Thousands of students in Hillsborough County schools — the nation's eighth largest district — struggle to read at grade level, despite years of effort and millions of dollars directed at helping them. Why isn't the system seeing improvement? After talking with dozens of students, teachers and other experts, reporter Marlene Sokol has some insights into what drives the problem. One key takeaway: Reading has become a requirement rather than a passion, making it harder to hold distracted children's interest. She discusses her new special report on reading in this latest Gradebook podcast.

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