Kathy Hirsh-Pasek

Much of Hirsh-Pasek's work has been dedicated to bridging the gap between developmental and educational research and applications. Hirsh-Pasek was one of the investigators on the acclaimed National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development,[2] co-authored the language and literacy curricula for the State of California Preschools, and serves as an advisor on the National Institute of Health Toolbox initiative. She was co-creator of the moral development curricula, An Ethical Start,[3] and speaks widely on ways to translate primary research findings into practice for young children. She consults worldwide on educational policy and works with children’s media, the toy industry, children’s museums and children’s libraries. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), and the National Institutes of Health and Human Development, among other institutions.[4] An advocate of the importance of play and playful education in early childhood, she is a founder and member of the executive committee of The Ultimate Block Party, which drew more than 50,000 people to its inaugural event at Central Park in New York City in October 2010.[5][6][7] Hirsh-Pasek is a member of the Research Council for America’s Promise, an organization started by Colin Powell, and has appeared as a spokesperson on play and early development for national media like NPR and The New York Times.[4]

Before coming to Temple, Hirsh-Pasek had served on the faculties of Rutgers University, Swarthmore College, and Haverford College.[8]

Hirsh-Pasek has three sons: Dr. Josh Pasek, Dr. Michael H. Pasek, and composer Benj Pasek.[9]

Hirsh-Pasek is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society.[10] Her book Einstein Never used Flashcards: How Children Really Learn and Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less (Rodale, 2004) won the Books for Better Life Award for best psychology book.[10] Her latest book, Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us about Raising Successful Children (2016), was on The New York Times best seller list in both education and parenting, and a bronze medal winner of the Living Now Book Awards for Parenting. She and her longtime collaborator Roberta Michnick Golinkoff from the University of Delaware were joint recipients of the 2009 American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Distinguished Service to Psychological Science[11] and the 2011 Urie Bronfenbrenner Award for Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society from the American Psychological Association.[12] She is also the recipient of the Association for Psychological Science (APS) James McKeen Cattell Award, the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD) Distinguished Scientific Contributions to Child Development Award.[13]

Hirsh-Pasek received her BS summa cum laude in psychology and music from the University of Pittsburgh and her PhD in human development from the University of Pennsylvania.

• A Mandate for playful learning in preschool: Presenting the evidence. (co-authored with R. M., Golinkoff, L. Berk, & D. Singer, D. 2009)[14]
• Celebrate the scribble: Appreciating children’s art. (co-authored with R. M. Golinkoff, 2007)
• Play=Learning: How play motivates and enhances children’s cognitive and social-emotional growth (co-edited with D. Singer & R.M. Golinkoff)
• Action meets word: How children learn verbs (co-edited with R.M. Golinkoff, 2006)
• Child Care and Child Development: Results from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (co-edited with NICHD Study of Early Child Care Network, 2005)[2][15]
• Einstein never used flashcards: How our children really learn and why they need to play more and memorize less. (co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 2003)
• Becoming a word learner: A debate on lexical acquisition. (co-edited with R.M. Golinkoff, N. Akhtar, L.Bloom, G. Hollich, (2000)
• Breaking the language barrier: An emergentist coalition model for the origins of word learning. (co-authored with G. Hollich & R.M. Golinkoff, 2000)
• How babies talk: The magic and mystery of language acquisition (co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 1999)
• The Origins of grammar: Evidence from comprehension. (Co-authored with R.M. Golinkoff, 1996)
• Academic instruction in early childhood: Challenge or pressure? (co-edited with L. Rescorla and M. Hyson)[16]
• Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells Us about Raising Successful Children (Golinkoff & Hirsh-Pasek, 2016)[17]

• Temple Infant Lab
• MindChamps