Deborah Leong is professor emerita of psychology at Metropolitan State University of Denver where she taught for 37 years. She is co-founder and executive director of Tools of the Mind, a curriculum and professional development program that was developed more that 25 years ago for early childhood classrooms to improve how children learn and how teachers teach. Dr. Leong also has extensive experience working on and publishing about early childhood assessment and standards. In this episode, we discuss the history and development of Tools of the Mind, brain development and the importance of play, and the role of assessment in early childhood settings.
Back-to-School with Early School Success: Learning Across Districts
What works in one school system may look different in another. At the 2026 ESS Back-to-School Kickoff, educators and district leaders explored what they can learn from those differences and bring back to their own communities.