Podcast
Sold a Story
Hosted by APM Reports · EN
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.
16episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
‘Dyslexia and the Reading Wars’: Emily Hanford's Conversation with The New Yorker’s David Owen
Apr 2801:00:42Tap to summarizeThe 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 episodeWatch: All Eyes on Reading videosConnect: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org Call us: (612) 888-7323More: 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.
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Emily Hanford LIVE with Reid Lyon and Margaret Goldberg
Dec 900:57:46Summary readyEarly 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 episodeSee: Slideshow from the event (cute pictures!)Watch: All Eyes on Reading videosConnect: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org Call us: (612) 888-7323More: 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.
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14: The Cuts
Aug 2100:37:44Summary readyEducation 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 episodeCarolyn Riehl: Medical research and education research Watch: The story behind Sold a StoryOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org Call us: (612) 888-7323More: 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.
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13: The List
Mar 6, 202500:33:53Summary readySteubenville became a model of reading success. Then a new law in Ohio put it all at risk. In this episode, we look at the "science of reading" lists some states are making, why the program Steubenville has been using for 25 years isn't getting on many of these lists, and the surprising power of one curriculum review group.Read: Christopher Peak on EdReportsRead: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a StoryOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org Call us: (612) 888-7323More: 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.
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12: The Evidence
Feb 27, 202500:30:35Summary readyThere’s a name for the program at the heart of Steubenville’s remarkable reading results. It’s called Success for All. It’s been around for decades, and numerous studies have shown it’s effective. But relatively few school districts use it. We trace the history of the program and why it’s never really caught on. Read: Why don’t more schools use Success for All?Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a StoryOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org 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.
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11: The Outlier
Feb 20, 202500:31:04Summary readyThere’s a school district in eastern Ohio where virtually all the students become good readers by the time they finish third grade. Many of the wealthiest places in the country can’t even say that. And Steubenville is a Rust Belt town where the state considers almost all the students “economically disadvantaged.” How did they do it?Explore: Steubenville, by the numbers Read: Transcript of this episode Book: Districts that Succeed Book: How It's Being Done Podcast: ExtraOrdinary Districts Watch: The story behind Sold a StoryOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org 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.
SummaryThe Podcast That's Changing Education
Nov 1, 202400:03:14Summary readyNationally acclaimed journalist Emily Hanford's work is changing the ways schools around the country teach reading. In this award-winning podcast, she investigates why so many schools use an approach that cognitive scientists debunked decades ago. Apple Podcasts has recognized Sold a Story as a Series Essential. To celebrate, we’re making it available without ads or other announcements for a limited time. Watch: The story behind Sold a StorySupport: 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.
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10: The Details
Apr 11, 202400:31:15Summary readySome of the teachers, students, parents and researchers we met in Sold a Story talk about the impact the podcast has had on their lives and in schools — and share some of their hopes and concerns about the “science of reading” movement. Portraits: Zoe and Lee Gaul, Christine Cronin, Reid Lyon Read: Transcript of this episode Video: Mark Seidenberg at Yale Article: Seidenberg on translating the science Article: Reid Lyon’s most important findingsWatch: The story behind Sold a StoryOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guidesDonate: Support APM Reports Email us: soldastory@apmreports.orgMore: 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.
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9: The Aftermath
Apr 4, 202400:27:35Summary readySchools 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 ideaRead: Reading Recovery financial difficultiesRead: Science movement trouble for HeinemannRead: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a StoryOrganize: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM ReportsMore: 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.
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Introducing: Sold a Story en Español
Mar 19, 202400:06:19Summary readyA 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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