Research Institute for Learning and Development (ResearchILD)

08/25/2026

Sign up for executive function professional development for your fall 2026 before it’s too late!

ResearchILD’s SMARTS Professional Development equips educators with the strategies needed to foster student independence at scale. Grounded in over 40 years of Dr. Lynn Meltzer’s research, this professional development model provides educators with a roadmap to improve student outcomes across all demographics.

What are the core components of ResearchILD’s SMARTS PD?
‣ Ready-made training packages help teachers use new strategies in the classroom right away.
‣ Useful across many settings, these frameworks are based on learning sciences, helping limited budgets stretch further.
‣ Made for your district, as districts can choose the topics and session lengths that best meet your needs.

Which schools benefit most from SMARTS Executive Function training?
1. Schools that want to give students more support in regular classrooms and reduce the need for Tier 2 and Tier 3 services.
2. Schools looking for research-based strategies that can help all students learn and succeed.
3. Schools that need to make the most of limited time and money by teaching educators simple, high-impact strategies.

Why Executive Function? Research shows that EF strategies are the primary drivers of academic performance, classroom behavior, and post-graduation success.

Fall PD calendars fill quickly. As the recognized EF experts, ResearchILD partners with districts nationwide to transform school culture through strategy.

Secure your high-impact Fall PD window today: 🔗 https://smarts-ef.org/professional-learning-events-trainings-teacher-training-professional-development/

08/24/2026

In order to learn, kids first have to realize that they CAN learn!

This can be especially challenging for students with learning differences, who have been consistently told they are “stupid”, “wrong”, or “lazy”.

However, breaking these limiting beliefs is the first step in empowering students with and without learning differences.

And this quote from Billy Warren, B.S., at ResearchILD’s recent Celebration in honor of Dr. Lynn Meltzer’s vision and leadership in advancing the role of executive function in education serves as a powerful reminder of that!

Learn how to help students overcome limiting beliefs here: https://smarts-ef.org/blog/unlocking-student-potential-overcoming-limiting-beliefs/

08/18/2026

"As teachers, we put a lot of pressure on ourselves at the beginning of the school year. We’re expected to review last year’s content, assess where students are academically, establish classroom expectations, decorate bulletin boards, learn dozens of names, and somehow stay on pace with the curriculum. For years, I thought that was my job too."

Read what former teacher and current ResearchILD team member Reilly Mask has to say about the start of school 🔗 https://smarts-ef.org/blog/the-most-important-thing-i-teach-in-the-first-month-of-school/

I used to think my job was to cover content. Here's why I have changed how I approach the first month of teaching.

08/17/2026

Discomfort is bad, right??

Not always! In fact – as our friend and colleague Marc Brackett – famously says emotions are just information!

And, as Dr. Adam Grant identifies, discomfort shows a gap between what we expected and what we’re experiencing, and that gap gives us the chance to learn something new, if we look for it.

Read more about how welcoming discomfort can help students overcome procrastination: https://smarts-ef.org/blog/student-procrastination-and-how-to-overcome-it/

08/13/2026

Building inclusive schools for students with learning differences is not always easy...

Yet, focusing on understanding executive function and the experiences of neurodivergent students’ day-to-day lives CAN make a difference.

Fortunately, you can check out ourSMARTS Executive Function Curriculum and our colleagues .org’s recently released web of resources, “Through My Eyes,” to do just that!

Want to learn more about how to build an inclusive school culture for students with learning differences? 🔗https://smarts-ef.org/blog/turn-special-education-expertise-into-schoolwide-inclusion/

And learn more about Understood.org, a nonprofit supporting those navigating neurodivergence.

08/10/2026

When educators genuinely believe in their students, the results can be transformational.

Dr. Lynn Meltzer has built ResearchILD out of both that belief and her applied research on strategies needed to instill that same unwavering confidence in students.

And this quote from Billy Warren, B.S. at ResearchILD’s recent celebration in honor of her vision and leadership in advancing the role of executive function in education serves as a powerful reminder of that!

Learn more about executive function coaching here: https://smarts-ef.org/blog/importance-of-explicit-executive-function-instruction/

08/04/2026

How do we actually build inclusion into our schools?

Unfortunately, caring and sharing resources is not always enough -- sometimes, what’s really needed is a schoolwide understanding!

Fortunately, our colleagues at Understood.org have recently released a web of resources designed to do just that: Through My Eyes.

Learn how to use Through My Eyes and SMARTS to turn your expertise into schoolwide inclusion 🔗 https://smarts-ef.org/blog/turn-special-education-expertise-into-schoolwide-inclusion/

And learn more about Understood.org , a nonprofit supporting those navigating neurodivergence.

08/03/2026

What do our students deserve?

At ResearchILD, we think students deserve to know how they think and learn, setting them up for a lifetime of success in and out of school.

And this quote from Mark Logan, Ph.D. at ResearchILD’s recent Celebration in honor of Lynn Meltzer’s vision and leadership in advancing the role of executive function in education serves as a powerful reminder of that!

Learn more about the impact of explicit EF instruction here: https://smarts-ef.org/blog/importance-of-explicit-executive-function-instruction/

07/28/2026

Back-to-school season is officially upon us! Whether you’ve returned already, start in the near future, or never left, this season offers us and our students the chance to analyze what we want for the upcoming year.

Given that critical analysis and comedy come from the same part of the brain (cognitive flexibility), we thought there’s no better way to kick off this season than with a handful of back-to-school memes to get you laughing and thinking flexibly!



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There's no better way to kick off this season than with a handful of back-to-school memes to get you laughing and thinking flexibly!

07/24/2026

Students who can name their strengths and challenges are students who can better recognize their own inherent value, capacity, and potential.

Everything we do at ResearchILD, under the direction of Dr. Lynn Meltzer, is designed to support that transformation in students worldwide. And, as Chace Nolen -- a former client of Dr. Meltzer’s -- shares, this approach can make a lasting difference.

Interested in bringing this approach to your students? Learn more about our SMARTS for Schools programs 📖 https://smarts-ef.org/get-smarts-executive-function-skills-curriculum-products/

Interested in bringing this approach to your child? Learn more about ResearchILD’s Executive Function Coaching 🫂https://smarts-ef.org/get-smarts-curriculum-products-educational-therapy-executive-function-coaching/