Alle afleveringen
27 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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S2 E3: The Forgotten Experiment
22 oktober 2026 · 31 min
Zig Engelmann gets the chance of a lifetime: Put Direct Instruction to the test in one of the largest education experiments ever conducted. The results could have changed the direction of American education. Instead, they’re contested — and ultimately cast aside. Lees meer
Read: Why America’s massive educational experiment didn’t transform schools
Read: The forgotten voices of Project Follow Through
Video: The biggest education experiment you’ve never heard ofRead: Transcript of this episode
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive deeper into Sold a Story with a weekly email newsletter from host Emily Hanford.
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S2 E2: The Remedy Is Always Teaching
15 oktober 2026 · 28 min
At an experimental preschool in Illinois, Zig Engelmann and his colleagues begin turning his ideas into a classroom teaching method. Along the way, they make a series of discoveries about effective instruction. Their mantra: “If the student hasn’t learned, the teacher hasn’t taught.” Lees meer
Read: What is Direct Instruction?
Video: The 5 key concepts of DI
Video: Who was Zig Engelmann?Read: Transcript of this episode
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive deeper into Sold a Story with a weekly email newsletter from host Emily Hanford.
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S2 E1: It’s Not Just Reading
15 oktober 2026 · 21 min
In the 1960s, an education outsider named Zig Engelmann begins challenging conventional ideas about what young children can learn. He teaches his 4-year-old twins basic algebra. But he has a hard time getting anyone in education to take him seriously, until a professor gives him a chance to see if his ideas will work in a classroom. Lees meer
Read: What is Direct Instruction?
Video: The 5 key concepts of DI
Video: Who was Zig Engelmann?Read: Transcript of this episode
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive deeper into Sold a Story with a weekly email newsletter from host Emily Hanford.
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Sold a Story 2: What Happened to Teaching
1 oktober 2026 · 3 min
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. Lees meer
Video: Watch the trailer on YouTube
More: soldastory.orgDive deeper into Sold a Story with a multi-part Extra Credit email series from Emily Hanford.
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‘Dyslexia and the Reading Wars’: Emily Hanford's Conversation with The New Yorker’s David Owen
28 april 2026 · 1 uur 1 min
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. Lees meer
Read: Transcript of this episode
Watch: All Eyes on Reading videos
Connect: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
9 december 2025 · 58 min
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. Lees meer
Read: Transcript of this episode
See: Slideshow from the event (cute pictures!)
Watch: All Eyes on Reading videos
Connect: Sold a Story discussion guidesSupport: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
21 augustus 2025 · 38 min
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. Lees meer
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 Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
6 maart 2025 · 34 min
Steubenville 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. Lees meer
Read: Christopher Peak on EdReports
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
27 februari 2025 · 31 min
There’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. Lees meer
Read: Why don’t more schools use Success for All?
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
20 februari 2025 · 31 min
There’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? Lees meer
Explore: Steubenville, by the numbers
Read: Transcript of this episodeBook: Districts that Succeed
Book: How It's Being Done
Podcast: ExtraOrdinary DistrictsWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
More: soldastory.orgDive 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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The Podcast That's Changing Education
1 november 2024 · 3 min
Nationally 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. Lees meer
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 Story
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
11 april 2024 · 31 min
Some 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. Lees meer
Portraits: Zoe and Lee Gaul, Christine Cronin, Reid Lyon
Read: Transcript of this episodeVideo: Mark Seidenberg at Yale
Article: Seidenberg on translating the science
Article: Reid Lyon’s most important findingsWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Donate: Support APM Reports
Email us: soldastory@apmreports.org
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
4 april 2024 · 28 min
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. Lees meer
Read: Two universities stick with a discredited idea
Read: Reading Recovery financial difficulties
Read: Science movement trouble for Heinemann
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgDive 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
19 maart 2024 · 6 min
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. Lees meer
- Listen or share: Sold a Story en español
- Learn more: soldastory.es -
8: The Impact
18 mei 2023 · 25 min
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. Lees meer
Read: New reading laws sweep the nation
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgEXTENDED READING
Blog: Seidenberg on translating research into practice
Article: Goldenberg, Goldberg on premortem (paywall) | ExcerptDive 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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7: Your Words
11 mei 2023 · 25 min
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. Lees meer
Read: Messages from our listeners
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
Call us: (612) 888-7323
More: soldastory.orgDonate to support Sold a Story and other journalism from 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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Brains On: How Do We Learn to Read — and Why is It Hard?
11 april 2023 · 38 min
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. Lees meer
More: brainson.org
Support our show: Donate to APM ReportsDive 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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What the Words Say
6 april 2023 · 53 min
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. Lees meer
Read more: Children of color are far less likely to get the help they need
Support this show: Donate to APM ReportsDive 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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At a Loss for Words: What's Wrong with How Schools Teach Reading
30 maart 2023 · 53 min
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. Lees meer
Read more: How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers
Support this show: Donate to APM ReportsDive 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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Hard Words: Why Aren't Our Kids Being Taught to Read?
23 maart 2023 · 52 min
Jack Silva had a problem. He was the chief academic officer of a school district in Pennsylvania, and more than 40% of the kids in his district were not proficient readers. He didn't know much about how kids learn to read, but he knew he had to figure it out. Originally published in September 2018, this documentary helped ignite a national conversation about the science of reading. Winner of an EWA Public Service Award. Lees meer
Read more: Why aren't kids being taught to read?
Read in Spanish: Translation by AptusSupport this 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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Hard to Read: How American Schools Fail Kids with Dyslexia
16 maart 2023 · 54 min
The parents knew something wasn’t right. The school said everything would be fine. But their kids weren’t learning how to read. In this documentary, originally published in September 2017, we look at why kids with dyslexia have a hard time getting the help they need in school. Lees meer
Read more: How American schools fail kids with dyslexia
Q&A: What is dyslexia, with neuroscientist Guinevere EdenSupport this 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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6: The Reckoning
17 november 2022 · 42 min
Lucy Calkins says she has learned from the science of reading. She's revised her materials. Fountas and Pinnell have not revised theirs. Their publisher, Heinemann, is still selling some products to teach reading that contain debunked practices. Parents, teachers and lawmakers want answers. Lees meer
Map: How states approach reading instruction
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgDive 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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5: The Company
10 november 2022 · 47 min
Teachers call books published by Heinemann their bibles. The company's products are in schools all over the country. Some of the products used to teach reading are rooted in a debunked idea about how children learn to read. But they've made the company and some of its authors millions. Lees meer
Map: Heinemann’s national reach
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgDive 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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4: The Superstar
3 november 2022 · 34 min
Teachers sing songs about Lucy Calkins. The longtime professor at Columbia University’s Teachers College is one of the most influential people in American elementary education today. Her admirers call her books bibles. Why didn't she know that scientific research contradicted reading strategies she promoted? Lees meer
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.orgDive 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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3: The Battle
27 oktober 2022 · 41 min
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. Lees meer
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.orgDive 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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2: The Idea
20 oktober 2022 · 51 min
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. Lees meer
Read: Emily Hanford’s reading list
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgDive 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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1: The Problem
20 oktober 2022 · 33 min
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. Lees meer
Read: Emily Hanford’s reading list
Read: Transcript of this episodeWatch: The story behind Sold a Story
Organize: Sold a Story discussion guides
Support: Donate to APM Reports
More: soldastory.orgDive 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.