New Reading Laws Sweep the Nation Following Sold a Story
At least 26 states have passed laws about how schools teach reading since APM Reports' Sold a Story podcast began in 2022.
Proponents of the disproven ideas about reading exposed in the podcast haven't given up, despite research showing instructional techniques based on that theory made it harder for some kids to learn.
For decades, schools all over the country taught reading based on a theory cognitive scientists had debunked by the 1990s.
Until APM Reports exposed its flaws in a series of radio documentaries and the podcast Sold a Story.
Now, state legislators and other policymakers are trying to change reading instruction, requiring it to align with cognitive science research about how children learn to read.
Several of them say they were motivated by the podcast, which was released on October 16, 2025, by Christopher Peak.
Author's summary: New laws change reading instruction in 26 states.