She received her Ph.D. in child development from the University of Tennessee in 1995, her M.Ed. from Lesley College in 1988, and her B.A. from Wellesley College in 1984. She has been involved in research with young children who are at risk for school failure for the past 10 years. This article grows out of Dr. Gillespie's participation in the Iowa Early Childhood Papert Partnership, a collaborative partnership among Seymour Papert, Drake University, Drake University Head Start, Des Moines Public Schools, Norwalk Public Schools, and the Heartland Area Education Agency.