Center for Whole-Child Education

Center for Whole-Child Education Turnaround for Children is now the Center for Whole-Child Education at ASU’s MLF Teachers College

There is no such thing as an average reader.🧠 Adolescent development is nonlinear 📚 Literacy journeys are unique 🌱 Stude...
03/11/2026

There is no such thing as an average reader.

🧠 Adolescent development is nonlinear
📚 Literacy journeys are unique
🌱 Students grow on different timelines

When schools design learning for the whole child, they create space for every learner to thrive.Equity means designing learning that flexes — not forcing students into a single path.

Over the past month, I’ve joined two national conversations at Arizona State University:✨ Rethinking school safety throu...
03/06/2026

Over the past month, I’ve joined two national conversations at Arizona State University:

✨ Rethinking school safety through the SHARE convening
✨ Exploring AI, education, and industry at the Future-Proofing Human Flourishing gathering

Different topics—but the same takeaway:

🧠 The future of education must center human development.
Whether we’re creating safer schools or navigating the rise of AI, the science of learning and development helps guide how we build systems that support belonging, cognitive growth, and well-being.

At the Center for Whole-Child Education, our work focuses on translating this science into practical tools and strategies so schools can create the conditions where students—and the adults who support them—can truly flourish.

🤖 AI may transform how we learn and work—but it can’t replace the conditions humans need to develop, belong, and flouris...
03/05/2026

🤖 AI may transform how we learn and work—but it can’t replace the conditions humans need to develop, belong, and flourish.

Last week (Feb 24–26), I joined leaders at Arizona State University for the convening “Future-Proofing Human Flourishing: The Convergence of AI, Education, and Industry.”

I had the opportunity to speak on a panel about leveraging the Science of Learning and Development to accelerate human flourishing in the age of AI.

As AI reshapes education and the workforce, one question matters more than ever:
✨ How do we keep human development at the center of how we design learning environments and systems?

The science of learning and development gives us a powerful foundation for answering that question—ensuring that innovation strengthens the conditions young people need to thrive.

Earlier this month (Feb 5–6), our team joined colleagues at for the inaugural SHARE Initiative convening, where leaders...
03/04/2026

Earlier this month (Feb 5–6), our team joined colleagues at for the inaugural SHARE Initiative convening, where leaders from across the country came together to rethink school safety.

✨ One message stood out: students cannot learn if they do not feel safe.

Safety is about more than physical security. It’s also about:
💛 Belonging
🤝 Supportive relationships
🌱 Environments designed for healthy development

At the Center for Whole-Child Education , we ground our work in the science of learning and development—helping schools create the conditions where students can truly flourish.

🧠There is no “academic brain” separate from a “social-emotional brain.” 🔥🔥🔥Learning is integrated — cognitive, social, a...
03/02/2026

🧠There is no “academic brain” separate from a “social-emotional brain.” 🔥🔥🔥

Learning is integrated — cognitive, social, and emotional systems work together as brain networks, not isolated parts.

We can’t separate decoding from regulation, or comprehension from belonging.

📚Whole-child literacy reflects how brains actually learn.

🧠 Stress changes how the brain learns.Chronic, unbuffered stress floods the brain with cortisol — making focus, memory, ...
02/25/2026

🧠 Stress changes how the brain learns.

Chronic, unbuffered stress floods the brain with cortisol — making focus, memory, and literacy harder.

❤️‍🔥 Trusting relationships increase oxytocin, which helps turn down stress and open the brain to learning.

Relationships don’t just feel good. They work at a neurobiological level.

🧠 Brain development doesn’t happen in isolation.❤️‍🔥 During adolescence, social experiences play a major role in shaping...
02/16/2026

🧠 Brain development doesn’t happen in isolation.

❤️‍🔥 During adolescence, social experiences play a major role in shaping how the brain develops, regulates stress, and engages in learning.

🥰 Relationships aren’t an “add-on” to instruction — they are the context that makes learning possible.

📚 Literacy grows where trust lives 📚

✨ New Year. Same commitment to whole children/learners✨As we step into a new year, we’re holding onto what matters most:...
01/06/2026

✨ New Year. Same commitment to whole children/learners✨

As we step into a new year, we’re holding onto what matters most:
💛 relationships
🧠 learning rooted in science
🌱 environments where young people—and educators—can thrive

This season isn’t about resolutions or perfection. It’s about reconnecting, resetting, and continuing the meaningful work of supporting the whole-child, one day at a time.

We’re grateful to learn alongside educators across the country—and we’re excited for what we’ll build together in the year ahead.

Here’s to a year of curiosity, care, and collective growth. 💫

AdolescentLiteracy WellBeing TeachingCommunity

Address

ASU Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
Tempe, AZ
85287

Telephone

(646) 786-6200

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Center for Whole-Child Education posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Center for Whole-Child Education:

Shortcuts

Share

Category