Published Papers

Bresciani Andaluz, D. and Kalil, A. and Michelini, M. and Shah, R. (2025). What Drives Educational Technology Adoption in Classrooms Serving Young Children? Evidence from Two Experiments. Economics Letters, Volume 257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2025.112680

Shah, R., Kalil, A., & Mayer, S. (2025). Engaging Parents with Preschools: Evidence from a Field Experiment. Applied Economics, 1–14. , 95, https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2025.2471586

Mayer, S., Kalil, A., Delgado, W., Liu, H., Rury, D., & Shah, R. (2023). Boosting Parent-Child Math Engagement and Preschool Children’s Math Skills: Evidence from an RCT with Low-Income Families. Economics of Education Review, 95, 102436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102436

Kalil, A., Mayer, S., & Shah, R. (2023). Scarcity and Inattention. Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, 7(1), 35–42.https://sabeconomics.org/journal/RePEc/beh/JBEPv1/articles/JBEP-7-1-4.pdf

Kalil, A., Mayer, S. E., & Gallegos, S. (2021). Using behavioral insights to increase attendance at subsidized preschool programs: The Show Up to Grow Up intervention. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 163, 65–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.11.002

Mayer, S. E., Kalil, A., Oreopoulos, P., & Gallegos, S. (2019). Using Behavioral Insights to Increase Parental Engagement. Journal of Human Resources, 54(4), 900–925. https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.54.4.0617.8835r

Book Chapters

Mayer, S., Shah, R. & Kalil, A. (2020). How cognitive biases can undermine program scale-up decisions. In List, J., Suskind, D., & Supplee, L. H. (Eds.). The Scale-up Effect in Early Childhood and Public Policy: Why interventions lose impact at scale and what we can do about it. (pp. 39–53 Routledge.

Mayer, S., Kalil, A., & Klein, N. (2020). Behavioral insights and parental decision-making. In L. Tach, R. Dunifon, and D. L. Miller (Eds.) (pp. 99-118) Confronting Inequality: How Policies and Practices Shape Children’s Opportunities, Washington, D.C: American Psychological Association. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0000187-001

Working Papers

Breciani, D., Kalil, A., Liu, H., Mayer, S., and Shah, R. (2025). Closing Early Math Gaps by Parental Education with Technology at Home. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-129.

Kalil, A., Michelini, M, and Ramos, P. (2025). The Promise of Digital Technology and Generative AI for Supporting Parenting Interventions in Latin America. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-123.

Lu, L. and Kalil, A. (2025). Chat2Learn: A Proof-of-Concept Evaluation of a Technology-Based Tool to Enhance Parent-Child Language Interaction. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-119.

Bresciani Andaluz, D., Kalil, A., Liu, H., Mayer, S., Rury, D., & Shah, R. (2025). Boosting Young Children’s Math Skill with Technology in the Home Environment. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-28.

Kalil, A., Liu, H., Mayer, S., & Shah, R. (2025). A Digital Library for Parent-Child Shared Reading Improves Literacy Skills for Young Disadvantaged Children. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-27.

Bresciani Andaluz, D., Kalil, A., Liu, H. & Mayer, S. (2025). Priming Parental Identity: Evidence from Experimental Data. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-26.

Rury, D, Kalil, A, Mayer, S., Bresciani, D. (2025). Talking about Words Boosts Preschool-Age Children’s Vocabulary: Evidence from a Parent Intervention. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2025-24.

Kalil, A., Mayer, S., Oreopoulos, P., & Shah, R. (2024). Making a Song and Dance About It: The Effectiveness of Teaching Children Vocabulary with Animated Music Videos. National Bureau of Economics Research, NBER Working Paper No 32132.

Kalil, Ariel and Liu, Haoxuan and Mayer, Susan and Rury, Derek and Shah, Rohen, Nudging or Nagging? Conflicting Effects of Behavioral Tools (January 4, 2023). University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2023-02

Kalil, Ariel and Mayer, Susan and Shah, Rohen, Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Family Dynamics in Economically Vulnerable Households (October 5, 2020). University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics Working Paper No. 2020-143.

Research Briefs

Bresciani Andaluz, D., Kalil, A., Liu, N., Mayer, S., and Shah, R. (November 13, 2025). Closing Early Math Gaps by Parental Education with Technology at Home. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Bresciani Andaluz, D., Kalil, A., Michelini, M., and Shah, R. (August 28, 2025). What Drives Educational Technology Adoption in Classrooms Serving Young Children? Evidence from Two Experiments. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Rury, D., Kalil, A., Mayer, S., and Bresciani Andaluz, D. (February 20, 2025). Talking about Words Boosts Preschool-Age Children’s Vocabulary: Evidence from a Parent Intervention. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Kalil, A., Mayer, S., Orepoulos, P., and Shah, R. (February 23, 2024). Making a Song and Dance About It: The Effectiveness of Teaching Children Vocabulary with Animated Music Videos. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Mayer, S., Kalil, A., Delgado, W., Liu, H., Rury, D., and Shah, R. (April 11, 2023). Boosting Parent-Child Math Engagement and Preschool Children’s Math Skills: Evidence from an RCT with Low-Income Families. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Kalil, A., Liu, H., Mayer, S., Rury, D., and Shah, R. (January 19, 2023). Nudging or Nagging? Conflicting Effects of Behavioral Tools. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Kalil, A., Mayer, S., Delgado, W., and Gennetian, L. (October 5, 2023). Education Gradients in Parental Time Investment and Subjective Well-Being. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Kalil, A., Mayer, S., Delgado, W., and Gennetian, L. (November 10, 2020). Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis on Family Dynamics in Economically Vulnerable Households • The Education Gradient in Maternal Enjoyment of Time in Childcare. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

Bresciani Andaluz, D., Kalil, A., Liu, H., Mayer, S., Shah, R., and Rury, D. (March 26, 2020). Boosting Young Children’s Math Skill with Technology in the Home Environment; A Digital Library for Parent-Child Shared Reading Improves Literacy Skills for Young Disadvantaged Children; Priming Parental Identity: Evidence from Experimental Data. University of Chicago, Becker Friedman Institute for Economics.

In the Press

Harris School’s BIP Lab Awarded $500,000 Federal Grant to Scale AI-Powered Early Learning Innovation, The University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy, December 8, 2025

The Parental-Happiness Fallacy, The Atlantic, October 21, 2025

Parents, Math Apps, and the Future of Children’s Numeracy, The Learning Agency, October 2, 2025

Literacy begins before kindergarten. Here’s how to start building skills with your child, The Arizona Republic, September 23, 2025

Why I Am Not a Liberal, The New York Times, September 5, 2025

Parents Want to Support Their Kids. Behavioral Science Can Help Them Follow Through, The 74, July 28, 2025

Don’t Just Blame Schools for Students’ Falling Test Scores: Parents need to get involved to set kids up for academic success, US News, July 16, 2025

Overdeck Family Foundation Awards $32.7 Million in Grants in Q2 2025, Overdeck Family Foundation, July 15th, 2025

Head Start allies wait, worry about possible funding cuts, EdSource, May 14, 2025

Trump Wants to Gut Head Start. He’s Already Begun. Education Week, April 28, 2025

The science behind raising successful kids, with Ariel Kalil, Big Brains Podcast, March 20, 2025

The U.S. Economy Is Racing Ahead. Almost everything else is falling behind. The New York Times, February 4, 2025

When It All Became Apparent, Behavioral Scientist, October 7, 2024

How can we engage parents so their kids show up for preschool?, Chicago Tribune, September 16, 2024

Overdeck Family Foundation Awards $1 Million to Five Studies Identifying Drivers of and Solutions to Chronic Absenteeism, Overdeck Family Foundation, August 14, 2024

10 Years at BIP Lab: Co-Founder Ariel Kalil on a Decade of Behavioral Insights and What Comes Next, Harris Public Policy, May 14, 2024

How Digital Tools Enhance Parenting, Forbes, May 12, 2024

Op-Ed: Multigenerational homes are key to supporting single mothers, Chicago Tribune, April 25, 2024

Q&A: EdTech Research Lab Director, PAW Patrol Academy, March 13, 2024

Breaking Barriers: Funexpected Math Technology Contributes to University of Chicago Inclusive Learning Research Project, PR Newswire, February 8, 2024

Unleashing Ed Tech’s Out-of-School Learning Potential, U.S.News, October 5, 2023

Young Kids in Low-Income Families Get Less Exposure to Math. Can the Right Apps Help?, EdSurge News, August 30, 2023

New BIP Research Explores Effects of Parent/Child Math Engagement, Harris Public Policy, April 11, 2023

Research collaboration to examine parent-child learning interactions’ impact on child skill and curiosity, MIT News, January 10, 2023

Little Learners, Math Skills, and a Whole Lot of Data: About TIME and the Possibilities for Parents, Harris Public Policy, July 11, 2022

It’s about time — the best ways public policy can support parents, The Hill, May 27, 2021

How can Illinois schools reconnect with missing students? Text messages, ‘putting on gym shoes’, Chalkbeat Chicago, May 25, 2021

Parents fear for their children’s mental health amid coronavirus pandemic, USA TODAY, April 20, 2021

OPINION: How technology can help parents communicate with preschoolers, The Hechinger Report, September 9, 2020

COVID-19 could erase parenting gains of the last 30 years, Brookings, October 26, 2020

Quarantine Having Lasting Impacts on Kids’ Health, WEBMD HEALTH NEWS, May 15, 2020

Intensive Care: What Makes a ‘Good’ Parent?, The New York Times, Feb. 20, 2020

Some toddlers are chronically absent from preschool. A text message can help, Quartz, January 13, 2020

Helping kids by texting their parents? Here’s what experts say about this exploding strategy. Chalkbeat, Dec 17, 2019

New research partnership evaluates innovation in family engagement, MIT News, November 19, 2019

Reading at home and school attendance shot up with a cheap, easy solution: Texting, USA TODAY, September 12, 2019

Helping Parents Follow Through, Behavioral Scientist, September 10, 2018

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