Category Archives: Commentary

Developing solid reading and writing skills are critical to children’s success in all learning activities and can be a determining factor for their success in life.  There are thousands of apps claiming to help support early literacy, but few—if any—have any research to support their claims. Selecting effective early literacy apps requires attention to more than what is mentioned in online reviews. Some apps provide ideal instruction and practice for young children; others do not.  Adults who choose apps need…

Earlier this month the Joan Ganz Cooney Center released the latest in a line of tracking studies of the educational apps marketplace in collaboration with our colleagues at New America.  What we found was—to be blunt—worrisome.  Progress in the development of scientifically-informed early learning apps that parents and educators can easily find is far too slow. In the 5 years we have been digging into the apps marketplace (aka. “The digital Wild West”, we have frankly seen only scant progress…

This commentary was originally published on EdWeek.com on September 16, 2015.   This fall, 3.5 million children will start kindergarten in the United States. One-quarter of them will be Hispanic, more than 90 percent of whom are U.S.-born, and just over one-third of whom are growing up below the poverty line. Hispanic kindergartners score lower in reading and mathematics than all other ethnic groups, and more than 8 in 10 are not yet proficient readers by 4th grade. And, if…

Olivia Thomas, 17, is a 21st century learner. We got to spend some time with this self-directed and self-motivated creative thinker at the National STEM Video Game Challenge winners weekend in Pittsburgh, and were impressed by her drive to chase the opportunities she wants and the generous spirit that pays those opportunities back to younger students. When we asked Olivia how she started designing games, she recalled a rainy day car ride with her dad: “I want to make a…

Family Time with Apps is a free interactive guide for parents and caregivers that highlights some ways that families can use technology together. The book features comic strips that parents and children can enjoy together, as well as tips on selecting apps that can help turn screen time into family time. The guide provides tips on how using apps together can support a child’s learning and development. It is available from the iBook Store. We’re thrilled to share Jordan Shapiro’s…

Family Time with Apps is a free interactive guide for parents and caregivers that highlights some ways that families can use technology together. The book features comic strips that parents and children can enjoy together, as well as tips on selecting apps that can help turn screen time into family time. The guide provides tips on how using apps together can support a child’s learning and development. It is available from the iBook Store. This week, Jason Boog, author of…

We recently released Family Time with Apps: A Guide to Using Apps with Your Kids, a free interactive guide for parents and caregivers. The book features comic strips that parents and children can enjoy together, as well as tips on selecting apps that can help turn screen time into family time. Whether the challenge is preparing for a new experience like starting school, spending more time outside, connecting to distant loved ones, or reading together every day, the guide provides…

A few weeks ago, the Cooney Center released Family Time with Apps, which helps parents think carefully about how (if at all) they want to support their children’s app use.  A central theme of that guide is “joint media engagement”: the entire family benefits when parents and children explore the app landscape together.  Even the guide itself is designed to be explored by the whole family! When I talk to parents about supporting their children’s learning, I frequently stress how…

Last week Scholastic released the Kids and Family Reading Report,  its annual survey of children’s reading, and some of the results run counter to conventional wisdom about how much children love electronic books and desire independence. The responses provide hints of nostalgia for cuddling up on the couch turning pages of paper with their parents by their side. Parents responded to the survey via the Web, although the sample of respondents were first identified through random selection and contacted by…

This post originally appeared in the Huffington Post. It’s that time again. New commitments and new resolutions to make…and hopefully keep. As educators and children’s advocates we are involved in many initiatives whose goals are reimagining education and providing equal opportunity to all children. We are board members and advisors to some nonprofits that are doing remarkable work with kids — Sesame Workshop, Creative Commons, The Forum for Youth Investment, We Are Family Foundation, Learning Matters, Vroom and Journeys In…