From big ideas to big readers - Experts guiding innovations in literacy edtech - A report from the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations Advisory Meeting at the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop - Spring 2025

Oct 15, 2026

Experts share evidence-based guidance on literacy development and the role of educational technology (edtech) in supporting children’s reading comprehension. The report documents highlights from an advisory meeting that convened literacy, edtech, and education experts to frame research priorities for the three-year Sandbox for Literacy Innovations. It outlines current literacy research, gaps in edtech efficacy, and how co-design with diverse children can inform engaging, scalable, research-backed literacy products.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time1 h 0 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Cooney Center Sandbox and co-design approach

Objectives of the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations Advisory Meeting

Science of reading and school challenges

Edtech opportunities and research gaps

Co-design to create impactful literacy products

Context and background

NAEP reading levels and disparities

Edtech tool usage and efficacy concerns

Purpose of co-design work

From big ideas to big readers: Experts guiding innovations in literacy edtech A REPORT FROM THE SANDBOX FOR LITERACY INNOVATIONS ADVISORY MEETING AT THE JOAN GANZ COONEY CENTER AT SESAME WORKSHOP — S PRING 2025 — ELIZABETH ROOD, EDD Acknowledgements The Joan Ganz Cooney Center thanks the Walton Family Foundation for its generous support and Michelle Leardo for her thoughtful guidance and engagement in this project. Thank you to all the researchers and practitioners who served as advisors and who supported preparations for this meeting and the authoring of this report. Finally, we appreciate Catarina Botto’s instrumental support in the writing process. suggested citAtion Rood, E. (2025). From big ideas to big readers: Experts guiding innovations in literacy edtech. Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop. A full copy of this publication can be downloaded at: [joanganzcooneycenter.org](joanganzcooneycenter.org) CONTENTS 3 4 5 6 6 8 10 14 18 20 21 Edtech and the science of literacy development: Results from a meta-analysis Co-design with kids APPENDIX A: ADVISOR BIOGRAPHIES APPENDIX B: AGENDA REFERENCES The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop INTRODUCTION 4 Introduction For more than 15 years, the Joan Ganz Cooney Center—an independent research and innovation lab within Sesame Workshop—has been conducting research on emerging technologies and collaborating with technologists, digital media producers, and educators to advance positive futures for kids in the digital world. This work embodies the approach Joan Ganz Cooney pioneered with Sesame Street: When media creators bring together developmental research and child-focused design methods, the resulting product can have a real impact on engagement and learning. In 2023, the Center launched the Cooney Center Sandbox to help digital media innovators answer the following questions: How do you know that what you are making is engaging and appropriate for kids? And, how do you know it will have a positive impact? The Sandbox couples evidence-based approaches with a collaborative design method, called co-design, which invites kids into product development. Grounded in scholarly research, co-design is a creative process through which kids’ ideas and views shape design, including early-stage planning, key decision making, and the re-imagining of products and features (Druin, 2002; Fails, Guha & Druin, 2013). Beginning in 2025, the Cooney Center Sandbox is embarking on a new focus: to engage product developers targeting the science of literacy development. This project kicked off with an advisory meeting, convening key experts in literacy, educational technology (edtech), and educators to ground and commence the three-year Sandbox for Literacy Innovations. Nine advisors gathered for an all-day meeting on November 14, 2024. This report captures highlights from the shared presentations and discussions and synthesizes key takeaways relevant for product developers who will be joining the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations over the next few years. Each advisor, as well as a handful of other experts, met with the Sandbox team leading up to this event, providing insights to shape the day’s agenda and sharing important resources from academia and industry. The agenda for the advisory meeting and advisors’ bios are available in the appendices at the end of this report. OBJECTIVES OF THE SANDBOX FOR LITERACY INNOVATIONS ADVISORY MEETING The advisory meeting gathered a distinguished panel of educators, community leaders, and researchers to offer knowledge and expertise on the following: the science of reading; the current challenges and opportunities schools face in ensuring that all kids develop fluent reading comprehension; and the promise of educational technology (edtech) to fill gaps and serve specific populations of students. The Advisory discussion sought to: + Discuss the current state of research on l

FAQs

What is the Sandbox for Literacy Innovations advisory meeting focused on?

It gathers experts to address the science of reading, current challenges and opportunities in ensuring reading comprehension, and the promise of edtech to fill gaps for specific student populations.

How does the report connect co-design with literacy product development?

It explains that co-design invites children into product development so their ideas shape early planning, key decisions, and redesigning features, with the goal of creating engaging, scalable products grounded in research.

What concerns does the report raise about edtech effectiveness?

It notes that districts use many edtech tools, yet evidence of efficacy is limited and questions remain about the quality and impact of these widely used products.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Maya Linwood