Regan Vidiksis

senior research associate

rvidiksis@edc.org

Regan Vidiksis is an expert in early childhood development and education, She conducts research focused on supporting families and teachers in the meaningful integration of technology and learning for young children and enhancing the school readiness of children in high-need communities. Her work expands the knowledge base regarding how to promote young children’s learning of early science, mathematics, engineering, and computational thinking; she was named a 2014–2015 CADRE Fellow for her work in NSF Discovery K–12 STEM research. Regan’s contributions span diverse areas of child learning, assessment, curriculum and media development, and teacher professional development. Across these areas, she examines the impact of media and technology on early learning, and how public media can help promote more equitable teaching and learning opportunities for all.

On the Ready To Learn project, a U.S. Department of Education-supported initiative led by PBS and CPB, Regan contributes to research studies and manages teams to identify how public media can have a positive impact on young children and families’ STEM, computational thinking, and literacy development. On her NSF-funded project titled Integrating Science with Mathematics and Engineering: Linking Home and School Learning for All Young Learners, which extends the Next Generation Preschool Science project, her research aims to bridge the science, engineering, and math learning that happens at preschool with learning experiences at home, as well as to make the resources accessible to Spanish-speaking families.

Regan has a Master of Science degree in Early Child Education and Special Education from Hunter College and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Rhetoric from Binghamton University. Prior to joining EDC, she worked as an early childhood special education teacher and evaluator, providing individualized services to young children from birth to age five in school, community, and home-based settings. She also has worked as the business manager of a therapeutic school for children with neurodevelopmental disorders of relating and communicating, such as autism.