Featured Post from University of Delaware

The role of digital media in children's literacy

University of Delaware professor creates website to inspire reading in young children

Sep 18, 2024

1 min

From tablets and smartphones to computers and smart TVs, kids have more access to digital content than ever before. But what does this mean for their literacy skills? One University of Delaware professor is embracing the use of digital media to improve children's literacy.

Roberta Michnick Golinkoff, chair and professor in the School of Education UD, created Stories with Clever Hedgehog last year to offer books to children, specifically those who have been displaced or impacted by the Russo-Ukrainian War.

This website allows families all over the world to engage in shared reading with their children, facilitate early literacy development and promote children’s well-being.

Much research in early childhood education has underscored the importance of reading early and often with children, beginning during a child’s infancy and continuing throughout the elementary years. Reading during this critical point in children’s development fosters language acquisition, early literacy skills, socioemotional growth and comprehension of the world around them.

Golinkoff's research partners and many others have demonstrated that shared book reading — when a child reads with a caregiver — encourages children to ask questions and draw connections to their own experiences, promotes story comprehension, increases children’s vocabulary and provides opportunities for emotional bonding.

She is available to discuss even more benefits of reading, especially in this digital format. To connect, click her profile. She has been featured

Connect with:

Roberta Golinkoff

Unidel H. Rodney Sharp Chair and Professor

Prof. Golinkoff studies language development, playful learning, effects of media on children, spatial development, and applying her science.

Early Childhood Education Early Spatial DevelopmentPlayful LearningBenefits of PlayEffects of Media on Children

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Sep 9, 2026

3 min

Cultivating justice and joy through critical AI use in the K-12 Classroom

Inspired by her middle school social studies teacher, University of Delaware Associate Professor Stephanie Smith Budhai has always believed that a classroom should be a space where students feel valued and nurtured. As a seasoned educator, she has helped teachers create spaces using technology to assist students to meet learning outcomes, develop their skills and grow their confidence. Now, Budhai is mentoring overwhelmed teachers to reclaim the classroom as a nurturing environment for all students. Her book, "Critical AI in K-12 Classrooms: A Practical Guide for Cultivating Justice and Joy" with co-author Marie Heath of Loyola University Maryland, supports teachers and students as they navigate the complicated interactions of AI, education and justice. Budhai answered pressing questions about the already popular book. How would you describe the central message or takeaway of this book? "I believe that classrooms should be joyous spaces where all students feel heard, valued, seen and loved. Dealing with powerful technologies that exacerbates the biases and harms of society such as AI can impact teachers’ ability to nurture such spaces. Thus, this book was written to provide a practical guide for teachers and students as they navigate the complicated interactions of AI, education and justice. It is our duty as educators not to dismiss the technology altogether, but to help teachers take a critical lens, as they use AI for teaching and learning." What inspired you to pursue this line of research? "Before writing this book, I had already published 8 books and over 80 practitioner articles around technology, equity, teacher education and leadership. There had been other books that were quickly published about AI, but none focused on the harms of AI, how teachers could come to understand how AI really works and use it in ways that do not harm students." What are some of the key ways that K-12 teachers can cultivate justice and joy through AI? "In the book, we have many examples of how to cultivate justice and joy. For example, in chapter 3, we provide strategies for teachers to build an equity-mindset while supporting students in developing a critical consciousness around AI technologies, which are inherently biased. In chapters 4 and 5, we provide framing for using culturally-sustaining, abolitionist and fugitive pedagogies in designing curricula and learning activities that include the just use of AI technologies. And, in chapter 6, we provide teachers with myriad personal, professional, pedagogical and participatory actions they can take when using AI for teaching and learning." How could this work impact schools, teacher education programs and the broader public? "This work was created to support K-12 teachers, and many teachers have already shared how it has impacted them. K-12 teachers can immediately put the strategies and learning activities that we suggest in the book to use. We also situate AI in longer histories of technology injustice and provide accessible content on understanding how AI works through a critical algorithmic literacy perspective. Teacher education programs can use this work as they prepare teachers to navigate the complicated intersections of teaching, AI and justice. For the broader public, we also include content on justice-centered community activities and projects that are focused on critical AI." About Stephanie Smith Budhai Stephanie Smith Budhai is an associate professor in UD’s College of Education and Human Development, specializing in educational technology. Her interdisciplinary research and practice lies at the intersections of technology, equity and civic engagement, across myriad K-16 settings. She has published 10 books on teaching and digital technologies. Among other professional appointments, she serves as the Chair of the Information Technology Council for the Society for Information Technology and Teacher Education and is on the Board of Directors for the Civics of Technology. To speak with Smith further about AI in K-12 education, reach out to MediaRelations@udel.edu.

Sep 8, 2026

2 min

Energy expert: Venezuela’s oil, U.S. energy security and the future of the Caribbean

Venezuela’s enormous oil reserves have long been central to its economic development and geopolitical importance in the Western Hemisphere and globally. Efforts by the United States to gain greater access to Venezuelan oil supply could have major consequences for both countries, says the University of Delaware’s Kalim Shah. Shah, associate professor of energy and environmental policy, studies energy security, energy policy and governance, with a particular focus on the Caribbean and other energy-producing regions. Venezuela has some of the world’s largest oil reserves, but years of political interference, underinvestment deteriorating infrastructure and expropriation of foreign assets under the Chavez-Maduro socialist model have severely reduced its production capacity, Shah says. Rebuilding the industry will require substantial investment from U.S. and other international energy companies. Shah can discuss: • U.S. energy security: How greater access to Venezuelan oil could provide an additional source of supply during future global disruptions and serve as an “energy shock absorber.” • Gas prices: Why increased Venezuelan production is unlikely to produce an immediate, dramatic reduction in U.S. gasoline prices. • Caribbean geopolitics: How energy resources can shape U.S. influence and relationships throughout the Caribbean and Western Hemisphere. • Venezuela’s recovery: How rebuilding the country’s oil industry can generate jobs, government revenue, infrastructure investment and broader economic recovery. • Energy governance: The importance of transparent contracts, regulation and revenue management in ensuring that energy development benefits Venezuela while protecting international investors. • The energy transition: The long-term risks and opportunities of investing in major oil resources as global energy systems increasingly move toward lower-carbon sources. • U.S. companies: The role American energy companies can play in rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry, and the opportunities and risks that could come with greater U.S. investment. To reach Shah directly and arrange an interview, visit his profile page and click on the "connect" button. Interested reporters can also send an email to MediaRelations@udel.edu.

Sep 3, 2026

1 min

Why Dolly Parton’s intersectional philanthropy keeps making headlines

Dolly Parton’s generosity keeps showing up in the news because it feels both big and deeply personal. Her charitable work, especially around literacy, education and community support, connects to real-life needs that people understand right away, all while being a big part of her own intersectional identity. That makes her philanthropy easy to notice and even easier to care about. Jennifer Naccarelli is chair of the Department of Women & Gender Studies here at the University of Delaware and the founding director of the Center for Study & Prevention of Gender Based Violence. On Dolly Parton's passing she said: "In practice, Dolly Parton's life is a case study in intersectionality: the various social identities that she encompassed and her interactions with various social structures led to her unique perspectives, lifelong commitments and magnificent catalog. While not an political activist, and hesitant to call herself a feminist, her work and religious identity informed her contributions to so many communities. She was an ally before that term entered the vernacular. It is truly a loss of a model human and great talent." To speak with Naccarelli about Parton and other feminist icons, email mediarelations@udel.edu.

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