Small Talks, No. 20
July 23, 2021
Welcome to the twentieth edition of Small Talks. Every Friday, I highlight 6 areas of weekly joys and reflections in early childhood and the whole family. Small Talks leverages my experience at the intersection of education, philanthropy and impact investing. Enjoy!
What I’m celebrating -
What a title “The Dynastic Benefits of Early Childhood Education”… This new paper by Nobel Prize Jim Heckman and Jorge Luis Garcia calculates the benefits of the Perry Preschool Project for the *dynasty* (first generation + children), and *extended dynasty* (first generation + children + siblings). The ratio of program benefits to costs is over 9x.
“Historic Crisis, Historic Opportunity” is a new report summarizing 63 high-quality studies of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on young children’s learning. Sobering data: the share of young children not meeting reading benchmarks increased from 28% to 47% during the pandemic (data across 41 states). Excellent summary by Mark Swartz at Early Learning Nation.
Continued extraordinary global activity in edtech. Latest is the acquisition by Byju, the largest edtech company in the world based in India, of US-based Epic! Byju also announced the launch of early learning apps in partnership with Disney.
What I’m listening to -
“The fight for childcare starts at home” with Eve Rodsky on how to create more cooperative homes and families.
What I’m reading -
Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education by Justin Reich. Reich starts the book with how technology has failed to transform education. He concludes, however, that technology does have a crucial role to play in the future of education.
What I’m watching -
This TED Talk by 7-year old Molly on how every child can thrive by 5. "What if I was to tell you that a game of peek-a-boo could change the world?”, she asks.
What I’m learning and exploring more deeply -
Thought-provoking piece: Is college a class status/class signifier?
New analysis by the Rapid-EC team asks who is providing for child care providers. Child care is critical for families' well-being, yet providers earn low wages and have been experiencing economic hardship & emotional distress.
“What changes families need to recover from the past year” by Jackie Mader at The Hechinger Report highlights that one-fourth of families with young children still can’t pay bills or afford basic needs.
Quote I am pondering -
“I never lose. I either win or learn.”
— Nelson Mandela (honoring Mandeba’s birth on July 18, 2018).
Feedback is a gift. Which part above is your favorite? What did I miss? What do you want more or less of? Other recommendations? Please kindly let me know. Thank to all all of you who are sending me amazing suggestions.
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Have a wonderful week. Please stay safe and care for each other.
Isabelle