Families making up to $350K never pay more than $16,350 per child or 15% of AGI, whichever is less. Private Jewish day school is now shockingly affordable.
See how affordable it is samisfoundation.org/jewish-day-school-affordability-seattle/
Learning 2025/2026
FEATURES
Has EdTech Delivered for Kids? 7
The “laptop for every student” approach isn’t paying off the way it was supposed to
Tips to Get Kids Kindergarten Ready 15 Put away the flash cards. Getting kids ready for school is way more fun than you think
Current State of Anti-Racist Education 21
Among a rising tide of obstruction and misinformation, where do Washington schools stand?
Playing Games 33
Educators lean in on edutainment as a way to compete for kids’ attention
“When
“Uninterrupted play is truly a gift . . . It builds a scaffolding around children as they develop the confidence and ability to learn.”
More history classes. The fascinating stories of history were buried in memorizing all those dates and names when I was a kid. But as an adult, I have learned to appreciate them.
I think I would have liked being a band kid. I was a choir kid instead, and thoroughly enjoyed it!
French! For fun, I am learning it now, but wish I had the same foundations I do with Spanish. (My brain still defaults to Spanish, even when I’m trying to speak French.)
EDITORIAL
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I wish I had taken more art classes, especially pottery! (Admittedly, I still might sign up for one.) — Meredith Charaba, family fun editor
I wish I’d kept up with my French classes (and taken them more seriously, too).
I wish I would have taken more hands-on classes. My high school had an auto repair class and I’d love to have those skills now!
Theater! I did it in college but was so selfconscious in high school I could never!
LEARNING 2025/26
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PARENTMAP EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
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Chart your own path
At Washington’s charter public schools, students map out their own journey and shape an education that reflects their passions. Through hands-on learning, specialized focus areas, and real-world career preparation, these free public schools empower every student to build a roadmap to college, career, and beyond. Here, students aren’t just following a curriculum— they’re charting bold new directions for what education can be.
The False Promises of EdTech
Technology promised to hook students on learning. It did the opposite.
By Jenna Vandenberg
For the past two decades, teachers were promised that technology was the new frontier in education. Even as parents were urged by the American Academy of Pediatrics to limit screen time, educators across Puget Sound were encouraged to implement new technology, ultimately increasing total screen time. Kids like technology, the argument goes, so lessons delivered on a screen will be a boon to learning. Once every student had a device, it was assumed that classroom engagement would skyrocket, learning would flourish and kids would have the 21st-century skills needed to succeed.
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continued from page 7
It was all a mirage.
The promise
Educational technology (often referred to as EdTech) companies (businesses that build apps, websites and online courses for schools, teachers and parents) have long claimed their products build knowledge and make learning personalized and fun.
Many independent studies have shown that students who frequently use computers at school did not show improved performance . . .
In addition to the fun and games, EdTech claims to help teachers. Students would get extra and faster help through auto-graded assignments, lessons assigned with a mere click, chatbots to answer student questions and special features on websites.
All these technological promises sound very cool. It seems like a great idea to have online textbooks with translation and reading assistance features. Instructional videos and hyperlinks could help struggling students. Student groups having the ability to seamlessly collaborate on shared documents should make group work easier. Posting assignments online is fabulous for keeping families in the loop.
The reality
But as it turns out, many students don’t use the special textbook features. They don’t watch supplemental instructional videos. Online group projects still often feature one student doing all the work.
Many independent studies have shown that students who frequently use computers at school did not show improved performance, even after accounting for social background and student demographics. In fact, math, reading and science
scores continue to decline in the United States.
In social psychologist and author of “The Anxious Generation” Jonathan Haidt’s After Babel Substack, neuroscientist and educator Jared Cooney Hovrath wrote “when using a computer for homework, students typically last fewer than 6 minutes before accessing social media, messaging friends and engaging with other digital distractions. This is why, when using a laptop during class, students typically spend 38 minutes of every hour off-task.” Increased technology is responsible for attentional problems, low-quality sleep, worsening eye conditions and a slew of mental health problems.
“We actually expected to find a little more data supporting tech in schools,” says Amy Tyson, MSW, LISW-S, and
The reality is, nobody knows what technology will be useful to students in the future.
cofounder of Everyschool, which was created to share EdTech research and spread awareness about digital wellness.
“We haven’t found it yet. There is no data-driven reason why you need to use technology in your classroom. I’ve paid such close attention to this work in the last seven years, and I just keep hearing the same false promises.”
Shouldn’t schools be preparing students for real-world technology?
Despite all this research, teachers are still encouraged or required to use
gamified apps, online textbooks, learning management platforms and AI. Often, the rationale is that technological know-how is a required life skill.
After two decades in education, fifth-grade teacher Adrian Neibauer reflected on his task to bring students into the 21st century. “I often wonder if I had resisted adopting 1:1 devices, gamified apps, learning management systems, and all things Google, how would my students fare today?” He wishes he’d resisted. This year, his classroom will move away from devices.
The reality is, nobody knows what technology will be useful to students in the future. Five years ago, teaching kids about coding and computer programming was all the rage. Now, it’s a career likely to be obliterated by AI.
continued from page 9 Fighting technology addiction
Schoolwork requires deep thinking and struggling with the unknown. When brains work on tough tasks, they are often searching for something easier to do.
When sophomores are balancing chemical equations, or preteens are reading complex articles, all their brains are wired to look for something more fun to do. Anything online will suffice. Students required to do deep thinking in front of a computer have to constantly fight against their brain.
Students know this. “When I need to get to work,” says a 10th-grade student in Everett, “I get out my writing utensil and ask for an actual piece of paper.” She’s not alone. When an assignment is due at the end of the period, many students prefer physical books and printed-out instruction sheets. They know how they work best.
Misuse by schools and teachers
Teachers can let technology get away from them as well. For example, having students watch a
video and complete an online quiz makes for an easier day in the classroom.
But it’s only easier in the short term. Overused, technology erodes student-teacher relationships. If only mindless online work is assigned, students will recognize that effort is not required in class. Motivation, respect for the teacher and trust in the educational process will be lost. Chaos and animosity will reign supreme, while learning does a nosedive. No teacher wants that.
Perhaps the most egregious example of technological misuse in schools is online credit recovery courses. If a student fails a class, they can often make up that credit by taking an online course (Edgenuity, Plato and Apex are common platforms). Students spend a few days clicking through multiple-choice questions and copying AI-generated answers into boxes, and are then awarded class credit. Some students will purposefully fail an in-person class, knowing the online course will be much easier.
Of course, there are some upsides to incorporating technology into the classroom. Kids with
continued from page 11
learning disabilities might watch instructional videos at home and have concepts click into place upon review. For a student frequently absent with a chronic illness, online assignments can be the only way to keep up in class. Translation apps are essential for English learners. Like anything in education, different things work for different students. The trick is to allow that one student to access technology without allowing it to become the downfall of the rest of the class.
What is the answer?
Many schools and districts are moving toward cell phone-free classrooms. Some schools, teachers and the entire country of Sweden are going techfree for the youngest learners.
High school students do need technology. Most will graduate into jobs that require them to know their way around a laptop. Carefully-considered curriculum is essential. While the majority of learning (especially deep thinking tasks) should happen offline, schools must invest in digital citizenship courses and thoughtful integrations of technology.
Tyson compares this to driving. Just as the dangers of driving led to driver’s training courses and license requirements, students need preparation before interacting with technology. “Children need a solid three years of digital citizenship before they are handed an internet-connected device,” she says. “Children have to be developmentally ready to understand the consequences of this very weighty tool. It cannot be in third grade. They’re just not ready. It’s not developmentally appropriate for them to understand those risks and consequences.”
So many studies about how technology harms students and hinders learning were published pre-2020. Before AI. If there was cause for worry five or 10 years ago, that worry should be escalating to near-panic levels today. Researchers, teachers, and parents are sounding the alarm, and schools must react before more damage is done. ■
Jenna Vandenberg is a Seattle-based teacher, writer, runner and mom of two girls.
The Russian School of Mathematics is an award winning after-school math enrichment program for K-12 students. Our Fall math classes help children of all levels build a solid math foundation and develop critical-thinking and problem solving skills.
Kindergarten Readiness
Let Them Play
Covid babies are growing up. Here’s how to get them school ready
Story by Sharon Mead. Photos courtesy KidsQuest Museum
As parents gear up for the big leap into kindergarten, many wonder: Is my child really ready? It’s a valid and increasingly common concern, especially in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, only about 50 percent of incoming Washington kindergartners demonstrate readiness across key developmental markers. The reasons behind this gap are complex — and deeply human.
Many of today’s preschoolers are socalled “Covid babies,” born or raised during lockdowns and disruptions. So, you may wonder if your child had enough social settings like preschool, playgroups and family gatherings to prepare them for what’s required to enter kindergarten. And what about the academic requirements?
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What does “kindergarten ready” even mean?
Kindergarten readiness encompasses more than knowing letters or counting to 20. It’s a holistic assessment of a child’s development across six domains, according to the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) framework:
understanding that children develop at different paces. If a child is having difficulty making friends or navigating group routines, it may simply mean they need more time and practice to feel comfortable.
Play leads to readiness
What is one of the best ways to prepare young children for kindergarten? Play. And not just any play: intentional, independent play that promotes creativity, challenge, cooperation and problem- solving.
That’s exactly the kind of environment
Each domain plays a role in a child’s ability to thrive in a classroom. For example, a child may know their ABCs, but if they struggle to stand in line, share with others or handle transitions, they may not yet be ready to engage in a structured learning environment.
Kindergarten teachers don’t expect perfection, but they do look for signs of progress. Readiness is measured in tandem across all domains, with the
KidsQuest Children’s Museum in Bellevue provides. “When young kids play, they learn from one another,” explains Jamie Bonnett, the Museum’s Director of Education. “At 3, children play side-byside. But by age 4 or 5, they’re engaging more deeply with peers, working in cooperation and tackling more complex learning experiences. This enables learning to occur much more readily,”
KidsQuest programs are designed to help families build readiness naturally. Through classes and memberships, children revisit exhibits, dig deeper into the learning over time and engage with supportive staff. This consistency allows children to build relationships, try new things and practice the very skills they’ll need in school, such as
Where the world is your classroom
waiting their turn, asking for help and solving problems independently.
Parents also benefit. Observing children in different settings helps adults understand how their child learns best and which areas might need extra support. Plus, each exhibit at KidsQuest features signage that links activities to the specific developmental domains, offering adults insights to the way play connects to learning.
Why uninterrupted play matters
Whether it’s molding Play-Doh to strengthen fine motor muscles, role-playing to express emotions or constructing towers to explore math and physics, play is the foundation for learning. Through it, children develop executive functioning skills such as impulse control, focus and perseverance — critical tools for any future student.
“Uninterrupted play is truly a gift,” Bonnett says. “It builds a scaffolding around children as they develop the confidence and ability to learn.”
Readiness doesn’t happen in one day or one classroom. It’s built gradually, in museums, libraries, parks, preschools and living rooms as kids dig deeper into learning in the six domain
areas. Every outing, every social interaction and every chance to try and fail and try again helps shape a confident learner. And KidsQuest is a great resource for constructing that scaffolding that allows children to learn through thoughtfully-designed exhibits like the Story Tree, The Bellevue Mercantile, Recycle Rebuild and the Connections Gallery that engage and challenge young learners. KidsQuest also offers camps and early learning classes that help provide ongoing learning opportunities that go beyond just a visit to the Museum.
Parents can also provide growth opportunities for the up-and-coming kindergartner by providing opportunities at home to practice self-care with tasks such as getting dressed or using the bathroom independently. Taking time to read aloud with your child
each night (or as often as you can) will expand their vocabulary and improve their listening skills. And talking with your child about their day so they can ask questions will help them learn to process their thoughts and feelings. By including these daily behaviors along with independent and intentional play,
Play with PURPOSE!
Ignite curiosity, build confidence, and foster community through hands-on programs and events for children and families, all year long!
This fall, engage in educator-led early learning and after school classes that pack a playful punch. With 25+ unique exhibits, kids from crawling to school-age will discover joyful exploration around every corner.
But parents often ask: Am I doing enough? And the answer is: If you’re showing up, if you’re engaging your child in the world around them, you’re making a difference.
“Just getting out of the house and coming to KidsQuest is a huge step,” Bonnett adds. “You’re investing in your child. And it’s important to realize that your efforts matter. You made a good choice.” ■
Sharon Mead is a Seattle-native and an enthusiast when it comes to coffee, cooking, words, reading and the Mariners. After crafting marketing communications for corporate clients for more than 20 years, Sharon transitioned to writing and raising three kids, who give her plenty of fodder
Host your next celebration at KidsQuest!
Race in the Classroom
Teaching Truth
Washington schools are making strides, but there’s still more work to do
By Gemma Alexander
As the brunch crowd cleared out of a busy café, Jesse Hagopian was just warming up. Decades spent as a classroom teacher and anti-racist organizer showed in his conversation, peppered with buried history and delivered with the passion of a rally leader.
“Young people are scared to go to school,” he says, describing a climate where students fear immigration raids, teachers self-censor and book bans ripple across the country. “It’s truly terrifying to see.”
Even left-coast Washington’s classrooms are caught between a constitutional commitment to educate every child “without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste or sex,” and the rising national tide of political attacks against anti-racist teaching. While Washington has avoided what Hagopian calls “truth crime laws” — the sweeping book bans and curriculum restrictions that keep teachers from presenting facts about structural racism and oppression in America — he says most Washington students aren’t learning what they need.
“Education is not just about the grade that you get or the score you get on the test,” he says. “We need a whole different vision of education that’s about empowering them. It’s up to us to make sure that all schools are allowing students to have the difficult conversations about the problems in our society so we can fix it.”
Curriculum wars
The nation has seen an explosion in legislation banning DEI efforts in education and restricting classroom discussions of race. In March, President Trump signed an executive order to close the U.S. Department of Education, laying off half of its staff. Another executive order dictates curriculum, banning K–12 schools from teaching critical race theory — an academic framework not widely used in K–12 education that centers on the idea that racism is systemic — or “gender ideology,” on penalty of revoked federal funding and criminal prosecution.
Hagopian follows these developments closely. Formerly a teacher at Garfield High School in Seattle, he directs the Teaching for Black Lives campaign at the Zinn Education Project, edits Rethinking Schools magazine, and organizes community coalitions in Seattle that advocate for education and for Black Lives Matter in Schools. His book “Teach Truth: The Struggle for Anti-racist Education” was published in January.
“Trump has vowed to defund any school district that allows students to honestly engage in discussions of Black history and systemic racism. That threat has not yet been enacted, but it looms over our schools here in Seattle and across Washington state,” says Hagopian. “He also recently froze billions in funding. Some of continued from page 21
that money was released, but it shows that our schools are subject to the whims of a president who ultimately wants to eliminate public schools and replace them with a privatized system of vouchers and charters.”
In February, the U.S. Department of Education cut $600 million in grants to educators promoting “divisive ideologies” including “inappropriate and unnecessary topics such as critical race theory; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI); social justice activism; ‘anti-racism’; and instruction on white privilege and white supremacy.” These terms are often conflated and left undefined (Education Week provides an introduction to critical race theory) but for an educator like Hagopian, whose primary concern is quality education, it all comes down to preparing kids for adult life with accurate information.
Anti-racist education
“Anti-racist education is about identifying how systemic racism has been foundational to our country,” says Hagopian. Although some political factions deny systemic racism, the genocide of Native Americans, enslavement of Africans, and exploitation of immigrant workers in the U.S. are all well-documented facts.
Most parents don’t want their children to be racist and do want their kids to have the critical thinking skills that are so important to adult success. So how did anti-racist education become so controversial? Hagopian believes that its detractors are being disingenuous.
“Those who oppose anti-racist education like to say that critical race theory educators are indoctrinating students with their theory of society. They do this to hide their own theory of race that they would rather go unexamined. They want young people in this country to uncritically accept the status quo. We want them to critically examine how race has been constructed historically, and critically analyze how to challenge racism today,” says Hagopian.
Although history and social studies are obvious flashpoints, adults whose own education was “color blind” might not see how math class can or should relate to race. But according to Hagopian, antiracism should pervade the whole curriculum.
continued from page 23
“When they don’t see themselves in science and math and art, it’s hard to understand why they would want to invest the time and energy into that class. I think it starts with understanding the contributions that people of color have made to those academic disciplines and then identifying ways that academic discipline can contribute to an anti-racist project.” He gives the example of a colleague whose math students learn percentages by analyzing the city budget. They look at relative spending on social programs and policing and talk about what that means to the community.
“Their young people are eager to show up to class on time because they know it relates to their lives, and they can use the concepts to help them build a better world,” says Hagopian. Replacing rote memorization and ab-
stract concepts with engaging projects that allow students to see themselves as real-world problem-solvers benefits all children.
The state of anti-racist education in Washington
In many ways, Washington state is ahead of the curve on anti-racist education. Our state is not one of the 249 jurisdictions that introduced 870 anticritical race theory measures in the last four years. State Superintendent Chris Reykdal has strongly opposed Trump’s threats to control schools through funding cuts and publicly defied orders to eliminate DEI programs. In Seattle, the state’s largest district, community groups successfully campaigned in 2020 for an Ethnic Studies department and last year blocked the closure of nearly two dozen Seattle schools. Hagopian explains, “School closures have historically been a
net loss financially for Seattle public schools because we lose the per pupil funding of kids who leave the district.”
But Washington is not immune to the kinds of attacks seen elsewhere. Four Washington school districts have anticritical race theory policies, and one Washington library was nearly closed entirely for shelving books on gender and race. “There was a teacher in the Tri-Cities area who was threatened –somebody sent a threat saying they were going to show up to school and make her leave the classroom,” Hagopian says.
“One of the most chilling stats is not just that half of students go to schools where it’s illegal to teach the truth, but two-thirds of educators in this country have reported self-censoring around issues of race and gender out of fear of reprisals.” he says.
Logical + Imaginative + Intense +
Verbal + Observant + Hands-on
Although gifted children from all racial, cultural, and economic backgrounds exhibit these qualities every day, they still may be overlooked in class. Not so at Seattle Country Day School. We offer all our students an environment where they can ask questions, create, and grow intellectually and emotionally.
See if SCDS is right for your child at our open house on 11/13, or on one of our tours. Reach out today to admissions@seattlecountryday.org.
Seattle Country Day School
For gifted children, K–8 seattlecountryday.org/admissions
TheKineoSchool
continued from page 24 EDUCATION
Ultimately, though, Hagopian believes that complacency with the status quo is a bigger obstacle than political opposition.
“The predominant way that students are miseducated in Washington state is through lies of omission. Long before black history was explicitly banned, it was pushed out of the curriculum in corporate textbooks that never told our full story. The Union Army was losing the Civil War until Black people staged a general strike, and we don’t learn that. We don’t learn that formerly enslaved Black people knew that there was no emancipation without education and so they built public schools across the South. When we learn that the origins [of the education system] are from the Black freedom struggle, we look at this whole project of education differently. It’s not enough to just repeal truth crime laws or book bans. We have to transform education to make it about understanding the true history of this country that is too often hidden and whitewashed,” said Hagopian. ■
Seattle-based freelance writer Gemma Alexander focuses on the intersection of parenting and the arts. See more of her work at gemmadeealexander.com.
What parents can do
Pictureaplacewhereyourchild's uniquelearningstyle,includingthose shapedby ADHD or Autism,isn’tjust recognizedbutcelebratedand supportedeverystepoftheway.
Smallbydesign,accreditedK-5independent schoolinKirkland,WA. Weofferatailored,individualizedapproachthat empowerseverychildtoreachtheirfullpotential. Wewelcomeadiversemixofstudents,including neurodivergentlearners. Wemakeschoolafunandengagingexperience becauseweunderstandandadapttoeachchild’s learningstyle.
1/ Educate yourself. Start with Hagopian’s book “Teach Truth: The Struggle for Antiracist Education” to learn about the antiracist education movement and the challenges against it, and read Howard Zinn’s classic “A People’s History of the United States” to find out what your own high school history class left out.
continued on page 28
Contactusatinfo@kineoschool.org
Contact us at
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info@yellowwoodacademy.org yellowwoodacademy.org 206-236-1095
Still searching for the “why”?
If your child has multiple diagnoses, uneven skills, or doesn’t fit neatly in any one box—you’re not alone. What Makes Us Different?
• 1:1 care with a board-certified pediatric neuropsychologist
• In-depth evaluations that uncover the how and why behind learning, attention, and emotional challenges
• Expertise in twice-exceptional, neurodivergent, and misunderstood profiles
• Clear, actionable recommendations that help at home, at school, and in life
Explore geology and hands-on science experiences at our new Learning Lab in Edmonds!
ROCKS • MINERALS • FOSSILS
CLASSES • FIELD TRIPS
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
continued from page 26
2/ Support anti-racist teaching at your child’s school. Vocal parental support encourages educators to feel safe presenting anti-racist curriculum. Talk to your school’s administrators and ask if ethnic studies is integrated across subjects. Share the resources of the Zinn Education Project with them if they are not already familiar with it. Most teachers do not have training in antiracist teaching, so PTSAs can make an invaluable difference by raising money for teacher development, especially now that federal funding is shrinking.
3/ Get involved in Black Lives Matter at School. The Black Lives Matter at School movement holds a national week of action the first week of February. Find out if your child’s school participates and join the planning efforts for 2026 activities. If your school does not participate, join the PTSA and start a Black Lives Matter at School planning committee.
4/ Teach Truth Day of Action. Each year in early June, the Teach Truth Campaign engages in creative protest against truth crime laws and the erasure of people of color from history. Parents can research local histories that could not be taught under critical race theory bans and plan their own event or join ongoing local efforts such as historical walking tours visiting the sites of Freedom Schools organized during the Black student boycott of 1963.
5/ Form a Teaching for Black Lives study group. Teaching for Black Lives study groups are designed as free professional development opportunities for teachers, but anybody is welcome to submit a proposal. Each approved group receives teaching and study materials, a free subscription to Rethinking Schools magazine, and access to webinars and workshops. ■
PRESENTING SPONSOR:
2025–2026 Speaker Lineup
Hosted by Dr. Laura Kastner, Ph.D.
ParentMap is honored to present Laura Kastner as series host, guiding each speaker in an engaging, audience-driven Q&A. Dr. Kastner is a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington and author of the acclaimed “Getting to Calm” book series.
Cracking the Teen Code: Spot Trouble, Build Trust and Stay Connected | Oct. 23, 2025
Is your teen just being a teen, or is it something more?
Pediatric psychologist Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart joins us to distinguish typical adolescent behavior from early signs of mental health concerns. She’ll share practical communication tools to support your child while strengthening your bond.
“Many undesirable children’s behaviors are developmentally appropriate. These behaviors are stressful for you, but appropriate for them.” – Dr. Ann-Louise Lockhart
Raising Future-Ready Kids: What Every Parent Should Know About AI
Nov. 18, 2025
What will learning look like in five years — or even next fall? Join Sal Khan, visionary educator and founder of Khan Academy, for an urgent and inspiring conversation about the way AI is transforming education, what that means for your child’s learning and how you can help them adapt in a rapidly changing world.
Inside the ADHD Mind: Tools to Help Your Child Thrive
Jan. 21, 2026
Better understanding leads to better support. Join Dr. Sasha Hamdani, board-certified psychiatrist and ADHD specialist, for an insightful talk to help you decipher what’s really going on in your child’s brain. Discover how to spot ADHD symptoms, choose the right treatments and confidently support their mental health through everyday challenges.
From Blowups to Breakthroughs: A New Way to Navigate Anger in Kids
Feb. 10, 2026
Breathing exercises only get you so far; real progress happens when you understand the root cause of anger. Renee Jain, founder of GoZen!, a widely used platform that helps kids build emotional strength, joins us to guide parents in understanding their child’s anger, what’s happening in the brain during outbursts and how to better respond in the moment.
The EdTech Dilemma: Rethinking Digital Learning for Kids
March 10, 2026
Is educational technology really helping our kids learn? Neuroscientist and educator Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath reveals why parents and educators must push back against digital overreach and restore genuine, meaningful learning for kids — at home and in the classroom.
The Boyhood Crisis: Raising Thriving Young Men in a Changing World
April 22, 2026
Boys are struggling in school, in relationships and with mental health, and it may signal a deeper issue. In this eye-opening talk, bestselling author, expert and father of three Richard Reeves will share what’s behind the troubling trend and how parents can raise confident, thriving boys in today’s world.
The Family Tech Reset: Hope and Help for Rebuilding Connection
May 12, 2026
Technology has changed, but what kids need has not. Andrea Davis, founder of Better Screen Time, joins us to guide caregivers on a slow-tech path that prioritizes family connection. Whether your family is already deeply entrenched in screen use or just starting to set boundaries, she offers hopeful, empowering strategies — and the reassurance that it’s never too late to turn things around.
Middle School & More!
Seattle Nativity School is a tuition-free middle school with graduate support through high school and college. Visit and learn more about our application process. Visit our website for details: www.seattlenativity.org
Information Night Thursday, October 23, 2025 5:30-7:00pm
206.494.4708
Edutainment Gamification in the Classroom
Many teachers are incorporating game theory into their teaching
By Sandi Schwartz
As children and teens have become more distracted by social media and electronics in recent years, educators are increasingly looking for creative ways to engage and motivate them in the classroom. One way that seems to be working is game-oriented learning, or gamification, which involves introducing game-like elements to an existing lesson or activity, such as giving out points or badges for correct answers.
According to the Entertainment Software Association, 80 percent of kids between the ages of 5 and 18 play video games at least once a day. Former principal and educational author and speaker Adam Welcome, who was Principal of the Year for his region in the San Francisco Bay Area and a 20 To Watch for the National School Board Association, believes “we should use students’ interest in gaming to our benefit in the classroom with the curriculum to get kids hooked on what we’re teaching them.”
As it turns out, a growing body of research shows that gamified learning can have positive effects on students’ cognitive, motivational and behavioral
outcomes. Here you’ll learn more about what gamification is, how it is used in the classroom, and the benefits and challenges to keep in mind.
What is gamification?
Coined by British inventor and computer programmer Nick Pelling in 2002, gamification is the process of applying game mechanics and strategies to a non-gaming activity to boost engagement, motivation, happiness and curiosity. By using elements of games like play, rules, scoring and challenges, gamification allows students to practice skills in engaging ways that extend beyond traditional learning. It is a way to establish goals; use points, badges, rewards and levels to track progress; and create healthy competition by posting students’ status on leaderboards. This helps encourage them to complete modules, do well on quizzes and tests and interact with the material so they learn more effectively. Overall, the competitive and storytelling nature of these tools helps make learning new skills more fun and interactive for different types of learners.
Using gamification in the classroom
Gamification has purpose, and supports the curriculum goals such that students are personally connected to learning and able to retain the information, while having a bit of fun. Successful gamification has the following elements: a clear objective, established point system, rewards for successes like no homework passes or extra recess, a set time limit to complete a task to encourage focus, storytelling elements and a way to provide feedback. Examples of popular educational gamification tools include Kahoot!, Quizizz, Quizlet Live, Gimkit and Blooket, which allow teachers to
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create multiple choice questions that players answer on their own devices.
Grace Carter, K-12 educator at Academized.com dedicated to making learning interactive and engaging through gamification in classrooms, uses a digital badge system when students complete assignments, demonstrate critical thinking and participate in classroom discussions. “Students in a writing course collect digital badges as they become proficient in various writing techniques, including argument structure and proper citation use,” she explains. “The classroom leaderboard expands as students collect badges to experience growth and achieve recognition. This system transforms learning into an exciting journey that inspires students to achieve the next milestone.”
Benefits for students and teachers
Teachers enjoy incorporating gamification into their classroom for many reasons, such as saving time during lesson planning and implementation and seeing students more focused and engaged in the learning process. “Gamification helps me build a dynamic and interactive classroom learning experience,” says Carter. “Traditional teaching methods often face challenges in maintaining student attention, while game-like elements like points and leaderboards make learning interactive and engaging.” She believes that gamification enables students to develop motivation and participate actively while taking charge of their educational journey in a way that feels fun rather than obligatory.
Here are some additional benefits of gamification for students:
• Helps boost confidence. “Students report that gamification transforms their lessons into interactive and rewarding experiences instead of routine tasks, and that tracking their progress visibly is something students value because it enhances their self-confidence,” explains Carter. Also, earning points, badges or moving up on a leaderboard can give students a confidence boost.
• Offers customized learning paths. Many gamified platforms adapt to a student’s learning pace, providing a tailored experience whether they are struggling or need an extra challenge.
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• Develops new skills. In addition to providing a lesson plan of the day, gamification can help students develop essential soft skills like problemsolving, critical thinking, teamwork, decision-making and creativity.
• Prepares students for a tech-based economy. “Gamifying curriculum connects technology to learning in a meaningful way, while getting kids ready for the world they’re growing up in,” says Welcome.
• Encourages healthy competition and collaboration. “Students develop teamwork skills and experience positive competition, which drives them to achieve personal growth,” notes Carter. Many gamified activities are designed for group participation to help promote teamwork as students
collaborate to achieve common goals.
• Improves retention. “Educational gamification supports student information retention because learners grasp concepts more effectively when
interacting with immersive educational activities,” says Carter.
• Aids with accessibility in the classroom. Gamification can be used as an effective teaching tool to
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educate students with varying needs.
• Provides instant feedback. As learners progress through a game, they often receive immediate feedback to help them adjust their approach and make corrections. This keeps them moving forward in their learning progress and motivates them to complete the game successfully.
Concerns to keep in mind
Despite its multiple benefits, gamification also presents several disadvantages. Some educators and parents don’t support giving out rewards in the classroom, saying it creates the wrong type of motivation in which students become more focused on the treats and prizes than on the learning itself. “The design must maintain careful balance because students may put winning ahead of learning if game mechanics become the primary focus,” says Carter. It could ultimately become more of a distraction if used incorrectly or too often.
Not all students thrive using tools based on competition. “Some students do not possess natural competitive instincts, and their morale may suffer when their performance falls short of their peers,” says Carter.
Gamification also can be expensive and timeconsuming to develop, purchase and maintain. “Creating and sustaining a gamified system demands substantial time investment because it needs continuous updates to maintain its effectiveness and ensure inclusivity for every student,” explains Carter. Therefore, such tools can quickly become outdated and lose their value over time.
Finally, gamification may not be suitable for all types of students and topics. While many subjects can benefit from gamification, some might not lend themselves well to a game-like approach. And there can be equity issues with regard to accessing and using the technology. ■
Sandi Schwartz is a freelance writer and mother of two. She has written extensively about parenting, wellness and environmental issues. Find her work at happysciencemom.com and sandischwartz.com.
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