Jenna Finch
LightNews LightNews
banner
jennafinch823.bsky.social
Jenna Finch
@jennafinch823.bsky.social
1.5K followers 660 following 53 posts
Assistant Professor of Psychology at UNL; Applied developmental psychologist; Passionate about self-regulation development and reducing inequality; PI of the Learning And Development Research (LADR) group

https://www.jenna-finch.com/
Posts Replies Media Videos
jennafinch823.bsky.social
The Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience Lab at UNL is hiring a Research Assistant Professor! Work with my wonderful colleague Tim Nelson on NIH-funded developmental/health projects and grow your own line of research. The DCN Lab is an amazing team with lots of opportunities and support.
November 19, 2025 at 5:14 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
Just wanted to post one more time to say that I am recruiting a Ph.D. student to work on my NSF-funded COMET study! There will be extensive opportunities for this student to conduct classroom-based data collection, write manuscripts, & share their research with both academic & community audiences!
jennafinch823.bsky.social Jenna Finch @jennafinch823.bsky.social · Sep 2
I am recruiting a Ph.D student to join my lab at UNL in Fall 2026! This student will be fully funded through my NSF-funded COMET study examining EFs, math achievement, and math attitudes in the transition from 2nd to 3rd grade. Learn more: www.jenna-finch.com/comet
Please share broadly!
COMET Study — Learning And Development Research Group
www.jenna-finch.com
November 17, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
drszuckerman.bsky.social
Your h-index will not save you. Solidarity will. As the UNL AAUP president, I call on our faculty to stand together in the face of destructive budget cuts.
thebugeater.com/uncategorize...
On the Humantities, Social Science, and Education: Or how UNL is headed towards being a truly impoverished university - The Bugeater
Last week, for the first time in my 10 years at UNL, I attended the state of the University address. In my role as the UNL AAUP chapter president, I felt it was important to bear witness on behalf of....
thebugeater.com
September 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
robertkelchen.com
The National Center for Education Statistics is hiring two researchers to work on NAEP, the first green shoots after DOGE came through back in February. They limit to 150 applications, so move fast if interested.

www.usajobs.gov/job/844948000

www.usajobs.gov/job/844947600
Education Research Analyst GS-1730-14 (MP)
<p>There are two positions located in the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Science in Washinton, DC. The&nbsp;Assessment Development Expert and the Assessment Administration Expert is respon...
www.usajobs.gov
September 3, 2025 at 9:35 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
I am recruiting a Ph.D student to join my lab at UNL in Fall 2026! This student will be fully funded through my NSF-funded COMET study examining EFs, math achievement, and math attitudes in the transition from 2nd to 3rd grade. Learn more: www.jenna-finch.com/comet
Please share broadly!
COMET Study — Learning And Development Research Group
www.jenna-finch.com
September 2, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
unlcyfs.bsky.social
CYFS’ Lisa Knoche, Tammi Hechtner-Galvin and Katie Zabel, with Christen Million of Rooted in Relationships, joined ESU 13's Nici Johnson to host a Connections for Kids Coach Kick-Off in the #Nebraska Panhandle.

Learn about CFK: bit.ly/3HoFgAW

#TransformED #NurtureNebraska #ECE #GrandChallenges
Early childhood professionals visited ESU 13 to train coaches who will help implement the Connections for Kids approach in Nebraska's Panhandle. From left: Tammi Hechtner-Galvin (CYFS), Lisa Knoche (CYFS), Christen Million (Rooted in Relationships), Katie Zabel (CYFS) and Nici Johnson (ESU 13). Early childhood professionals at the Connections for Kids training for ESU 13 coaches. Chimney Rock National Historic Site in Nebraska.
August 20, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
unlcyfs.bsky.social
CYFS research affiliate Jenna Finch, asst professor of psychology, is exploring the factors that shape students’ transitions from second to third grade.

▶️ Watch news story via KMTV 3 News Now: www.3newsnow.com/lincoln/unl-...

#EdResearch #STEM #EarlyMath #NUforNE #GoBigResearch #NSFfunded
Screen shot of Jenna Finch being interviewed by Omaha's 3 News Now.
August 21, 2025 at 7:53 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
news.unl.edu/article/finc...

I am so grateful to be able to do this work, especially at a time when federal support for education research has come to a halt. I didn't get this grant alone - thank you to my lab, past and present, who helped me run the (huge) pilot SMILE study for
Finch using CAREER award to help students with leap to third grade | Nebraska Today
Jenna Finch, assistant professor of psychology, has earned a five-year, $928,922 grant from the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development program to develop the first clear snapsh...
news.unl.edu
August 19, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
amiyake.bsky.social
If you teach cognitive psychology or related topics & are willing to share your favorite teaching resources (e.g., demos, videos), please reply to/quote this post, tag me in a new post, or send me email. I'll compile them, share the list, & keep updating it this summer. Let's inspire each other!
amiyake.bsky.social Akira Miyake @amiyake.bsky.social · May 29
I teach an undergrad cognitive psychology class. I've been thinking about assembling useful teaching resources (demos, videos, etc.) from other cogpsy instructors & sharing them in a single place. If there's enough interest here, I'll make a separate post & ask you to share your favorite materials.
May 31, 2025 at 3:08 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
I am confident that LEVANTE will be among the most impactful work done in the next decade to advance our understanding of children's learning and development - what a great opportunity!
mcxfrank.bsky.social Mike Frank @mcxfrank.bsky.social · May 20
We're still accepting apps for our research scientist position with LEVANTE (levante-network.org). This position is ideal for folks wanting to be the interface between a cool scientific project and an awesome team of software developers. Think of it as a technical product manager, but for science!
We are seeking a Research Scientist for a large-scale project on developmental data collection with children ages 2-12 called LEVANTE (Learning Variability Network Exchange). LEVANTE is a global research network to improve our understanding of variability in learning and development through coordinated data collection. The project is funded by the Jacobs Foundation; learn more at http://levante-network.org. This position is a mix of scientific work and work with a software development team: we are looking for someone to act as the interface between the scientific goals of the project and our team of ~6 software engineers who work to implement different aspects of our web platform including researcher management, tasks and surveys, and data processing. We expect the role to be ideal for someone with technical experience from their scientific work and an interest in building good tools for other scientists through software development. This position is appropriate for recent PhD grads and candidates with postdoctoral experience; exact title and compensation will be relative to experience post-PhD. The RS will contribute to – and have the opportunity to lead on – research products including papers and presentations. The LEVANTE team is a large and lively group pushing the boundaries of cross-cultural developmental measurement through a combination of technical innovation and psychometrics. The RS will also be part of the Language and Cognition Lab at Stanford, a broad interdisciplinary group interested in using data to understand human development. Requirements for the position include: - some kind of scientific software development experience (examples include developing experiments, computational models, or complex data analyses) - theoretical knowledge of psychology or a related discipline (e.g., cognitive science, neuroscience), ideally doing behavioral measurements of some kind - project management experience on a technical or scientific project with multiple participants Additional optional qualifications include: - experience with modern database-backed web applications - experience with measure development or psychometrics - R data analysis experience Applicants should submit a current CV, a short (~1 page) coverletter stating their qualifications for the position, and a link to a github account (preferred) or other code sample.
May 21, 2025 at 3:37 AM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
lkfazio.bsky.social
So your research area has been politicized and your federal funding cancelled, what now? I try to give some answers in this opinion piece for @nature.com 1/

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
When the government cancels your research grant, here’s what you can do
The mass cancellation of US federal grants marks yet another escalation in political interference in science, but there are ways to keep crucial research going.
www.nature.com
May 19, 2025 at 8:05 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
Highlighted in purple on my AERA presentation! I am not able to share tables or figures because of the personnel cuts to the Department of Education.
dynarski.bsky.social Prof Dynarski @dynarski.bsky.social · Apr 17
Resistance with slides:

when presenting scientific evidence created by federal data and/or $

tell your audience what they won’t be seeing more of

Slides templates here

https://sites.google.com/view/tobeclear/
ToBeClear It is important for researchers to be clear, factual, and transparent about how federal priorities are affecting research. We therefore want to acknowledge that this work has been impacted by recent United States federal executive actions. This research has been affected by U.S. federal executive actions. Data removed that was used for this study • Example #1 • Example #2 • Example #3 Image Image This research has been affected by U.S. federal executive actions. Data at risk from lack of updating or maintenance due to cuts in personnel or funding used in this study • Example #1 • Example #2 • Example #3 • Example #4 • Sub example • Sub Example • Sub example • Example #5
April 18, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
ehutt.bsky.social
Nice to see all the education research orgs put out a joint statement calling for Congress to safeguard the (Congressionally established) IES and NCES I would have liked to see them underscore the historical dimensions a bit more (surprise!) 1/ www.aera.net/Portals/38/E...
www.aera.net
March 27, 2025 at 12:17 AM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
I had a great conversation with my congressman's staffer this morning before I saw these great suggestions. They were very responsive and asked for an email with more information so they could look into this and see what can be done.
andrewdeanho.bsky.social Andrew Ho @andrewdeanho.bsky.social · Mar 18
Want to help save research using NCES restricted-use data? Here is a gdrive with actions, background, and context from my colleague sean reardon (sharing with permission):
1) actions
2) background
3) list of data files: drive.google.com/drive/folder...
March 18, 2025 at 7:46 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
aeraedresearch.bsky.social
AERA has just learned that all restricted-use NCES data licenses will be cancelled, possibly as early as March 20. We urgently request that all AERA members and others in the research community with restricted-use licenses take these two actions: www.aera.net/Research-Pol...
March 14, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
statstipton.bsky.social
In this op-ed, we - the presidents of SREE and AEFP - joined forces to argue for the importance of evidence on "what works" and how cutting such funding is not "efficient" - it is wasteful. www.brookings.edu/articles/cut...
Cutting research funding would make education less effective and efficient
Presidents of education research associations explain the impacts of recent funding cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
www.brookings.edu
February 24, 2025 at 10:23 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
umpamdk.bsky.social
Clever study looking at response time in completing surveys and cognitive outcome. A non-obtrusive way to gather processing speed data that relates to cog. outcomes. No formal testing of cog outcomes.
um-src.bsky.social UM SRC @um-src.bsky.social · Feb 5
Jessica Faul & coauthors examined if survey response time recorded from a brief online survey could serve as a digital biomarker for processing speed, finding that response time was nearly identical to the formal processing speed test & may be a useful proxy myumi.ch/AZjRd
Evidence Supports the Validity and Reliability of Response Times from a Brief Survey as a Digital Biomarker for Processing Speed in a Large Panel Study
Abstract. Survey response times (RTs) have hitherto untapped potential to allow researchers to gain more detailed insights into the cognitive performance o
myumi.ch
February 6, 2025 at 7:44 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
This is great work and aligns with something I have been saying for a while... humans enjoy working hard toward goals. It gives us a sense of purpose. I think the current emphasis on quick and easy solutions is making people feel lost (with impacts on mental health), including many college students.
January 24, 2025 at 4:24 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
Directly from the brilliant @geofflorenz.bsky.social
geofflorenz.bsky.social Geoff Lorenz @geofflorenz.bsky.social · Jan 23
Hi! I'm a political scientist who studies what makes advocacy effective (sent here by my psychologist spouse @tierneylorenz.bsky.social ). A phone call with the staffer dealing with the issue > letter you compose on your own >>>>> a form letter. Key: be unique + courteous + make effort.
January 24, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
dbassok.bsky.social
Hi! ECE & policy folks: I'm looking for a postdoc to join our (really terrific) SEE-Partnerships team, doing research on ECE access & workforce issues! Please spread the word!
uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UVAJobs/job/...
Postdoctoral Research Associate
The School of Education and Human Development at the University of Virginia seeks applicants for a Postdoctoral Research Associate with strong interests in early childhood education policy to join the...
uva.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com
January 10, 2025 at 6:28 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
weilanch.bsky.social
High-quality curricula can move the needle on early learning, but implementation varies widely.

We’re excited to start 2025 off with a new effort to systematically measure implementation readiness & target supports at baseline:

fordschool.umich.edu/news/2025/u-...
U-M’s Education Policy Initiative launches project to boost early learning success with new curriculum readiness measure
To improve early learning programs nationwide, policymakers and funders are investing in curriculum, professional development, and assessments. However, ensuring educational partners are well-prepared...
fordschool.umich.edu
January 9, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
sethpollak.bsky.social
This was a joy to create, especially with early career scholars in mind. All papers can be found here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Development and Psychopathology: Volume 36 - The Future of Developmental Psychopathology: Honoring the Contributions of Dante Cicchetti | Cambridge Core
Cambridge Core - Development and Psychopathology - Volume 36 - The Future of Developmental Psychopathology: Honoring the Contributions of Dante Cicchetti
www.cambridge.org
January 9, 2025 at 3:32 PM
jennafinch823.bsky.social
Does anyone have an assignment they enjoy grading for developmental psych that has students engage with a (or multiple) scientific article(s)? I have tried many iterations of different assignments and want one I look forward to grading. Right now... not enjoying grading AI-written policy letters.
December 30, 2024 at 8:39 PM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
davidjpurpura.bsky.social
HDFS @ Purdue is hiring a research professor (assistant/associate level) focused on early childhood education. This position is a non-tenure, but promotable, track. View the ad and submit your materials at: careers.purdue.edu/job/Professo.... We will begin reviewing applications after January 2nd.
December 3, 2024 at 12:03 AM
Reposted by Jenna Finch
drkoraly.bsky.social
Special Issue at Developmental Psychology!

New Approaches to Understanding How Early Experience Shapes Executive Function and Self-Regulation Skills

Guest Editors: Sabine Doebel, Dana Miller-Cotto, and Jennifer McDermott
@sabinedoebel.bsky.social @damcotto.bsky.social

1/3
November 21, 2024 at 8:21 PM