The reading instruction pioneer who was wrong

Sixty years ago, Marie Clay developed a way to teach reading she said would help kids who were falling behind

by Emily Hanford October 20, 2022October 21, 2022

First grade students participate in reading activities. A new podcast from APM Reports’ Emily Hanford examines why reading instruction in this country has often let students down. Credit: Jackie Mader/The Hechinger Report

This podcast, Sold a Story, was produced by APM Reports and reprinted with permission.

Website for American Public Media — This story also appeared in American Public Media

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 this idea can make it harder for children to learn how to read. In this new American Public Media podcast, host Emily Hanford investigates the influential authors who promote this idea and the company that sells their work. It’s an exposé of how educators came to believe in something that isn’t true and are now reckoning with the consequences – children harmed, money wasted, an education system upended.

Episode 2: The Idea

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.

This podcast was produced by APM Reports and reprinted with permission.

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2 replies on “The reading instruction pioneer who was wrong”

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Laurel Dickey says:

November 20, 2022 at 7:14 am

The Hechinger Report claims to publish fact based news on education topics. Why in the world would you include this podcast (“Sold a Story”) when it is so easy to fact check the misinformation it includes?
RM says:

November 27, 2022 at 11:06 am

What is the misinformation in “Sold a Story”? Thanks!

Letters are closed