Category Archives: Commentary

This guest post by Anusha Subramanyam, PhD, BCBA-D and Tammy Kwan of Cognitive Toybox describes results from a pilot study in which Cognitive ToyBox, a game-based assessment program, was implemented in preschool classrooms to help teachers monitor their students’ progress.   Early childhood education programs require accurate, ongoing assessment to help students reach their school readiness goals. Our recent report, The Promise of Game-Based Assessment in Early Childhood Education, describes the challenge of current assessment systems and opportunities where direct assessment…

The stories that have emerged from the STEM School Highlands Ranch and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte shootings over the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. There is the story of sixth grader Nate Holley, who put his hand on a metal baseball bat, “just in case … ‘cuz I was gonna go down fighting if I was gonna go down.” There is the tragic heroism of Riley Howell at UNC-Charlotte, who was shot three times while tackling…

A growing body of research points to the importance of engaging children in science from an early age, for both their future trajectories in science careers and school readiness. For some children, preschool provides the chance to engage in meaningful science learning. But, for the 46% of American 3- and 4-year-olds who do not attend preschool, opportunities for science enrichment are limited. For such children, accessing science experiences depends almost entirely on parents. However, many parents have limited experience supporting…

I remember so well the days when my now-grown daughter was a little girl learning to count and read and taking in life lessons from the beloved characters on Sesame Street about how to be a good, caring person. Back then, she could only watch Sesame Street on our one household TV at the time it came on. Today, kids can watch the show on multiple channels, on different devices, whenever they want. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of…

Jordan Shapiro, author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World, recently took the time to answer questions that readers submitted about balancing screen time at home and school, data privacy, and games that families can play together.

Jordan Shapiro, author of The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Connected World, recently took the time to answer questions that readers submitted about his new book in the first of this two-part series.

The experience of childhood During the initial phase of onboarding and professional development exercises with the SparkleLAB team, we spend a good part of our time remembering the experience of childhood. Growing up in the Philippines in the 80’s and 90’s, my fondest childhood memories are those of the rainy season—the torrential downpour that marks the months of August and September. I recall huddling under a blanket with a flashlight while rain thundered down on a tin roof overhead, journeying…

I’m deeply honored to join the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, an organization widely recognized for its work to advance learning for kids, educators, and families of all backgrounds. In 1966, Joan Ganz Cooney and her colleagues were determined to harness the power of television to address literacy gaps in early childhood. These early efforts led to the creation of Sesame Street, now in its 50th year, which reaches 100 million children and families in more than 140…

Before the Future of Childhood: Immersive Media and Child Development salon took place in November 2018, we invited experts to share their visions about the ways VR and AR might impact childhood 10 years from now. Jesse Schell is the CEO of Schell Games, the largest full-service education and entertainment game development company in the United States. Here, he explains why we should explore VR and AR—despite our current concerns—and their potential benefits for children. While many people think of virtual reality as…

Children’s literature is not known for its diversity—either in terms of diverse characters within books, diverse authors and illustrators, or diverse staff within the publishing industry. Nancy Larrick’s famous article, “The All White World of Children’s Books,” was published in 1965, and sadly, the situation is not that different today. Yet those responsible for putting books in the hands of children know how important it is that books for young people provide what Rudine Sims Bishop calls “mirrors, windows, and…