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.
Sold a Story
Claim This Podcastby APM Reports
4.8(10,545 reviews)
29 episodes
Updated Bi-weekly
Accepts GuestsHas SponsorsLocation 🇺🇸
33
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality25
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement100
Podcast Overview
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.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/13/2022
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33
Podcast Authority
BetaPoorBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality25
Social0
YouTube0
Engagement100
7
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excellent
Episode Length
27 minutes
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Recent Episodes
April 28, 2026
‘Dyslexia and the Reading Wars’: Emily Hanford's Conversation with The New Yorker’s David Owen
<p>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 “<a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/29/dyslexia-and-the-reading-wars" title="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/12/29/dyslexia-and-the-reading-wars">Dyslexia and the Reading Wars</a>.” The event was part of the Eyes on Reading series at Planet Word, a museum in Washington, D.C., dedicated to words and language. </p><br/><p><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2026/04/28/sold-a-story-emily-hanford-david-owen?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="default">Transcript of this episode</a><br><strong>Watch:</strong> <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/planet-word/" class="Hyperlink SCXW217086331 BCX0">All Eyes on Reading videos</a><br><strong>Connect:</strong> <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/discussion-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="default">Sold a Story</a><a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/discussion-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="default"> discussion guides</a><br><br><strong>Support:</strong> <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-sn" class="Hyperlink SCXW175710763 BCX0">Donate to APM Reports</a> <br><strong>Email us:</strong> <a href="mailto:soldastory@apmreports.org%E2%80%AF" class="Hyperlink SCXW94628936 BCX0">soldastory@apmreports.org </a> <br><strong>Call us:</strong> (612) 888-7323<br><strong>More: </strong><a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW175710763 BCX0">soldastory.org</a> </p><br/><p>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 <a href="https://soldastory.org/extracredit" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">soldastory.org/extracredit</a>.</p>
December 9, 2025
Emily Hanford LIVE from Planet Word with Reid Lyon and Margaret Goldberg
<p>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. </p><br/><p><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2025/12/09/sold-a-story-emily-hanford-live-reid-lyon-margaret-goldberg#transcript" class="default">Transcript of this episode</a><br><strong>See:</strong> <a href="https://files.apmcdn.org/production/8b96e5390861725dc379e3406292982e.pdf" class="Hyperlink SCXW217086331 BCX0">Slideshow from the event (cute pictures!)</a><br><strong>Watch:</strong> <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/planet-word/" class="Hyperlink SCXW217086331 BCX0">All Eyes on Reading videos</a><br><strong>Connect:</strong> <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/discussion-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="default">Sold a Story</a><a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/discussion-guide/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="default"> discussion guides</a><br><br><strong>Support:</strong> <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-sn" class="Hyperlink SCXW175710763 BCX0">Donate to APM Reports</a> <br><strong>Email us:</strong> <a href="mailto:soldastory@apmreports.org%E2%80%AF" class="Hyperlink SCXW94628936 BCX0">soldastory@apmreports.org </a> <br><strong>Call us:</strong> (612) 888-7323<br><strong>Listener survey: </strong><a href="https://mpr.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6l3Re9u1TzNV59I" class="default">Tell us about yourself</a><br><strong>More: </strong><a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW175710763 BCX0">soldastory.org</a> </p><br/><p>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 <a href="https://soldastory.org/extracredit" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">soldastory.org/extracredit</a>.</p>
August 21, 2025
14: The Cuts
<p>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. </p><br/><p><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2025/08/21/trump-cancels-survey-of-high-schoolers?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">Trump cancels survey of high schoolers</a> <br><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2025/08/21/researchers-nations-report-card-at-risk?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">Nation’s Report Card at risk</a> <br><strong>Read: </strong><a href="https://www.apmreports.org/story/2025/08/21/lawsuit-saves-reading-experiment-trump-cuts?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">Lawsuit saves massive reading experiment</a> </p><br/><p><strong>Read:</strong> <a href="https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2025/08/21/sold-a-story-e14-the-cuts#transcript" class="default">Transcript of this episode</a><br><strong>Carolyn Riehl: </strong><a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/3699784" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">Medical research and education research</a> </p><br/><p><strong>Call us:</strong> (612) 888-7323 <br><strong>Email us:</strong> <a href="mailto:soldastory@apmreports.org" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">soldastory@apmreports.org</a> <br><strong>Donate:</strong> <a href="https://support.americanpublicmedia.org/sold-a-story-sn" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">Support our journalism</a> <br><strong>More:</strong> <a href="https://features.apmreports.org/sold-a-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">soldastory.org</a> </p><br/><p>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 <a href="https://soldastory.org/extracredit" class="Hyperlink SCXW216002192 BCX0">soldastory.org/extracredit</a>. </p>
29 total episodes available with 9 transcripts
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Emily Hanford
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Sold a Story?
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This podcast updates bi-weekly.
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This podcast is available on 10 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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