Authentic gratitude is enough of an acknowledgment to foster self-esteem without leading to the kind of dependency on others that "good job" seems to do.

As we learn more about executive function skills and as we begin to promote them, it is clear that we can make progress on some of America's more enduring challenges.

Although there are times when learning is more cognitive than social or more emotional than cognitive, when children are fully engaged in learning, they are engaged on all these levels.

It's been a stellar couple of weeks for the U.S. Department of Education. And how often do we get to use that adjective for an agency ever under the gun?

In the words of one New Jersey school principal: "Early childhood is where it all begins. We have been charged with the most difficult challenge: teaching our students to read and love learning."

Still, one mother's lengthy and impassioned defense of her child rearing and approach to literacy speaks volumes about the intersection of education policy and parental anxiety.

Even the poorest parents, unable to afford programs and devices and special educational applications, can harness the power of talking.