Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Check out this new @PlayfulLearningLandscapes installation at the @CityHeightsLibrary in San Diego. Now the entrance to the early learning center has an eye spy game that celebrates community identity through play!

URGENT!!!! AI toys are just not ready for prime time. Thrilled to share "Trouble in Toyland." After release, one of the toys FoloToy suspended all sales. Thrilled to work with this team. We do not want our kids connected to the internet thru a teddy bear!!!! publicinterestnetwork.org/wp-content/u...

Expanding education equity: Temple faculty member brings playful learning model to Philadelphia affordable housing Temple University professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek presented on playful learning research to Philadelphia City Council

.@PlayfulLearningLandscapes went to Philadelphia City Councel last week to talk about how we can and must make affordable housing come alive for the residents there. Philly is now thinking of making this a requirement for all affordable housing! news.temple.edu/news/2025-11...

Guided play in pre-K yields better outcomes at a lower cost: The promise of public Montessori schools | Brookings The authors argue for the cost-saving and outcomes-based promise of the Montessori education model for pre-K.

Yes guided play offers a better education at lower cost. Check out the data from @AngelLillard in our @brookings.edu blog www.brookings.edu/articles/gui...

So thrilled to work with Gregg Behr@RemakingTomorrow on his incredible podcast. Listen into our conversation with @BobPianta to learn more about his recent book @KidsonEarth that speaks rethinking education for our time. @BobPianta is nothing short of brilliant and visionary.
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A national randomized controlled trial of the impact of public Montessori preschool at the end of kindergarten | PNAS Although seminal studies from the early 1960s suggested quality preschool can have lasting positive effects, agreement is lacking on the efficacy o...

Another instant classic by @AngelLillard!!!! Check out her new results on Montessori education as cheaper and with better results than traditional preK and K classes. Hmm -- there really is something to this #playfullearning model. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Thank you @ABCNews for featuring our work on playful learning in affordable housing. Thanks also to the amazing team from @PlayfulLearningLandscapes, @SarahLytle and @HeidiLevySegall for all of your work to make this come through abcnews.go.com/US/video/cha...

Phones in Focus Survey Findings_Press Release_Oct 7 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Angela Duckworth Phones in Focus duckwort@wharton.upenn.edu Over 20,000 Educators Share Insights on School Cell Phone Policies as Part of Landmark Research Initiative “Phones i...

Thank you @angeladuckworth.bsky.social for your important new study on phones in school and the impact on education in the classroom! docs.google.com/document/d/1...

Policy guardrails needed as babies around the world begin to interact with AI | Brookings Kathy Hisrh-Pasek and co-authors outline the potential risks that artificial intelligence poses to children's development.

AI is encroaching on young children. Scientists must speak out and policy makers have to listen so that we do not derail the human to human interaction key to developing little brains. www.brookings.edu/articles/pol...

AI is coming for our babies — putting their brains at risk Grok, OpenAI and others are sprinting toward our youngest citizens with products mimicking the human interactions that literally build the brain — potentially derailing them entirely.

AI is nw building products for babies. This could be a disaster as it might derail the human to human connection vital for brain development. See NyPost. Please sign our position statement with link embedded. @rachelromeo.bsky.social @drdanasuskind.bsky.social nypost.com/2025/09/17/o...

APS Honors 12 Psychological Scientists With 2026 Lifetime Achievement Awards Scientists who have shaped our understanding of clinical cognitive neuroscience, mental health, and racial biases are among the 12 recipients of the 2026 APS lifetime achievement awards.

Thank you to my amazing students who taught me so much about our field and how to teach and mentor. I am humbled. www.psychologicalscience.org/publications...

The Active Playful Learning model: Reimagining education for the 21st century | Brookings On September 10, Senior Fellow Kathy Hirsh-Pasek will discuss the Active Playful Learning model with educators, policymakers, and education researchers.

Join us @brookings.edu on Wed the 10th at 4EST to see how we can reimagined education so that we teach in the way brains learn. Hear directly how the science of learning is impacting policy and in classroom pedagogy! www.brookings.edu/events/the-a...

Trump Is Bringing Back the Presidential Fitness Test

The President's Fitness test is back. Thank you @erikvance.bsky.social and @nytimes.com for writing an article that suggests balance in the way this rolls out. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/31/w...

Anyone looking for a great postdoctoral position? Here's one at Oxford University and they would love to have someone great! It's even out of the US -- a special bonus. Post-doctoral position in developmental/cognitive psychology at Oxford Brookes, UK

my.corehr.com/pls/oburecru...

Let's connect. So far the interventions beautify the neighborhood, allow for community ownership (which means that even after time -- in one case 6 years no graffiti.) It also drives the behaviors we were hoping to see and we can target particular types of behaviors.

Universally. I use it is college and there are close examples in middle school. The research project is with K thru 4th grade

Jim we would love to read anything you know of on this topic. In our case the community members living in these homes love designed. This particular project is not being researched but we do have 25 published papers on Playful Learning Landscapes. Take a look at Playfullearninglandscapes.com

more universally. I use this approach in my college courses.

Teaching in the way human brains learn In a new working paper, Kimberly Nesbitt and co-authors detail the findings from the first year of the Active Playful Learning pilot.

Drum roll please. The first results from our Active Playful Learning educational pedagogy are published in a Brookings white paper. Comments welcome: www.brookings.edu/articles/tea...

Why would anyone want to murder Elmo, Curious George and the Cat in the Hat? That is what happened today when the DOE cut PBS and the Ready to Learn Program. Data shows it had long term positive effects on reading, math and other broad skills. thehill.com/homenews/med...

Opinion | Donald Trump’s war on children The administration is divesting from future generations. It will cost America dearly.

Important piece in @washingtonpost.com on the War against children www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

Claims of ‘anti-Christian bias’ sound to some voters like a message about race, not just religion Some Americans hear claims of anti-Christian bias as a signal of white solidarity, according to a 2024 study.

Read @MikeyPasek's fabulous piece on the entanglement of race and anti-Christian bias in TheConversation theconversation.com/claims-of-an...

Know any teachers, administrators or parents? Angela Duckworth and her team are doing a short survey of cell phone use in schools. Pls pass it forward phonesinfocus.org

NIH has rescinded its scientific integrity policy. Hard to see this as anything other than clearing the way for shoddy research on things like vaccines. Regardless of the rationale, it's bad news for public health.

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Coming home to a foreign land Coming home to a foreign land

Decided to speak out on the state of our union. Just published in the Philadelphia Inquirer eedition.inquirer.com/infinity/art...

URGENT! @WP just reported that 54 min ago researchers funded by the Department of Education were told they need agency permission to publish results.

go.bsky.app/FiNdK7K

We all need a little more recess Karyn Allee and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek remind us of the importance of rest and play at all ages and stages of our lives.

In today’s fast-paced world, it’s crucial for everyone to incorporate breaks into our daily routines. Recess isn’t just for kids; adults need it too. Let’s prioritize rest and play to create a balanced society. Read more in our latest Brookings article: www.brookings.edu/articles/we-...

Opinion | Giving Kids Some Autonomy Has Surprising Results Letting them take some responsibility for their choices is what prepares them for adult life.

You have to read this outstanding opinion piece in The New York Times by JennyAnderson and Rebecca Winthrop. Yes, students need more agency and autonomy to thrive in school and beyond. www.nytimes.com/2025/01/02/o...

CLARENCE BLAIR Obituary (1960 - 2024) - Nashville, TN - New York Times View CLARENCE BLAIR's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.

This week the field of developmental psychology lost a giant - Clancy Blair. His work on how families and schools shaped human development will be classic for years to come. He will be sorely missed. Sympathies to his wife Cybele Raver and his extended family.
www.legacy.com/us/obituarie...