Start Here: Sold a Story
If you only engage with one resource on this page, make it this podcast. Emily Hanford's investigation is the single best primer on how American reading instruction went wrong and what it took to start fixing it. 14 episodes. Free everywhere.
The Research
Every study and source cited in the video, organized by topic.
The Immediate Impact of Different Types of Television on Young Children's Executive Function
Fast-paced TV impairs executive function in 4-year-olds after just 9 minutes. The pacing of the show, not TV itself, drives attention deficits.
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Why Young Brains Are Especially Vulnerable to Social Media
How social media exploits adolescent brain development. Machine learning now decides what children see, often without parental knowledge.
apa.org
Screen Time and the Developing Brain: Are "iPad Kids" at Risk?
Over a million new neural connections form per second in early childhood. Every hour of screen time shapes how those pathways develop.
urmc.rochester.edu
A Comparison of Children's Reading on Paper Versus Screen: A Meta-Analysis
49-study meta-analysis: students who read on paper consistently scored higher on comprehension than those who read on screens.
sagepub.com
Americans' Internet Access: 2000-2015
Only 52% of Americans had regular internet access in 2000. Libraries were where many families went online. Between the Lions knew this.
pewresearch.org
Algorithmic Content Recommendations on a Video-Sharing Platform Used by Children
University of Michigan study: of 3,000 thumbnails recommended to children, over half had shocking imagery, a third included violence or pranks.
jamanetwork.com
Screen Time, Autism and CocoMelon
Clinical analysis of how CocoMelon's rapid scene changes (every 1-3 seconds), saturated colors, and repetitive structures affect developing brains.
medium.com
How CocoMelon Became a Massive Moneymaker for Moonbug
Traditional children's content held attention for 11% of the time. CocoMelon held it for 74%. Moonbug was acquired for $3 billion by Blackstone-funded Candle Media.
nytimes.com
Are Books Dead? Why Gen Z Doesn't Read
In 1976, 11.5% of high school seniors hadn't read a book for fun. By 2022, that number was 41%.
generationtechblog.com
Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong
The investigative podcast that exposed how Lucy Calkins, Fountas & Pinnell, and Heinemann Publishing sold discredited reading methods to a quarter of American schools.
apmreports.org
New Reading Laws Sweep the Nation Following Sold a Story
Over half of U.S. states passed science of reading laws after the podcast aired. A direct line from journalism to policy change.
apmreports.org
The Whole Language-Phonics Controversy: An Historical Perspective
A comprehensive history of the Reading Wars: how the debate between phonics and whole language shaped and damaged American reading education.
nifdi.org
The Science of Reading and Balanced Literacy: History and Context
How "balanced literacy" became a rebranded version of discredited whole-language methods, and why phonics is essential.
readingpartners.org
Whole Language vs. Phonics: The History of the Reading Wars
From Horace Mann importing the whole word method in the 1800s to the modern science of reading movement.
lexialearning.com
Gen Z Is Reading Less. What That Means in the Age of Ready Answers
The implications of declining reading habits among Gen Z for comprehension, critical thinking, and engagement with knowledge.
forbes.com
There Really Was a "Mississippi Miracle" in Reading
Mississippi went from 49th in fourth-grade reading (2013) to 21st (2019) to demographically-adjusted number one (2024). $32 per student per year.
the74million.org
Four Reasons Why Mississippi's Reading Gains Are Neither Myth Nor Miracle
The policy mechanics: teacher training, literacy coaches, third-grade retention, and bipartisan commitment.
excelined.org
Kids' Reading Scores Have Soared in Mississippi "Miracle"
Mississippi's Black students ranked third nationally, low-income kids outperform peers in every other state, 97% of districts improved.
pbs.org
Mississippi's Education Miracle: A Model for Global Literacy Reform
Why Mississippi's literacy model has implications far beyond one state. An argument for evidence-based reading instruction as policy.
theconversation.com
Comprehensive Early Literacy Policy and the "Mississippi Miracle"
Peer-reviewed economic analysis of how comprehensive literacy policy produced measurable, replicable gains in student reading outcomes.
sciencedirect.com
2024 NAEP Reading Assessment: Results at Grades 4 and 8
Only 31% of fourth graders at or above proficiency. Eighth graders at the worst levels in NAEP history. $190 billion in pandemic relief made no measurable dent.
nationsreportcard.gov
Many Children Left Behind: The 2024 NAEP Results Indicate a Five-Alarm Fire
The widening achievement gap: lower-performing students falling further behind, a trend worsening for over a decade.
aei.org
Education Spending per Pupil
State-by-state education spending data. Mississippi spent less than all but three states and still produced the biggest reading gains in the country.
ballotpedia.org
For parents, educators, and anyone who wants to understand how reading works, and/or how to tackle screens big and small for kids (and adults) of all ages.
The Between the Lions Book for Parents
The companion book to the show. Breaks down the whole-part-whole structure, the science behind each segment, and how to use the show with your kids. The primary source for much of this project.
Reading in the Brain
A neuroscientist explains how the brain learns to read: neural pathways, letter recognition, and why phonics aligns with how our brains are wired.
Language at the Speed of Sight
How we read, why so many can't, and what to do about it. Dismantles the myths around balanced literacy with cognitive science.
Teaching Children to Read
The landmark federal report establishing the five pillars of reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
The Anxious Generation
How the shift from play-based to phone-based childhood drove an epidemic of teen mental illness. The most cited book on this subject in recent years.
The Amazing Generation
The companion to The Anxious Generation, written for kids and tweens. A guide to fun and freedom in a screen-filled world. Works as a classroom tool.
The Art of Screen Time
An NPR education reporter and parent of two cuts through the noise: "Enjoy screens. Not too much. Mostly with others." Practical, research-backed, no fear-mongering.
The Stolen Year
How COVID changed children's lives, and where we go now. From the same author as The Art of Screen Time, focused on pandemic-era fallout in education.
ReadingRockets.org
Research-based strategies, lessons, and activities for teaching reading. One of the best free resources for parents and educators.
Advocate for public education to your U.S. Senators and Representative
Find your elected officials and let them know that evidence-based reading instruction matters.
Show me the kids' page
Games, offline activities, and shows worth watching.