State of the School

Please join us January 23, 6:30–8:30 p.m. for the 2025 State of the School: Wellness at Our Core. Enjoy light appetizers and drinks while you hear from Foote faculty, staff, and parents about the many ways we care for our community’s mental and physical well-being. 

Workshop: The Developmental Impact of Digital Environments

In partnership with the PTC, this event will also include an interactive workshop with Foote parent Jac Mullen, who will focus on technology and its effect on today's children. Jac is a writer and teacher in New Haven. His work explores how digital technology shapes human cognition and learning. He is a core faculty member of the Strother School of Radical Attention, a Brooklyn-based educational nonprofit dedicated to advancing "attention activism" through community workshops, seminars, and experiential labs. His work has appeared in the Nation and he has been profiled in the Atlantic and the New Yorker.

“Technology promises to connect and educate our children, yet reshapes their attention, memory, and emotional development in ways we're only beginning to understand,” Jac explained. “Building on Jonathan Haidt's work in The Anxious Generation, this talk will explore how digital environments alter not just how young people feel and socialize, but how they learn and think.”

Drawing on a range of research and first-hand classroom experience, Jac will discuss:

• How tech companies capture attention, and why that matters for learning
• How to protect children (and parents) from the most serious dangers posed by devices 
• Community-focused approaches that prepare young minds for a rapidly evolving digital future

Recommended reading: Though not required, we recommend reading Jonathan Haidt’s Anxious Generation as a great resource for information and strategies to support your child's health and well-being. If you don’t have time to read/listen to the whole book before the event, the chapter summaries are a great way to learn the basics.