Student Success Coaching

Does your child struggle with time management, completing assignments, note taking, stress, anxiety, comprehension, organization, motivation, or goal setting?

Student success coaching strengthens executive functioning skills, which are essential to a student’s growth, learning ability, academic performance, and life.

Why call it "student success" Coaching?

And what is Executive Functioning?

We call it Student Success Coaching because the goal is to build habits that prepare students not only for today’s challenges but for life. Executive functioning includes key skills like time management, planning, organization, and self-regulation. These are considered strong predictors of success in adulthood. In fact, many colleges now refer to executive functioning simply as student success. As students grow in these areas, they become more confident, independent learners—ready to navigate high school and beyond with clarity and purpose.

Testimonials

“After only a few sessions, I improved my SAT score 180 points (from a 1360 to a 1540)!”

– Jude B. 2022

“My coaches were amazing! They made sure to go over my trouble areas and let me do things at my own pace. With their help, I raised my SAT score over 200 points.“

– Mia W. 2024

“With the help of my Center coach, I understand my math material better and I raised my grade!”

– Jillian 2022

“I was able to get my ACT score from a 29 to a 34! I’m so grateful for the help.”

– Jacqueline O. 2022

Organize for Success

School performance is affected by lost papers or assignments, forgotten homework, last minute work and careless mistakes. These learners don’t know how to begin long-term assignments and their workspaces, desks and backpacks resemble “black holes.” At home, mornings can be chaotic and misplaced clothing, sports equipment and school materials are a routine occurrence. Chores don’t get done unless nagging is constant. During the teen years, emotional outbursts are common and parents hold their breath when their son or daughter gets behind the wheel of a car or goes out with friends, fearful of the risks they might take.

10 Areas of Executive Function

Select an attribute to see how the lifelong learner embodies that trait.

Selections from Peg Dawson, Smart but Scattered (New York: The Guilford Press, 2009).

Response Inhibition

Goal Directed Persistence

Planning & Prioritization

Flexibility

Organization

Lifelong Learner

Response Inhibition

The capacity to think before you act – this ability to resist the urge to say or do something allows us the time to evaluate a situation and how our behavior might impact it. In the young child, waiting for a short period without being disruptive is an example of response inhibition while in the adolescent it would be demonstrated by accepting a referee’s call without an argument.

Goal-directed persistence

The capacity to have a goal, follow through to the completion of the goal, and not be put off by or distracted by competing interests. A elementary student can complete a job in order to get to recess. A teenager can earn and save money over time to buy something of importance.

Planning/Prioritization

The ability to create a roadmap to reach a goal or to complete a task. It also involves being able to make decisions about what’s important to focus on and what’s not important. A young child, with coaching, can think of options to settle a peer conflict. A teenager can formulate a plan to get a job.

Emotional Control

The ability to manage emotions in order to achieve goals, complete tasks, or control and direct behavior. A young child with this skill is able to recover from a disappointment in a short time. A teenager is able to manage the anxiety of a game or test and still perform.

Flexibility

The ability to revise plans in the face of obstacles, setbacks, new information or mistakes. It relates to an adaptability to changing conditions. A young child can adjust to a change in plans without major distress. A high school student can accept an alternative such as a different job when the first choice is not available.

Organization

The ability to create and maintain systems to keep track of information or materials. A young child can, with a reminder, put toys in a designated place. An adolescent can organize and locate sports equipment.

System Thinking

System thinking refers to considering the interconnectedness and interactions within a child's environment, emphasizing the importance of viewing and addressing executive functioning challenges holistically. We generally discuss this approach in the context of children, as it helps parents and educators design effective interventions. We find it enhances understanding of how a child's environment influences their development.

Working Memory

The ability to hold information in memory while performing complex tasks. It incorporates the ability to draw on past learning or experience to apply to the situation at hand or to project into the future. A young child, for example can hold in mind and follow 1-2 step directions while the middle school child can remember the expectations of multiple teachers.

Task Initiation

The ability to begin projects without undue procrastination, in an efficient or timely fashion. A young child is able to start a chore or assignment right after instructions are given. A high school student does not wait until the last minute to begin a project.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognize, understand, and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others. We generally discuss this skill in the context of both children and adults, as it is crucial for building healthy relationships and effective communication. We find it helps individuals navigate social complexities and improve their interpersonal interactions.

Sustained Attention

The capacity to maintain attention to a situation or task in spite of distractibility, fatigue, or boredom. Completing a 5-minute chore with occasional supervision is an example of sustained attention in the younger child. The teenager is able to attend to homework, with short breaks, for one to two hours.

Time Management

The capacity to estimate how much time one has, how to allocate it, and how to stay within time limits and deadlines. It also involves a sense that time is important. A young child can complete a short job within a time limit set by an adult. A high school student can establish a schedule to meet task deadlines.

WHEN: June 10 & 12, 12:15–12:45 PM (During Summer Academy Lunch)

WHERE: The Center (Armour Building at Wheaton Academy)

COST: $100 (registration includes both sessions)

EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SUMMER WORKSHOP

Build Habits That Power a Great School Year

High school comes with new challenges—more homework, busier schedules, and higher expectations. This two-day summer workshop helps students build the executive functioning skills they need to thrive. From organization and time management to planning and study habits, students will learn strategies to set them up for success before the school year begins.

Led by a Certified Executive Functioning Coach, the workshop includes a strengths-based assessment, hands-on planning tools, and opportunities to practice techniques that build confidence and reduce academic stress.

Register for Student Success Coaching

Executive Functioning skills: Work with a Student Success coach to provide support and guide students to help your child develop into an independent, confident student who has a deep knowledge of themselves as a learner. Working with vocabulary to build on strengths and improve areas of weaknesses. Time management, completing assignments, note taking, stress, anxiety, comprehension, organization, motivation, self-talk and goal setting. Pro-rated prices are available for students who sign up after the semester has started.