logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2022
42m 7s

6: The Reckoning

APM Reports
About this episode

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. 


Map: How states approach reading instruction 
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.

Up next
Mar 2023
Hard to Read: How American Schools Fail Kids with Dyslexia
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.Rea ... Show More
53m 35s
Mar 2023
Hard Words: Why Aren't Our Kids Being Taught to Read?
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 ... Show More
52m 20s
Mar 2023
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 ... Show More
53m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
The Fight Over Phonics
<p>About 50 years ago, the educator Lucy Calkins pioneered a technique called balanced literacy, which de-emphasized the use of phonics to teach reading. It was widely adopted in the United States, including in New York, the country’s largest public school system.</p><p>But doubt ... Show More
39m 21s
Aug 2023
The End of the Reading Instruction Wars?
<p>Nearly everyone can learn to read — if they're taught correctly. It turns out that one of the primary approaches to teaching reading in schools was proven wrong decades ago. Emily Hanford, the host and investigative journalist behind the explosive "Sold A Story" podcast series ... Show More
37m 20s
Oct 2022
Introducing: Sold a Story
Emily Hanford introduces the first episode of her new podcast, Sold a Story.There's an idea about how children learn to read that's held sway in schools for more than a generation — even though it was proven wrong by cognitive scientists decades ago. Teaching methods based on thi ... Show More
34m 4s
Sep 2025
Learning By Heart
It’s that time of year. Classrooms that have stood dark and empty since last spring are coming back to life. This week, stories about the place that shapes all who pass through it— because young or old, there’s always something more to learn.Leave us a voicemail at 702-706-TALK, ... Show More
14m 52s
Sep 2022
Outliers, Revisited
Did Malcolm Gladwell blow it in his bestselling book Outliers? What if all he did was write a primer for neurotic helicopter parents? To find out, Revisionist History descends on the University of Pennsylvania to run a roomful of eager students through a mysterious experiment, co ... Show More
44m 26s
Apr 2015
13: Examining standardized testing
Award-winning education writer Anya Kamentez provides practical guidance for parents looking to understand standardized testing. She and Scott roll up their sleeves and delve deep into the nature, origins, drawbacks and future of our high-stakes testing culture. The dialogue span ... Show More
52m 53s
Sep 2024
Rethinking how we teach kids to read
Several provinces are rethinking how they teach kids to read, with a “back-to-basics” focus that includes phonics. We hear about long-running disagreements over the best way to teach literacy, and why many Canadian kids are struggling.  
22m 25s