Children enter school with vast individual differences in core cognitive functions, such as cognitive control. These differences – which are in large part attributable to societal factors including economic inequality and differential access to early education – are associated with children’s academic success at school entry and continue to be evident across the early school years. Drawing on methods from psychology, education, and cognitive neuroscience, I examine children’s cognitive development and instructional factors that contribute to this growth. My goal in studying these questions is to help teachers develop more equitable spaces and opportunities for the students in the classrooms. Specifically, as is outlined in my research statement, through my work I address three main questions: (1) How can we characterize brain and behavioral changes in the cognitive skills that support learning? (2) What factors (e.g., emotion regulation, motivation, and anxiety) influence children’s use of cognitive skills in the classroom? and (3) What is the impact of school experiences on the development of cognition?