Why do poor children struggle in school?—the importance of noncognitive skills—“O.K., now that we know this, what do we do?”
The problem with scaling up—different approaches, common threads—an unbroken story from birth through high school.
Can we agree on the best way to teach grit?—teaching character without talking about character—is “teaching” the right word to use?
A brief explanation of our fight-or-flight response—what toxic stress does to the brain—why executive functions matter in school.
How babies make sense of the world—the importance of “serve and return”—helping infants handle stress (or not).
What is your ACE score?—adverse experiences vs. adverse environments—ACEs and their effect on school success.
The “good” kind of neglect?—the harsh effects of chronic understimulation—a lesson from a Russian orphanage.
Why the early years matter—education funding meets brain science—baby talk and the policy makers’ dilemma.
What a Jamaican study can teach us about parental attachment—building a “secure base”—can we just hand out brochures and let parents figure it out from there?
Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up—Julianna and the cookie-throwing incident—“We just zero in on this one positive moment.”
The Educare effect—reaching informal childcare providers—helping pre-K teachers feel less stressed-out—the bi-directional model of self-regulation.
What changes (and what doesn’t) in kindergarten—“it may not be a matter of you just not sucking it up enough”—the deep roots of perseverance and resilience.
The history of “zero tolerance”—who gets suspended and why—the effects of suspensions on the kids who aren’t suspended—why harsh punishments often backfire.
The behaviorist approach to education—getting past stickers and pizza parties—“The impact of financial incentives on student achievement is statistically 0.”
Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation—what makes a 4-year-old want to quit crayoning?—anatomy, competence, and relatedness.
How do we measure noncognitive abilities?—finding the educators who help kids engage—what are the deep messages teachers convey to their students?
The narrative of failure within each school—what kind of classroom promotes perseverance?—be gritty, or just act gritty?
Is my teacher a friend or a foe?—the transformative power of a Post-it—switching off the fight-or-flight alarm.
Why Rashid got jumped, and why he was able to talk about it—how classroom climate affects test scores—is it really possible to transform an entire school?
What happens when teachers give up the reins?—self-directed projects and student-led conferences—assigning work that is challenging, rigorous, and deep.
Lots of basic skills, little problem-solving—the Japanese approach—the dominant American instructional strategy—“Confusion and frustration should be minimized.”
The demands of the 21st-century job market—“Deeper learning has historically been the province of the advantaged”—change comes to Elm City Prep.
Seven million children in deep poverty—a broken system—changing our policies, our practices, and our way of thinking.