Executive function plays an important role in learning and development beginning in the preschool years and increasing as students progress through middle and high school. In these higher grades, students are expected to handle the strategies needed to successfully complete challenging academic tasks, to pursue personally meaningful goals, and to regulate their behavior. Success depends on their ability to plan, organize and prioritize tasks, materials, and information, think flexibly, memorize content and monitor their progress. Above all, it is important to help students to understand how they think and learn, and to teach them to use strategies in executive function areas.
