Research -- StepUp to Learn

The Neuroscience of Handwriting: Connecting Movement and Space Inside the Brain

The Neuroscience of Handwriting: Connecting Movement and Space Inside the Brain

Researchers take a deep dive into the brain networks used in handwriting.

Creating a "Can-Do" Kindergartener: Risky Play, Outdoor Play and Screen Time

Creating a "Can-Do" Kindergartener: Risky Play, Outdoor Play and Screen Time

How children's early screen time, outdoor play, and risky play experiences relate to developmental vulnerability in kindergarten.

Handwriting, Spelling, and Motivation: The Trifecta for Early Writing

Handwriting, Spelling, and Motivation: The Trifecta for Early Writing

At the end of the school year, Grade 1 students who did this produced higher quality writing.

Goldilocks Learning: Why You Need to Balance Effort and Ease

Goldilocks Learning: Why You Need to Balance Effort and Ease

Why balancing the complexity of the task and the effort devoted to learning is essential for optimized learning.

Boosting Math Scores? This Matters More Than Just Extra Instruction Time

Boosting Math Scores? This Matters More Than Just Extra Instruction Time

The link between instructional time, teaching quality and student math achievement.

The Power of Penmanship: How the Brain Benefits from Writing by Hand

The Power of Penmanship: How the Brain Benefits from Writing by Hand

A new study reveals how speed, clarity, and automaticity affect reading, writing, and math skills.

Rethinking How our Brains Use Categories to Make Sense of the World

Rethinking How our Brains Use Categories to Make Sense of the World

Challenging the traditional stimulus-cognition-response view of how the brain uses its ability to categorize. 

Imagination is More Than Sensory Replay

Imagination is More Than Sensory Replay

Higher‑level brain systems that interpret perception may play a central role in imagination.

Predictors of Handwriting Fluency and Legibility

Predictors of Handwriting Fluency and Legibility

Researchers explore fine motor skills, kinesthetic differentiation, and more.

Dream Engineering Can Help Solve ‘Puzzling’ Questions

Dream Engineering Can Help Solve ‘Puzzling’ Questions

Scientists at Northwestern University found a way to plant ideas in dreams to boost creativity.

The Problem with Word Problems: Are Pictures the Answer?

The Problem with Word Problems: Are Pictures the Answer?

A deep dive into whether or not pictures help elementary students' performance on math word problems.

Building Bridges: How the Reading-Writing Connection Boosts Early Literacy

Building Bridges: How the Reading-Writing Connection Boosts Early Literacy

Exploring how reading and writing develop together in students from kindergarten to third grade.