Early Learning: Resources for Parents [downloadable]
Learning begins in the womb. And, from the moment they are born, children begin interacting with the world around them and building critical skills. What they learn in their first few years of life—and how they learn it—can have long-lasting effects on their health and on their later success in school and in work.
Early learning refers to the skills and concepts that children develop before they reach kindergarten. It is a crucial part of development and can set patterns for both school and adult learning. Read more ›
With the new school year upon us, parents will be attending a back-to-school night at their child’s school. Many ask us, “What questions should I be asking?” Here are seven you might explore with your child’s teachers and principal. 
A new study finds that when students experience an academic setback such as a bad grade, the amount of cortisol—the so-called stress hormone—in their bodies typically spikes. For most students it drops back down to normal levels a day later, but for some it stays high. These students remain fixated on the setback and have difficulty moving forward. 
Dyslexia is a complex language problem. It involves not being able to break down a word into the sounds that make it up, as well as not being able to think or write about the sounds in a word. Research from the National Institutes of Health has shown that dyslexia affects 5–10 percent of the U.S. population, with estimates as high as 17 percent. 
In every classroom, teachers try to engage students who have a variety of temperaments: extroverts, introverts and ambiverts. They work with children who crave sensory stimulation and with those who are 
Dyslexia affects every instructional task a student will face in school. We are a language-based society with deeply rooted traditions that rely on reading and writing. One in five students has a language-based learning disability, the most common of those being dyslexia. Fortunately, there is a window of opportunity to tackle and remedy dyslexia at an early age. 
Parents can’t be 100 percent certain that their child is ready for university life, but 30 years as a psychologist have taught me what to look for. The key indicator that an individual is ready to begin this transition is the emergence of a new level of 
Children with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence is fixed at birth and doesn’t change or changes very little with practice. These students see school as a place where their abilities are evaluated, they focus on looking smart over learning, and they interpret mistakes are a sign that they lack talent. Children with a growth mindset believe that intelligence can be developed. These students see school as a place to develop their abilities and think of challenges as opportunities to grow.
