UCSF Learning Success Program

Improving instruction for all readers

Learning to read is one of the most important and powerful skills children acquire for success later in life. The process of learning to read is not well understood, especially for children who speak more than one language. Our research team at the University of California, San Francisco is seeking to address this using cutting edge neuroscience technology.

We ultimately hope to help teachers develop instructional strategies to maximize children’s success in the classroom and beyond. We also hope that the findings from this study will not only help your child, your family and your school, but will also help in planning better general education and dual-language immersion instruction.

The UCSF Learning Success Program is an exciting opportunity to stay up-to-date with your child's academic (reading and math) and cognitive (self-control, attention, memory) skills, which are critical to future success, every year for three years..

Benefits for Parents

• In-depth reports on your child’s development, with consultation sessions, at no cost to you

• Financial compensation ($80)

• Transportation reimbursement (to/from UCSF's Parnassus and Mission Bay campuses)

• Evidence-based computerized literacy program upon request

• Lunch, snacks and take-home toys for your child

• Drop off your child or remain onsite in our comfortable waiting area

• Brain pictures, a unique view of your child—perfect for a scrapbook or show-and-tell

What will my child do?

• 1-3 visits annually to measure skills important for academic success

• Annual assessments from kindergarten to third grade

• Each visit is 3-6 hours, including breaks and lunch

• An MRI brain scan (MRIs do not involve X-rays, radiation, sedation or injections). Our team of experts in pediatric MRI make the MRI a comfortable and fun experience for children!

Community Benefits

In addition to the cutting-edge research in our lab, we have a commitment to the continued development of Bay Area schools and PTAs, particularly the schools in the SFUSD. To affirm this commitment, we have pledged to support training in socio-emotional learning, learning disability, multilingualism and biology/neuroscience. Through a school-wide or PTA partnership with our program we:

• Help build community through supporting social events, such as New Kinder events,

• Help recruit new incoming families to your school, 

• Provide additional science classes to your children,

• Provide professional development and continuing education for teachers,

• Provide seminars for PTAs, parents and teachers,

• Help with universal screening, which is a great way for your school to begin to meet the new Assembly Bill (AB1369) requirements of early identification of dyslexia and learn about your students' progress (from beginning K to Grade 3).