Sold a Story: The Problem - Episode 1 ( Illuminating Journalism from American Public Media )

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Transcript DOWNLOAD AS PDF

SNIP

I got this recording from the U.S. Department of Education. They give a reading test every two years to a sample of kids.

Proficient reader: Most guide dogs are born at a kennel.

SNIP
This is Sold a Story, a podcast from APM Reports. I’ve got a lot to tell you in this podcast. But I’m going to tell you the answer to the question right now. Kids are not being taught how to read, because for decades teachers have been sold an idea about reading and how children learn to do it. And that idea is wrong. The people who have been selling this idea — I don’t have any reason to believe they thought it was wrong. I think they wanted what I think everyone wants. They wanted kids to learn how to read. They wanted kids to love reading. But they believed so deeply in their idea about how to do that that they somehow ignored or explained away a whole lot of evidence that showed the idea was wrong. And they went on to make a lot of money.
https://www.apmreports.org/episode/2022/10/20/sold-a-story-e1-the-problem#transcript


This is a long and detailed account of our education system. I hope if you find it worthwhile you'll copy and paste it to an email for your elected representative.

[Scrivener7]

1. Skimmed it, but never quite got the name of the company. It's Pearson, right?

We've known Pearson is peddling crap at least since Finland ditched them and went to curricula that's actually based on past success and child neuro development. And immediately, they began blowing the doors off all the countries that use Pearson, including the USA and the UK in terms of reading and math proficiency in lower grades, and STEM proficiency in later grades.

That's about 20 years ago now. But Pearson makes a lot of people a lot of money. They make the books, they make the tests, they make the teacher training books, they make the teacher certification tests, and all of what they push is crap.

And we've known it forever.

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2. The consequences have been devastating, the scale unprecedented.

The problem should be dealt with by discussing the issue and the remedies...all part of our political platform.

I don't know any politician who speaks about this issue on the level it deserves.