Children's experiences during early childhood are critical for their cognitive and socio-emotional development, two key dimensions of human capital. However, children from low income backgrounds often grow up lacking stimulation and basic investments, leading to developmental deficits that are difficult, if not impossible, to reverse later in life…

This book is an exploration of story and its importance in early childhood. It provides a thorough theoretical foundation, and considers how to practically implement the use of stories to aid children's wellbeing and holistic development. The chapters cover topics including cognitive and emotional development, creativity, play, mathematics,…

Recent genetic discoveries offer a new lens through which to study cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and social processes that are foundational to children's development. In this article, we review the latest advances in genomics--genome-wide association studies and the polygenic scores that have come out of them--and discuss how these techniques…

Most students meet Shakespeare in middle or high school, on a page in a book in an English classroom. This first encounter is a disservice to the students themselves and to Shakespeare: Shakespeare's plays are works of both literature and theatre, and should be taught as such. A performance-based teaching approach not only provides high school…

A meta-analysis is a statistical method for combining the results of primary studies on the same topic. Meta-analyses play a significant role in scientific research particularly in the field of gifted education in which the study results rely on small samples, imprecise measurements, and heterogeneity. This overview provides a thematic analysis…

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased already-high stress and anxiety levels among students. In addition to the health dangers of the virus, and the sense of worry and hopelessness some families are experiencing due to job losses, school closures have caused many students to lose a source of stability and support. All plans to support students, both…

Background: The development of prosocial behavior is a significant aspect of children's social well-being. From the perspective of positive psychology, subjective well-being (SWB) "in school" is likely a particularly relevant construct in elementary school-aged children's prosocial development. Research on the relation between SWB in…

The present study investigated the role of children's social and emotional functioning on their academic success in preschool. Data was collected from 81 children, and their teachers, in preschool programs in a Western Canadian municipality. Children completed measures of receptive language and academic functioning; teachers independently…

In this review, the background to the construct of Emotional Intelligence and its more widely accepted perspectives are presented. The scientific literature on the relationship between dance and Emotional Intelligence was obtained from the Web of Science (58) and Scopus (5) databases, and the results of these investigations were analysed. Dance is…

Families and caregivers should consider using positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) in their homes on a daily basis. It is especially helpful when events disrupt normal routines--events like worldwide health pandemics. This practice brief provides recommendations for families and caregivers on how to use PBIS to continue to support…

"Steps to Schoolwide Success" makes a powerful case for the implementation of a school reform that bridges academic and social-emotional learning systems in high schools. Based on a multi-year project in Broward County, Florida, the book describes how the biggest difference in academic success from school to school was not in…

This companion guide is intended to be used in conjunction with the Socio-Emotional Learning (SEL) Integration Approach School Leader and Educator Self-Reflection Tools. This companion guide focuses on the following area of reflection: Coach students as they practice, generalize, and apply their skills and mindsets in a variety of complex, new,…

This document describes plans for the analysis of the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE) follow-up data collected when participating children were in kindergarten or first grade. The overarching goal of MIHOPE is to provide information about whether families and children benefit from Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood…

Introduction: Children's social and emotional wellbeing is associated with subsequent academic achievement and behavioural outcomes, as well as functioning in later life. Nurturing approaches are one way of developing such wellbeing. Whole-school approaches to nurturing have been discussed in the literature, but no studies of any quality have…

Empathy and executive functions (EFs) are multimodal constructs that enable individuals to cope with their environment. Both abilities develop throughout childhood and are known to contribute to social behavior and academic performance in young adolescents. Notably, mentalizing and EF activate shared frontotemporal brain areas, which in previous…