The Harvard Family Research Project separated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education to become the Global Family Research Project as of January 1, 2017. It is no longer affiliated with Harvard University.
D.C. School Reform Targets Early Lessons (The Washington Post, 11/11/11)
November 18, 2011
Read more about Tools of the Mind
Making Data Come Alive for Families Through Young Children’s Play
Breaking New Ground: Data Systems Transform Family Engagement in Education
The Washington Post recently covered the City of Washington D.C.’s implementation of Tools of the Mind—a curriculum for preschool, pre-K, and kindergarten classes—in 28 D.C. schools. The curriculum is adapted from the work of Russian psychologist Lev Vygotsky, who advocated play as the key to learning. D.C. is implementing Tools of the Mind as part of a new curriculum based on the Common Core Standards.
The Washington Post described Tools of the Mind as different from curricula that focus on academic achievement through rote drills in that Tools of the Mind embeds lessons in reading and math in the context of play.
The Post interviewed Harvard Family Research Project’s (HFRP) founder and director Heather Weiss about Tools of the mind. “It gets away from the notion that we have to do academics or play," she said. "It puts learning in a play context.” Tools of the Mind has also been featured in two recent publications from HFRP (see sidebar for links).
Read “D.C. school reform targets early lessons” on The Washington Post website.