Sold a Story

S2 E4: What Can You Do for My Black Children?

2026-10-29

In a poor, Black neighborhood in Houston, Principal Thaddeus Lott transforms a struggling elementary school with Direct Instruction. Soon, his students are outperforming students at much wealthier schools. The results are so remarkable, some people think it’s too good to be true.

Video: The secret to Wesley Elementary’s success
Read: Teachers who use Direct Instruction tend to like it

Read: Transcript of this episode

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No. of episodes

28

Latest episode

2026-10-29

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Sold a Story is an investigative podcast about how kids learn — what works in the classroom, the science behind those insights and why that research often doesn’t make it into schools. Season 1 revealed why so many kids are struggling to learn how to read, and it sparked a wave of change across the country. In Season 2, we go beyond reading to look at teaching itself.