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.  
Guided play advances cognitive skills like language and reading, as well as social skills like emotion regulation.
In the last 20 years, advances in the sciences of infant development have allowed us to view the processes of early word learning for the first time.
Investment in early childhood is a moral imperative that also saves society from 7 to 14 dollars for every dollar spent.
The Official Website of
DR. KATHY HIRSH-PASEK

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.  

Learn more about Kathy >

  • “What ChatGPT can’t do: Educating for curiosity and creativity” – Brookings Institute Commentary, August 22, 2023

    “Earlier this year, a Fortune Magazine headline proclaimed that “The next era of work will be about skills – not pedigree,” suggesting that employers are moving away from standard indicators of potential employee success, like college degrees and years of experience, and prioritizing tangible skills. At the same time, the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) bots that can write like Shakespeare and win art competitions has led to concerns that technology will make many current jobs obsolete. These changes represent a seismic shift in the future of the workplace. Rather than job-specific knowledge and skills, students will need to do what AI bots can’t do—be curious and creative.” READ MORE…

  • The new Active Playful Learning Study!

    With the support of the LEGO Foundation, we are bringing an evidence based and integrated whole child approach of playful learning to elementary classrooms in a select number of states that better prepares our children for their dynamic futures. Our goal is to not only help teachers, schools, and districts provide evidence-based guided play experiences, but to contribute to a systematic change in mindset about the value of and commitment to providing their children the opportunities to learn and grow through active, meaningful, socially interactive, iterative, and joyful experiences. Learn more HERE…

  • “Forever young: The rise of the ‘kidults’” – Connecticut Public Radio/ WNPR, August 14, 2023

    Who would have guessed that 25% of the toy market goes to adults buying kid toys for adults. It’s a new trend – kidadults? Check out this podcast where Kathy discusses “kidults” HERE…

  • “Temple leads study to reimagine elementary school” – Axios Philadelphia, July 24, 2023

    “Temple professor Kathy Hirsh-Pasek sees an educational crisis in the U.S. that saps joy out of learning and turns students into rote memorizers.” READ MORE…

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Some of Kathy's books include:

  • Making Schools Work
    Bringing the Science of Learning to Joyful Classroom Practice
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  • 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
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  • User’s Manual for the Quick Interactive Language Screener™ (QUILS™)
    A measure of Vocabulary, Syntax, and Language Acquisition Skills in Young Children
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  • Becoming Brilliant:
    What Science Tells Us About Raising Successful Children
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  • A Mandate for Playful Learning in Preschool:
    Presenting the Evidence
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Kathy is a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she contributes articles to her Blog on a regular basis.

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