Presenting “Sold a Story” - In The Dark

Summary

In The Dark: Presenting “Sold a Story” – A Detailed Summary

Released on November 19, 2024, "In The Dark" by The New Yorker dives deep into the pervasive issues surrounding reading instruction in American schools through its special episode, “Sold a Story,” produced by Emily Hanford of American Public Media.

Introduction

In this episode, host Madeleine Baran introduces listeners to Emily Hanford’s investigative podcast, "Sold a Story." Hanford explores the alarming shortcomings in the way children across the United States are taught to read, uncovering systemic failures that have left a significant portion of students struggling with literacy.

Investigative Findings on Reading Instruction

Emily Hanford begins by highlighting the critical issue: “Kids are not being taught how to read because for decades, teachers have been sold an idea about reading and how children learn to do it. And that idea is wrong” (05:43). She explains that despite a substantial body of scientific research advocating for specific reading skills, many schools have neglected these methods, opting instead for outdated and ineffective teaching strategies.

Personal Accounts: Corinne Adams

Hanford shares the story of Corinne Adams from South Kingstown, Rhode Island, whose son, Charlie, struggled with reading due to flawed instructional methods. Corinne recounts her frustration:

“This isn't how we learned how to read. Like, meaning me and her. And I just, like, kept, like, nagging at me, like, in the back of my mind, like, this. This isn't how we did it, right? Like, this can't be right.” (13:01)

Charlie’s challenges became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when remote learning exposed the deficiencies in his reading education. Corinne discovered that Charlie was unable to decode words effectively, leading her to take matters into her own hands.

Personal Accounts: Lee Gaul

Similarly, Lee Gaul from New York City shared her experiences with her daughter, Zoe. Lee observed:

“They weren't reading. They were doing what the teachers told them, and they were just guessing. I mean, there's no two ways about it. They were guessing, and I just thought, like, okay, well, eventually they guessed their way into being able to read, I'm assuming.” (18:14)

Zoe exhibited significant reading difficulties, often substituting incorrect words, which hindered her comprehension and overall literacy development. Frustrated by the lack of progress, Lee decided to intervene directly, employing decodable books to teach Zoe phonics effectively.

Systemic Issues: Publishing Influence

Hanford’s investigation reveals that a particular publishing company and its four top authors have been instrumental in perpetuating flawed reading instruction methodologies. These influential figures sold a misleading narrative about reading education, leading teachers across the nation to adopt ineffective practices. Corinne Adams reflects on the impact:

“That was like such a messed up way to have a public school system in this country. Public school should be like this sacred trust. I'm going to give you my child and you're going to teach him how to read. And that shattered. For me, that was broken.” (31:44)

These authors and the publishing company profited by promoting these misguided strategies, unaware or indifferent to the detrimental effects on students’ literacy.

Broader Impact and Statistics

The episode underscores the extensive ramifications of inadequate reading instruction:

65% of fourth graders in the U.S. are not proficient readers.
82% of Black fourth graders are not proficient readers, a staggering statistic that highlights racial disparities in education (30:28).

Hanford emphasizes that the issue is not confined to underprivileged communities; even in affluent areas like the Upper East Side of Manhattan, students like Zoe are struggling due to systemic failures.

Conclusion

“Sold a Story” uncovers a critical flaw in the American education system: the persistent failure to provide effective reading instruction. Through meticulous investigation and heartfelt personal stories, Emily Hanford illustrates how entrenched misinformation and systemic negligence have left millions of children ill-equipped to read proficiently. The episode calls for immediate reform and greater adherence to scientifically-backed reading methodologies to ensure that every child has the opportunity to become a proficient reader.

Notable Quotes:

Emily Hanford (05:43): “Kids are not being taught how to read because for decades, teachers have been sold an idea about reading and how children learn to do it. And that idea is wrong.”
Corinne Adams (13:01): “This isn't how we learned how to read. Like, meaning me and her. And I just, like, kept, like, nagging at me, like, in the back of my mind, like, this. This isn't how we did it, right? Like, this can't be right.”
Lee Gaul (18:14): “They weren't reading. They were doing what the teachers told them, and they were just guessing. I mean, there's no two ways about it. They were guessing, and I just thought, like, okay, well, eventually they guessed their way into being able to read, I'm assuming.”
Corinne Adams (31:44): “That was like such a messed up way to have a public school system in this country. Public school should be like this sacred trust. I'm going to give you my child and you're going to teach him how to read. And that shattered. For me, that was broken.”

For those interested in the full exploration of this critical issue, "Sold a Story" is available on podcast platforms and at soldastory.org.

Transcript

Sponsor Announcer (0:00)

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Madelyn (0:24)

Hey, in the Dark listeners. Hi, it's Madelyn. I'm coming to you today because I wanted to bring you another podcast I think you would really enjoy. It's done by a former colleague of mine, an amazing reporter named Emily Hanford at American Public Media, and it's all about how the way that so many children in our country are taught to read is just wrong. This reporting has had a huge impact. It's now changing the way that reading is taught in classrooms across the country. The podcast is called Sold a Story and we're going to play the first episode for you here. Here's the show.

Emily Hanford (0:57)

Guide dogs lead very interesting lives. For 10 or 12 years, they are in charge of guiding a blind person.

Sponsor Announcer (1:05)

I got this recording from the US Department of Education. They give a reading test every two years to a sample of kids.

Emily Hanford (1:12)

Most guide dogs are born at a kennel.

Sponsor Announcer (1:16)

This is a fourth grader who did well on the test reading a passage about guide dogs.

Emily Hanford (1:21)

The dogs train in large groups for.

Sponsor Announcer (1:23)

About three months, but most kids don't do well on this test.

Emily Hanford (1:28)

Dogs are.

Sponsor Announcer (1:31)

In fact, a third of fourth graders read so poorly they sound more like this.

Emily Hanford (1:38)

Dogs read very interesting.

Sponsor Announcer (1:49)

This child gets through only a fraction of the passage and can't read several words that are key to understanding what's going on. Words like guide and blind. About 10%, one in three kids in fourth grade reads like this. How did that happen? I'm Emily Hanford. I'm an education reporter and a. About five years ago, I started to get really interested in why so many kids are having a hard time learning to read. And what I discovered is that in schools all over this country and in other parts of the world too, kids are not being taught how to read. Schools think they're teaching kids to read. Of course they do. But it turns out there's a big body of scientific research about reading and how kids learn to do it. This research shows there are important skills that all kids need to learn to become good readers. And in lots of schools, they aren't being taught these skills. Over the past few years, I produced a series of radio documentaries and articles about this, and the response was like nothing I've ever experienced in my career. Thousands of emails and messages and posts on social media. And there were basically two kinds of things people were saying. The first was, I know, I know. I've been trying to tell people this for years. The other response was, I had no idea. This is what I heard from lots of teachers. They had no idea they weren't teaching kids how to read. What I've been trying to figure out is why? Why didn't they know? Why haven't schools been teaching children how to read? And I have an an this is Soul to Story, a podcast from APM Reports. I've got a lot to tell you in this podcast, but I'm going to tell you the answer to the question right now. Kids are not being taught how to read because for decades, teachers have been sold an idea about reading and how children learn to do it. And that idea is wrong. The people who have been selling this idea, I don't have any reason to believe they thought it was wrong. I think they wanted what I think everyone wants. They wanted kids to learn how to read. They wanted kids to love reading. But they believed so deeply in their idea about how to do that that they somehow ignored or explained away a whole lot of evidence that showed the idea was wrong. And they went on to make a lot of money. In this podcast, we're going to focus on one publishing company and four of its top authors. They are not the only ones who've been selling this wrong idea about reading, but they've been the most successful at it. Chances are you have no idea who this company and these people are. Unless you've worked in an elementary school anytime in the last 20 years or so, then you probably know exactly who I'm talking about. She was like a rock star walking into that building. If Beyonce came and gave a private concert in my district, it would not have been a bigger deal. For many of my teachers, their books on teaching reading became must haves for teachers.