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a blond woman holds two fingers up to a toddler, trying to teach her how to countphoto courtesy of Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute

The One Doing the Talking

Across the nation, data indicate that meaningful conversations between teachers and students from kindergarten to third grade are limited to an average of 28 total minutes per day — something that prevents children from developing their ability to communicate in important ways. The Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute’s FirstSchool initiative strives to change that.
Sarah Schmitt sits in a field with her research equipment, smiling at the camera.Photo by Kayla Seiffert

Sarah Schmitt

Sarah Schmitt is a PhD student in the Department of Geography atUNC-Chapel Hill. Her research examines the strong coupling between hydrology and ecology in tropical islands. She is funded by the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the Geological Society of America, and National Geographic’s Young Explorers Program.