Episode notes
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 Read: Transcript of this episode Watch: The story behind Sold a Story Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides Support: Donate to APM Reports Call us: (612) 888-7323 More: soldastory.org Donate to support Sold a Story and…
Sold a Story
by APM Reports · English · Stories
Sold a Story is an investigative podcast about how kids learn — what works in the classroom, the science behind those insights and why that research often doesn’t make it into schools.
More from Sold a Story
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S1 · E9 · 4 Apr 2024 · 28 min
9: The Aftermath
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 Read: Reading Recovery financial difficulties Read: Science movement trouble for Heinemann Read: Transcript of this episode Watch: The story…
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S1 · 19 Mar 2024 · 6 min
Introducing: Sold a Story en Español
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
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S1 · E8 · 18 May 2023 · 25 min
8: The Impact
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: New reading laws sweep the nation Read: Transcript of this episode Watch: The story behind Sold a Story Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides Support: Donate to APM Reports More: soldastory.org EXTENDED READING Blog: Seidenberg on translating research…
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S1 · 11 Apr 2023 · 38 min
Brains On: How Do We Learn to Read — and Why is It Hard?
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 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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S1 · 6 Apr 2023 · 53 min
What the Words Say
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 Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part email…
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S1 · 30 Mar 2023 · 53 min
At a Loss for Words: What's Wrong with How Schools Teach Reading
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…
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S2 · 1 Oct 2026 · 3 min
Sold a Story 2: What Happened to Teaching
Sold a Story is back with a new season that goes beyond reading. Emily Hanford explores an approach to teaching that's been largely rejected by the education system — despite decades of evidence that it works. Video: Watch the trailer on YouTube More: soldastory.org Dive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part Extra Credit email series from Emily Hanford .
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S1 · 28 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
‘Dyslexia and the Reading Wars’: Emily Hanford's Conversation with The New Yorker’s David Owen
The New Yorker staff writer David Owen opened a recent piece with a personal story: To hide that she couldn’t read, his niece turned pages when her classmates did. Owen joined Sold a Story host Emily Hanford for a live conversation about his December 2025 article “ Dyslexia and the Reading Wars .” The event was part of the Eyes on Reading series at Planet Word, a museum in Washington, D.C., dedicated to words and language. Read: Transcript of this episode Watch: All Eyes on Reading videos Connect: Sold a Story discussion guides Support: Donate to APM Reports Email us:…
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S1 · 9 Dec 2025 · 58 min
Emily Hanford LIVE with Reid Lyon and Margaret Goldberg
Early in her teaching career, Margaret Goldberg was skeptical of the science of reading. Today, she is working with neuroscientist Reid Lyon to bring it into more classrooms. Lyon and Goldberg joined Sold a Story host Emily Hanford for a live conversation about the challenges of translating research into practice. The event was part of the Eyes on Reading series at Planet Word, a museum in Washington, D.C., dedicated to words and language. Read: Transcript of this episode See: Slideshow from the event (cute pictures!) Watch: All Eyes on Reading videos Connect: Sold a Story discussion guides…
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S1 · E14 · 21 Aug 2025 · 38 min
14: The Cuts
Education research is at a turning point in the United States. The Trump administration is slashing government funding for science and dismantling the Department of Education. We look at what the cuts mean for the science of reading — and the effort to get that science into schools. Read: Trump cancels survey of high schoolers Read: Nation’s Report Card at risk Read: Lawsuit saves massive reading experiment Read: Transcript of this episode Carolyn Riehl: Medical research and education research Watch: The story behind Sold a Story Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides Support: Donate to…
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