Preschool Paradox: What Kids Really Need

Erika Christakis, author and early childhood educator at the Yale Child Study, tells a tale of two preschool art projects. The first, we all know: a cut-out of your child’s handprint with feathers and eyes glued on to turn it into a Thanksgiving turkey. It’s cute. The second is less aesthetically pleasing — a blot of […]

'Inside Out' Psychologist Shares the 5 Traits of Powerful People

Dacher Keltner is fascinated by the dynamics of power that permeate the everyday. “Power shapes our every interaction,” says the professor of psychology at University of California, Berkeley and co-director of the Greater Good Science Center, who also happens to be the consulting psychologist behind Disney’s recent Pixar blockbuster “Inside Out.” He’s talking about everything […]

The Character Trait That’s as Important to Success as Talent or IQ

Psychologist Angela Duckworth became intrigued when, as a seventh-grade math teacher, she noticed her strongest performers didn’t necessarily have high IQs and her students with high IQs weren’t always her strong performers. In graduate school, she began studying what differentiates those who succeed and those who give up. What she discovered is a trait she […]

SitStayRead Tackles Children’s Literacy Struggles With the Help of Clever Canines

It’s no secret that Chicago’s inner-city public schools face an ever-increasing list of challenges. Chief among them are low test scores and widespread learning difficulties. In 2014, 43.6 percent of third through eighth graders did not meet the Illinois Standards Achievement Test benchmark for reading proficiency. Luckily, students in 16 different schools are getting help […]

9 Graduation Gifts College-Bound Students Will Actually Use

May is fast approaching, and with it, high school graduation. There’s always a lot of pressure to find the perfect gift — after all, it’s a relatively momentous occasion and sometimes cold hard cash just feels too impersonal. But teenagers are notoriously difficult to please. Luckily, this handy gift guide offers something for everyone. Cue […]

7 Things Your Child’s Elementary School Teachers Want You to Know

Elementary school begins with eagerness and nerves, jam-kissed sendoffs and maybe a couple of tears (likely yours) as your “big” girl or boy marches into the classroom for the first time. The six years from kindergarten through fifth grade are marked by rapid social, emotional and intellectual growth. Pants and coats are outgrown (or lost) […]

7 Things Your Child’s Elementary School Teachers Want You to Know

Elementary school begins with eagerness and nerves, jam-kissed sendoffs and maybe a couple of tears (likely yours) as your “big” girl or boy marches into the classroom for the first time. The six years from kindergarten through fifth grade are marked by rapid social, emotional and intellectual growth. Pants and coats are outgrown (or lost) […]