Education

May 18, 2023

After Sold a Story, more states spell out reading instruction

At least 15 states have passed laws about how schools teach reading since APM Reports’ Sold a Story podcast was released in 2022, but there is pushback. The story and the map below were updated on Oct. 3, 2023, to reflect additional states that adopted new laws.

November 17, 2022

How legislation on reading instruction is changing across the country

More states are now requiring districts to adopt curriculum that adheres to the science of reading.

November 10, 2022

Heinemann’s billion-dollar sales have nationwide reach

APM Reports found that the controversial educational publishing company has sold instructional materials and professional resources in almost every state, earning at least $1.6 billion over a decade.

October 20, 2022

Want to know more about the science of reading?

Here’s a reading list put together by Emily Hanford, host and lead producer of our podcast Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong.

August 9, 2022

No Excuses: Race and Reckoning at a Chicago Charter School

An audio documentary from APM Reports.

August 2, 2022

Native American College Diaries

An audio documentary from APM Reports.

April 23, 2022

New research shows controversial Reading Recovery program eventually had a negative impact on children

Initial gains from first-grade intervention didn’t last and kids performed worse in third and fourth grade.

November 19, 2021

Influential authors Fountas and Pinnell stand behind disproven reading theory

The education professors double down on a flawed approach that encourages pictures and context to read words. Heinemann — their publisher — faces harsh criticism.

August 19, 2021

Inside the college mental health crisis

Colleges are struggling to meet the surging demand for mental health services on campus, and some schools are wrestling with how much care they owe students.

August 3, 2021

The U.S. may never regain its dominance as a destination for international students. Here's why that matters.

Colleges and universities in the United States attract more than a million international students a year. Higher education is one of America’s top service exports, generating $42 billion in revenue. But the money spigot is closing. The pandemic, visa restrictions, rising tuition and a perception of poor safety in America have driven new international student enrollment down by a jaw-dropping 72 percent.

July 28, 2021

Texas company fuels rise of for-profit teacher training programs

Texas Teachers of Tomorrow has become the largest teacher training program in the nation, offering a low-cost online program. While it’s lowered barriers and helped diversify the workforce, this approach to training hasn’t solved chronic teacher shortages.

October 16, 2020

Influential literacy expert Lucy Calkins is changing her views

In a major shift, the controversial figure in the fight over how to teach reading now says that beginning readers should focus on sounding out words, according to a document obtained by APM Reports.

August 6, 2020

Many kids struggle with reading – and children of color are far less likely to get the help they need

A false assumption about what it takes to be a skilled reader has created deep inequalities among U.S. children, putting many on a difficult path in life.

July 29, 2020

On the Navajo Nation, college students navigate a curfew and digital dead zones

The pandemic is making getting through college harder for students on the wrong side of the digital divide. In rural Arizona, when campuses closed, some students couldn’t log on from home, because they had no access to the internet. A local sheriff flew laptops and hotspots to community college students on the Navajo Nation.

July 29, 2020

Some colleges that weathered the Great Depression and two world wars won't survive Covid-19

The long tradition of students attending small, residential liberal arts colleges around the country was already shaky before the pandemic. Students are choosing less expensive options and more practical degrees. Experts warn that 10 percent of American colleges — about 200 or more institutions — are on the verge of going under. The pandemic is accelerating that trend.

July 29, 2020

A Florida university plans to reopen with a mandatory screening app, fewer people in classrooms, and a pilot study of virus-sniffing dogs

Colleges and universities are under pressure to reopen, but bringing students back on campus safely means dealing with dizzying logistics. As the virus surges in Miami, a large commuter campus gets ready.

May 15, 2020

Michigan reaches settlement in landmark right-to-literacy case

The governor won't contest a court ruling that found students have a constitutional right to learn to read and agrees to more funding for Detroit schools.

April 30, 2020

Is learning to read a constitutional right?

A federal court recently ruled that underfunded schools in Detroit violated students' right to a basic education. Advocates hope the case is the beginning of a trend.

August 22, 2019

How a flawed idea is teaching millions of kids to be poor readers

For decades, schools have taught children the strategies of struggling readers, using a theory about reading that cognitive scientists have repeatedly debunked. And many teachers and parents don't know there's anything wrong with it.

October 8, 2018

What to do if your child's school isn't teaching reading right?

After our recent examination of why American kids aren't being taught to read well, we received a ton of questions, mostly from parents. So we went to the experts to get answers.

August 27, 2018

She was a first-generation college student looking for a different life

For Katy Sorto, college seemed like the way to a different life. But she had no idea how hard it would be.

August 20, 2018

Did going to college change your social class?

We asked some of our readers and listeners to tell us about their experiences with college and social mobility. Here are a few of their stories.

October 24, 2017

States' laws to support dyslexic children mostly lack funding, accountability, training mandates

A recent APM Reports documentary showed how schools aren't adequately complying with a decades-old federal law but new state laws are failing to help struggling readers, too.

September 11, 2017

In Ohio, parents demand change for dyslexic kids

The school district needed a new approach. The teachers needed training.

September 11, 2017

What is dyslexia? An interview with neuroscientist Guinevere Eden

Guinevere Eden directs the Center for the Study of Learning at Georgetown University Medical Center. In this interview with APM Reports correspondent Emily Hanford, she explains what scientists are learning about what happens in the brain when a child learns to read — and what's different in the brain of someone with dyslexia.

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