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Sold a Story

Sold a Story

By: APM Reports
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Summary
 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. Season 1 revealed why so many kids are struggling to learn how to read, and it sparked a wave of change across the country. In Season 2, we go beyond reading to look at teaching itself.Copyright 2026 Minnesota Public Radio Social Sciences
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
    Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
    Support: Donate to APM Reports
    More: soldastory.org


    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
    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
    Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
    Support: Donate to APM Reports
    More: soldastory.org


    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
    Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
    Support: Donate to APM Reports
    More: soldastory.org


    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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