According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges to students, educators, and parents. Children already coping with mental health conditions have been especially vulnerable to the changes, and now we are learning about the broad impacts on students as a result of schools being closed, physically distancing guidelines and isolation, and other unexpected changes to their lives.”

‘Is academic performance really important? And if so, why?’ On its surface, the question may seem absurd. Our reaction should be, ‘of course, it is important.’

Betsy Hill and Roger Stark respond to questions and statements often raised by skeptics regarding cognitive training (sometimes called brain training) programs.

Every individual is born with the potential to develop cognitive skills, but cognitive capacity reflects how well those skills have been developed.

There is no question that the nation needs a larger, better trained and more diverse group of teachers. But having all the teachers we need can’t “fix” learning and believing that it can largely ignores what science research tells us about student outcomes.

The recurring 70/30 ratio (or 30/70) in student performance, cognitive skills, and other aspects of education.

Instead of asking, “How far have we fallen?” regarding student learning during COVID, we should be asking, “Where were we before the fall?”

Executive Functions are the directive capacities of our brains—how we manage information, plan and decide, act or stop ourselves from acting, adapt to unexpected situations. Executive Functions can be assessed and developed.

Betsy Hill and Roger Stark share a blueprint for developing the 21st century worker, with neuroscience as the architect and a strong, flexible mind as its foundation.

Neuroscience research suggests intelligence is not fixed and the ability to learn, think and problem-solve can be enhanced at any age. The implications of this new knowledge in the workplace are profound.

What is the difference between learning ability and learning capacity? While everyone has the ability to learn, we don’t all have the same capacity to learn.

Educators working with students with deficits in cognitive processes that impede their ability to read, write and do math typically use three categories of strategies

We need to know about the brain when considering how to design educational experiences and improve learning outcomes

When students experience their own cognitive growth, they have the confidence to take on ever more challenging tasks.

Are decoding, fluency, and comprehension enough for superior reading skills?