The Truth About Reading

Teach For America Greater Tulsa is partnering with Circle Cinema to launch a quarterly film series focused on important issues in K-12 education. Join us on Wed 9/23 for The Truth About Reading, a powerful documentary about illiteracy in America told through the lens of people who fell through the cracks in school and learned to read as adults. Tickets on sale now, $11 members and $13 non-members.

With Oklahoma schools implementing the 2026 Strong Readers Act, this film explores solutions within classrooms, policy, and the broader community for working towards a future where every child can read. Following the screening, there will be a short presentation and audience discussion to put the film's themes and lessons into our local context.

This screening will also serve as the Oklahoma stop of the Declarations of Interdependence Relay, a year-long experiment in community made up of fifty gatherings in fifty different states. We are excited for Oklahoma's gathering to center on literacy and showcase our community's relentless belief that better is possible for our students' educational outcomes.

About the film: 1h22min - Documentary - Not Rated - English

From Emmy-Award® winning director Nick Nanton comes a new eye-opening documentary, THE TRUTH ABOUT READING. Literacy experts from across America, including Emily Hanford of Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong and Lacey Robinson of UnboundEd, emphasize the gravity of the illiteracy crisis and share how the implementation of science and evidence-based practices can transform lives and ensure that every child learns how to read. The documentary highlights the stories of David Chalk and John Corcoran, two men who didn’t learn how to read and write until they were adults. Following their stories gives a glimpse into the hard truth of how illiteracy and sub-literacy impede a person’s ability to truly thrive. While the film illustrates the painful reality of life for individuals impacted by illiteracy, it also reminds viewers that the issue is not one that affects just a few struggling readers, but one that affects countless children and adults and weakens the very fabric of our society. Filled with powerful emotion, a deep sense of urgency, and an overarching spirit of hope, THE TRUTH ABOUT READING brings light to a hidden crisis and compels audiences to take action to end illiteracy once and for all.