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 trai... More
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 trai... More
Available Episodes
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[BONUS 2] 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 bonus episode, we tell you about some of the changes and what we think about them.
Read: Legislators look to change reading instructionMore: soldastory.org
Donate to support Sold a Story and other reporting from APM.
EXTENDED READING
Blog: Seidenberg on translating research into practiceArticle: Goldenberg, Goldberg on premortem (paywall) | Excerpt
2023-05-18
24:29
[BONUS 1] Your Words
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 listenersMore: soldastory.org
Donate to support Sold a Story and other reporting from APM.
2023-05-11
25:36
[GUEST EPISODE] 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
2023-04-11
38:04
[RERELEASE] 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
2023-04-06
53:04
[RERELEASE] 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
Support this show: Donate to APM Reports
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.