Researchers explore how social robots can help create a more supportive environment for early learners. The study found that children showed fewer physiological signs of anxiety when reading to a robot rather than a human, offering new possibilities for classrooms and beyond.

In a new study, researchers examined the relative contributions of siting decisions (i.e., where to locate infrastructure projects) and demographic shifts after projects are built to current disparities in exposure to polluting U.S. fossil fuel plants. The study found little evidence that plants were disproportionately located in counties with higher Black populations, on average. But it also found that the share of the Black population grew in the decades after the first fossil fuel plant was built in a county.

Starting kindergarten is a big step for young children. It can also be a key time to spot which students might need some extra help with that life transition. Therefore, a new, free screening tool, created by researchers at the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development, is designed to help kindergarten teachers quickly identify which students could benefit from extra academic or social-emotional support — before small challenges become potential long-term setbacks later in life. Intended to take just 10-15 minutes per class, the simple three-question screener asks teachers to rate each child’s academic and social-behavioral progress on a 0-to-4 scale (poor-excellent).