Stanley Speaker Series is a joint effort of Stanley BPS and our Parent Association (PA). Through the PA, your funds help support the Speaker Series, which brings engaging topics and ongoing family strategies and education to you throughout the school year.

Shira Lee Katz
Head of Content Strategy at Coursera

Thursday, November 4

Parenting in a Digital World of Screens & Social Media: A Conversation with Dr. Shira Lee Katz 

Shira’s talk offered perspective and provided parents with tools for navigating an ever changing digital world of social media and screens with their children. From boundaries on technology to understanding brain science to how to talk with kids about risks and opportunities, Shira empowerd us as parents as well. 

Shira shared the following resources:

"Best" Media Lists by Common Sense Media

Impulse Control Tools 

Jessica Lahey

Teacher, Mom, Author of The Gift of Failure

Wednesday, December 8

The Gift of Failure

Jessica’s talk centered around how as parents we can help support our children through challenge and failure by stepping back so they can become more competent and capable versions of their best selves. From navigating forgotten assignments to friendships to the playing field, Jessica provided tips and advice on how we can help empower children learn to experience failure and solve their own problems. 

Ulcca Joshi Hansen, speaking on The Future of Smart

April 14, 2022

Blending history and science with stories from inside, The Future of Smart is a must read for anyone concerned about the future of education. Released in 2021, the book traces the deep roots of America’s dominant approach to education and illuminates why so many reform and innovation efforts over the last three decades have fallen short of our aspirations for children and proposes a path forward.

A passionate advocate for transformation in our education system, Dr. Ulcca Hansen explains the disconnect between what we want for our children, and what education today provides.

Dr. Hansen is Chief Program Officer at Grantmakers for Education and has worked in the education field for two decades. Her personal experiences as an English-language learner and first-generation college student inform her perspective on what it means to provide an “equitable” education for every child and meaningfully engage communities in that effort.