Battle

    3: The Battle
    Oct 27 2022

    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
    Watch: The story behind Sold a Story
    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.

    Show more Show less
    41 mins

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Profile Image for Kathryn Wulff

Eye opening and informative.

This podcast gave lots of information about why learning to read can be so hard for many children. I have been exploring the science of reading for a while. The research presented in Sold a Story is important and informative. Something all educators should be aware of. It also gives hope to all families who have children who have not found reading easy. It focuses on actual ways to help kids start learning to read successfully based on science research.

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