On Substack, Pamela Cantor, M.D. explores what happens to the developing brain when AI removes the struggle that builds real expertise — and why the friction we're tempted to eliminate is exactly what makes us who we become.

April 2026

Pamela Cantor, M.D., writes about how human connection and shared rituals can support healing, safety, and well-being for AASA School Administrator.

March 2026

Pamela Cantor, M.D. spoke as part of the Connected for Kids national launch webinar, hosted by Child Trends. The event brought together leaders from education, youth development, health, and philanthropy to introduce a shared framework for helping children flourish.

November 13, 2025

A Forbes article by Talia Milgrom-Elcott, leader of Beyond100K, highlights the science of optimism and how it can transform lives. Quoting Pamela Cantor, M.D., the article describes the link between our actions and biological resilience, emphasizing a commitment to meaningful steps that unlock human potential.

Pamela Cantor, M.D., explains the biology of learning and its connection to belonging in this video from History Co:Lab as part of the Building Belonging Project, a product of the Jacobs Foundation and New America’s Learning Sciences Exchange (LSX) fellowship.

Eric Tucker reflects on Pamela Cantor, M.D.’s keynote at the Advancing Artificial Intelligence, Measurement and Assessment System Innovation Summit. Like scientific revolutions of the past, Dr. Cantor contends that we need a paradigm shift in understanding and measuring human learning and development.

In a world where uncertainty seems to be the only constant, maintaining a positive outlook is more crucial than ever. A Forbes article by Talia Milgrom-Elcott, leader of Beyond100K, delves into the power of optimism as a solution to 2024's complexities and challenges and shares insights from Pamela Cantor, M.D.

A framework for the development of skills children need for success in school and beyond.

The struggle to overcome learning loss and build resiliency.

In a keynote speech, Pamela Cantor, M.D. explores how human connections wire the brain and fuel learning.

April 21-23, 2023

Reimagining education in the United States.

National PTA Podcast, featuring Pamela Cantor, M.D., on how to help your child through crises.

Every human skill in every person has a developmental range, but the sad fact is that most of us never get to explore the upper limits, whether in classrooms, in sports, or in the arts.

New research in youth and adolescent development and what it means for creating learning contexts that truly support and nurture the whole child.

Renee Prince, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), leverages research and trends in the mental health field to ensure that Turnaround for Children’s (now the Center for Whole Child Education at ASU) tools and services are informed by current clinical knowledge of trauma-informed practices.

Does an environment that is equitable for one child necessarily mean it becomes unequitable for another? Where is the balance, and how does it get struck?

Putting the Science of Learning and Development Into Action

How children develop through a system of dynamic relationships and the collective set of contexts that they experience across their life spans.

Diana De Corte and Alexei Nichols on how Turnaround for Children's Well-Being Index works at their K-5 school in the Bronx.

Christina Theokas explains why Turnaround for Children developed its Well-Being Index.

Part 1 of a conversation with Margaret Beale Spencer about human vulnerability, resilience and context, which are concepts that Professor Spencer, University of Chicago, has spent her career studying and addressing.

Giving students time to explore ideas with no immediate grade pressure helps motivate them to be creative and take intellectual risks.

In order to learn, students need to feel safe, cared for, and emotionally connected to their teachers and each other.

Letting students choose books to read helps them develop a sense of autonomy and ownership over their learning.

By regularly reviewing students’ behavior and learning as a team, teachers can ensure that every student is seen, supported, and celebrated.

For many struggling students, consistently spending informal time with a trusted educator supports emotional well-being and academic growth.

Research shows that greeting students as they come into class bolsters a feeling of belonging and readiness to learn.

Research shows that students who feel safe and supported by adults at school are better able to learn.

When students make “I notice” and “I wonder” comments on course content, teachers can see what they know—and what they need to learn.

When students help create their classrooms' rules and culture, they’re more engaged and invested in learning.

When teachers use strategies tailored to children who have experienced trauma, all students reap the emotional and academic benefits.

Research shows that taking some time each day to practice mindfulness as a class helps students prepare themselves for learning.

Research shows that taking some time each day to practice mindfulness as a class helps students prepare themselves for learning.

When teachers model self-regulation by using a voice that is calm, neutral, and assertive, they help students feel cared for—and ready to learn.

Explicitly modeling the process of prioritizing tasks builds students’ ability to organize and manage their time.

The key is giving students the decision-making tools they need to shape their own learning experiences.

Students deepen their understanding and build a sense of community by engaging with their peers’ reasoned arguments.

Sentence starters that students use to join a class discussion encourage both academic thinking and social connectedness.

A synthesis of the role of relationships and key macro and micro-contexts—poverty, racism, families, communities, schools, and peers—in supporting and/or undermining the healthy development of children and youth, using a relational developmental systems framework.

A synthesis of foundational knowledge from multiple scientific disciplines regarding how humans develop in context.

NBC News' Hoda Kotbe interviews Pamela Cantor, M.D., actress Goldie Hawn, Superintendent Dr. Meria Joel Carstarphen, and Principal Peter DeWitt on what it takes to build safe and supportive schools.

Children exposed to a traumatic event may be at higher risk for developing mental disorders.