Biography

The formal version

Lisa Guernsey is the director of the Early Education Initiative at New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank and incubator for explanatory and investigative journalism on pressing policy issues. She edits the Early Ed Watch blog which provides original reporting and commentary on policy and research news about children's learning from birth to age 8. Lisa has been writing about education for nearly 15 years as a staff writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education until 1999 and the New York Times until 2002. She has written articles on the intersections of social science, education and technology for many national publications over the past several years, including her former employers and The Washington Post. In 2001 she was a media fellow at Duke University’s Dewitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy, and in 2005 she was a journalism fellow in the Child and Family Policy Program at the University of Maryland. Her most recent book is Into the Minds of Babes: How Screen Time Affects Children From Birth to Age 5, published by Basic Books in 2007. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in Alexandria, Va.

The "more than you probably care to know" version

I'm a mother, policy analyst, journalist and researcher who is, shall we say, obsessed with how children learn and what environments help them reach their full potential.

Officially, I'm the director of the Early Education Initiative at the New America Foundation, a non-partisan think tank and incubator for explanatory and investigative journalism on pressing policy issues. I edit and contribute to the Early Ed Watch blog.

For many years, I have focused on uncovering what science has to tell us about media and the developing mind. Much of that research appears in my latest book, Into the Minds of Babes (2007), which looks at how very young children respond to, and are affected by, what they see on TV and in other electronic media. The book has been called "balanced and lucid," (The Wall Street Journal), "fascinating and terrific" (The New York Post), "a gift to parents" (Television Quarterly) and "brilliantly researched and engagingly written" (KidsHealth.org.) The book led to the creation of the Media Minds blog and newsletter, which provided quarterly updates from 2007-2009.

In 2008, I gave several talks about technology and young children, while also writing about the intersections of education, social science and technology for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Brain,Child Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education and several other publications. For six months, I wrote the Baby Steps column for babytalk magazine, highlighting new findings by developmental psychologists on how infants and toddlers learn.

My latest endeavor, starting in 2009, is to broaden my research to focus on what makes the most impact for children in families of all income levels. With each passing month, we learn more and more about how early environments and engagement with caring adults can catapult children into new realms of creativity, knowledge, insight and compassion. Harnessing those insights for the good of the next generation is my goal. Making it all understandable -- and fun for you to read -- is my challenge. Keep me on track. I'd love to hear from you.

-Lisa Guernsey

January 2009

[You might also be interested in an old bio, from 2007, that explains the mission of my book, Into the Minds of Babes.]