The 5 Executive Functioning Skills Students Need Before Their Next School Year

Last month I ran a free workshop for parents of middle school, high school, and college students. When I asked what their biggest concern was for their child right now, every single parent said the same thing:

Executive functioning.

Every spring, families focus on grades, applications, and next steps. But there’s another factor that plays a much bigger role in how students actually perform after a transition: executive functioning.

Executive functioning is the set of mental skills that help students manage themselves. These are not academic subjects — they’re the systems that allow academic ability to show up consistently.

Here are the five most important executive functioning skills students need before their next school year begins.

1. Planning Ahead
Students move from short-term assignments to long-term projects. Without planning skills, deadlines sneak up and stress spikes.

2. Task Initiation
Knowing what to do and starting are different skills. Many capable students freeze at the starting line.

3. Prioritization
As workload increases, students must decide what matters most each day.

4. Emotional Regulation
Stress, frustration, and anxiety interfere with focus and follow-through more than most families realize.

5. Self-Monitoring
Students who succeed learn to step back, notice what isn’t working, and adjust before things spiral.

The good news: these skills are trainable.

The months before a transition are the best time to build them — when there’s space to practice without crisis pressure.

That’s exactly what we do inside the Executive Functioning Performance Lab.

Learn more here: Executive Functioning Performance Lab for Students & Parents