Starting kindergarten is a big step for young children. It can also be a key time to spot which students might need some extra help with that life transition. Therefore, a new, free screening tool, created by researchers at the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development, is designed to help kindergarten teachers quickly identify which students could benefit from extra academic or social-emotional support — before small challenges become potential long-term setbacks later in life. Intended to take just 10-15 minutes per class, the simple three-question screener asks teachers to rate each child’s academic and social-behavioral progress on a 0-to-4 scale (poor-excellent).

Many might think that when fatigue sets in during a running race, the key to perseverance is reminding oneself why the effort is worth it or focusing on reasons why they set the goal—intuition that lines up with motivational posters, sports psychology clichés, and coaching advice. However, a new study by a team of New York University psychology researchers finds that runners get to the finish line more so by using focused attentional tactics than by reflecting on the larger goal of completing the race.