A Professor of Psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Hirsh-Pasek was declared a “scientific entrepreneur” by the American Association of Psychology. Writing 14 books and 250+ publications, her Einstein Never Used Flashcards won the Book for a Better Life Award in 2003 with her Becoming Brilliant (2016) reaching the NYTimes Best Sellers List in education. Co-founder of the global Learning Science Exchange Fellowship, she brings together scientists, journalists, policy makers and entertainers, to put learning science in the hands of educators. Her newest initiative Playful Learning Landscapes re-imagines cities and public squares as places with science infused designs that enhance academic and social opportunities. Read her newest book Making Schools Work: Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice (2022) co-written by teachers, school administrators and scientists to bring about joyful teaching and deeper learning.
“Kids Being Advised to Stay Indoors Could Mark ‘Horrible Turn for Society’” – Newsweek, May 2, 2025
“‘Less outside time has other lasting impacts on children as well.’ Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, told Newsweek that it could lead to higher screentime for young kids. ‘Being indoors means less nature, it means less movement, and it means more time on screens,’ she said.”… READ MORE…
“Coming home to a foreign land” – The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 26, 2025
Kathy’s editorial was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “For the past seven weeks, my academic sabbatical took me to Chile and Australia. In the normal course of things, seven weeks is not a long time. But times are not normal, and the country I left is vastly different from the one I returned home to. As a professor and scientist, I was quickly privy to a list of newly forbidden words. Terms like women, community, and diversity were declared out. Headlines suggest that language implying kindness, caring, friendship, family, and hope were replaced by those of revenge, cruelty, and hate. Stanford professor and social psychologist Philip Zimbardo warned us of the Lucifer Effect — times when situational contexts make good people act in evil ways. The U.S. climate today is ripe for spreading cruelty and indifference. Why are we not outraged that a U.S. citizen can be arrested with no warrant, or that the laws of the land can be flagrantly ignored? Have we become indifferent?” READ MORE…
“Renowned child psychologist Dr Kathy Hirsh-Pasek speaks on the value of guided play” – The Sector, March 19, 2025
“Dr Kathy Hirsh-Pasek has a global reputation for her insights on child psychology and play based learning, recently visiting Australia for the first time to share her insights at a Western Sydney University.” READ MORE…
“Philly pilot program brings playful learning installations to affordable housing communities” – WHYY, February 7, 2025
“The Live and Learn pilot program is installing playful learning spaces and activities at two affordable housing sites in North Philadelphia.” READ MORE…
The latest tweets on Science & Learning
A fabulous overview article by our very own @blhassinger who shows the collective power of Playful Learning Landscapes! #playfullearning @playfullearng @JournalUrbanism https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/UZMJ7EBPJB4TREFQRI3Q/full?target=10.1080/17549175.2024.2394197#abstract
AI is an exquisitely good synthesizer but not an exquisitely good thinker. Thank you @Makai Allbert for this article. https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/when-smartphones-get-smarter-do-we-get-dumber-5704863?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=ZeroHedge&src_src=partner&src_cmp=ZeroHedge
We are so excited to launch in Santa Ana! @UCIrvine @playfullearng @Bustamante_AS #PlayfulLearningLandscapes https://news.uci.edu/2024/08/12/uc-irvine-school-of-education-to-host-ribbon-cutting-for-playful-learning-landscapes/
Kathy's work appears in news publications around the world.
Check out some of the latest...
“Kids Being Advised to Stay Indoors Could Mark ‘Horrible Turn for Society’” – Newsweek, May 2, 2025
“‘Less outside time has other lasting impacts on children as well.’ Dr. Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, a professor of psychology at Temple University and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, told Newsweek that it could lead to higher screentime for young kids. ‘Being indoors means less nature, it means less movement, and it means more time on screens,’ […]
Read full story >
“Coming home to a foreign land” – The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 26, 2025
Kathy’s editorial was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “For the past seven weeks, my academic sabbatical took me to Chile and Australia. In the normal course of things, seven weeks is not a long time. But times are not normal, and the country I left is vastly different from the one I returned home to. […]
Read full story >
“Renowned child psychologist Dr Kathy Hirsh-Pasek speaks on the value of guided play” – The Sector, March 19, 2025
“Dr Kathy Hirsh-Pasek has a global reputation for her insights on child psychology and play based learning, recently visiting Australia for the first time to share her insights at a Western Sydney University.” READ MORE…
Read full story >
Some of Kathy's books include:
Making Schools WorkBringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice
User’s Manual for the Quick Interactive Language Screener™: English–Spanish (QUILS™: ES)A Measure of Vocabulary, Syntax, and Language Acquisition Skills in Young Bilingual Children
User’s Manual for the Quick Interactive Language Screener™ (QUILS™)A measure of Vocabulary, Syntax, and Language Acquisition Skills in Young Children
Becoming Brilliant:What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children
A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool:Presenting the Evidence
Stay in the know
Kathy is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she contributes articles to her Blog on a regular basis.