Executive Function in Education, Second Edition

“Meltzer–a pioneering, visionary researcher–is joined by a who’s who of EF experts in this second edition, which includes valuable updates and new chapters. Graduate students and experienced educators will benefit equally from the breath and scope of this book. If you were going to purchase only one volume on the topic of EF in education, it should be this second edition.”–Sam Goldstein, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine; Clinical Director, Neurology, Learning, and Behavior Center “Although the term ‘executive function’ is now widely used, there is still considerable confusion about its meaning and practical implications. In this outstanding second edition of Executive Function in Education, Meltzer has brought together important theories and recent research. Intervention-focused chapters offer helpful guidance on how EF knowledge can inform more effective instructional strategies in reading, writing, and math.”–Thomas E. Brown, PhD, private practice, Manhattan Beach, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California “The second edition of this indispensable volume is replete with practical guidance and current evidence-based best practices to assist educators in improving students’ abilities to manage time, monitor behavior, and employ strategies to help with organization and planning. The book presents various theoretical perspectives and explores how EF is related to cognitive abilities such as working memory and processing speed, as well as the impact of EF processes on reading, writing, and math development. Contributors provide up-to-date guidance on how to adapt instruction, improve self-regulation skills, and incorporate new digital tools to promote success in school and beyond.”–Nancy Mather, PhD, Department of Psychoeducational Studies, University of Arizona “The book clearly describes the sometimes confusing theories of EF and the recent research that supports them. Contributors present practical strategies for improving EF grounded in these theoretical constructs. This book is a ‘must have’ for professionals who evaluate, treat, and teach students with varying learning needs, as well as those in training. The volume offers real-life illustrations of the daily EF challenges that students experience and provides explicit examples of classroom strategies that are easily incorporated into lesson plans.”–Eric Q. Tridas, MD, developmental pediatrician, Tridas Center for Child Development, Tampa, Florida -Provides educational stakeholders with advanced and comprehensive information describing the biological and environmental underpinnings for executive function abilities and difficulties….In addition to intervention considerations embedded within each chapter, the book concludes with a focus on specific, practical, and manageable school-based interventions. Overall, Meltzer did an excellent job balancing theoretical knowledge and practical recommendations….This book is recommended to school psychologists and educators alike who seek to gain a deeper understanding of various executive function processes and an increased ability in addressing such demands.–NASP Communiqué, 5/1/2019

“Meltzer–a pioneering, visionary researcher–is joined by a who’s who of EF experts in this second edition, which includes valuable updates and new chapters. Graduate students and experienced educators will benefit equally from the breath and scope of this book. If you were going to purchase only one volume on the topic of EF in education, it should be this second edition.”–Sam Goldstein, PhD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah School of Medicine; Clinical Director, Neurology, Learning, and Behavior Center “Although the term ‘executive function’ is now widely used, there is still considerable confusion about its meaning and practical implications. In this outstanding second edition of Executive Function in Education, Meltzer has brought together important theories and recent research. Intervention-focused chapters offer helpful guidance on how EF knowledge can inform more effective instructional strategies in reading, writing, and math.”–Thomas E. Brown, PhD, private practice, Manhattan Beach, California; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California “The second edition of this indispensable volume is replete with practical guidance and current evidence-based best practices to assist educators in improving students’ abilities to manage time, monitor behavior, and employ strategies to help with organization and planning. The book presents various theoretical perspectives and explores how EF is related to cognitive abilities such as working memory and processing speed, as well as the impact of EF processes on reading, writing, and math development. Contributors provide up-to-date guidance on how to adapt instruction, improve self-regulation skills, and incorporate new digital tools to promote success in school and beyond.”–Nancy Mather, PhD, Department of Psychoeducational Studies, University of Arizona “The book clearly describes the sometimes confusing theories of EF and the recent research that supports them. Contributors present practical strategies for improving EF grounded in these theoretical constructs. This book is a ‘must have’ for professionals who evaluate, treat, and teach students with varying learning needs, as well as those in training. The volume offers real-life illustrations of the daily EF challenges that students experience and provides explicit examples of classroom strategies that are easily incorporated into lesson plans.”–Eric Q. Tridas, MD, developmental pediatrician, Tridas Center for Child Development, Tampa, Florida -Provides educational stakeholders with advanced and comprehensive information describing the biological and environmental underpinnings for executive function abilities and difficulties….In addition to intervention considerations embedded within each chapter, the book concludes with a focus on specific, practical, and manageable school-based interventions. Overall, Meltzer did an excellent job balancing theoretical knowledge and practical recommendations….This book is recommended to school psychologists and educators alike who seek to gain a deeper understanding of various executive function processes and an increased ability in addressing such demands.–NASP Communiqué, 5/1/2019

Lynn Meltzer, PhD, is President and Co-Founder of the Research Institute for Learning and Development (ResearchILD) in Lexington, Massachusetts. Since the 1980s, her clinical work, research, publications, and presentations have focused on understanding the complexity of learning and attention differences. Dr. Meltzer is founder and Program Chair of the annual Executive Function and Learning Differences Conference, which she established in 1984. A Fellow and past president of the International Academy for Research in Learning Disabilities, she served for 30 years as an Associate in Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Child Development at Tufts University. Dr. Meltzer has been an invited speaker at numerous national and international conferences, and has received many awards, including the Outstanding Researcher Award from the Council for Learning Disabilities and the Innovative Program of the Year Award from Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). Together with her ResearchILD colleagues, she has developed SMARTS, an evidence-based executive function curriculum for elementary, middle, and high school students that is used by schools in 48 states across the United States and in 38 countries worldwide.