If we’re honest — goal setting is not unique to students of any age.

Adults in all stages of life also struggle with defining goals (and sticking to them), as will likely be evidenced by the gym memberships, hobbies, and challenging goals millions of people will start at the beginning of the new year — and walk away from shortly thereafter.

But in the context of education, goal setting isn’t just a practice to pull out at the drop of a hat; or a short-term resolution to stick to the bathroom mirror. It’s a skill set that allows someone to visualize what they hope to achieve and to chart the path they’ll need to take to get there. Bestselling author, James Clear says goals help set the direction, but systems actually help us make progress.

So, what systems? Enter executive functioning skills: These are the skills that power the deliverables of the goal-setting engine. They’re also vital to student success in the classroom and beyond. Let’s learn how.

 

Effective goal setting starts in the mind

Inhibitory control. The prefrontal cortex. These terms seem scientific and advanced, but they’re all part of the process of student brain development. From early childhood to high school, the types of goals that students may set for themselves are partially due to how well their minds have matured, how capable they are in emotional regulation, and how skilled they are in self-management.

As adults, it’s easy for us to tell young children that they can ‘achieve your goal,’ do anything they ‘put their minds to,’ or that achieving any feat is ‘mind over matter.’ That’s not entirely true — but it’s not false, either. Executive function skills (and the brain) is still developing between the ages of 13-25. When adults are stymied by children when they don’t ‘act their age,’ it’s important to remember that their prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that manages executive functions, is still under construction. Years ago, we used to call this adolescence but today, we understand that kids are learning to plan and prioritize, manage their time, and track their progress all while being emotionally well-regulated. The truth? The construction of these skills takes time and lots of deliberate practice.   

What is executive functioning, and why is it important to students?

According to the Annual Review of Psychology, executive function refers to “a family of top-down mental processes needed when you have to concentrate and pay attention.” Simply put, executive functions are the brain’s project management system; they allow people to activate awareness, plan, set goals, and get things done.

When students struggle with executive function, the building blocks of goal setting are compromised. At Effective Students, our coaches often partner with parents and educators to determine whether students struggle to:

 

• initiate tasks;
• complete tasks in a timely manner;
• leave the house prepared;
• manage their time;
• organize their thoughts;
• Follow multi-step instructions;
• prioritize effectively.

As you might imagine, the ability to initiate and prioritize tasks, especially complex, multifaceted ones on a time schedule is key to reaching the goals that have been set.  They are the systems that make goal attainment possible. When students feel overwhelmed, or struggle with knowing where to begin, the goals they’re working toward may seem unattainable. 

How does executive functioning affect goal setting?

No matter the type of goal a student may have, or if their goals are long or short-term, they’ll require different types of executive functioning skills to achieve. We view Executive functioning skills as falling into two categories: 

• Academic Management Skills — This involves planning ahead, meeting goals, and following directions in a sequence to complete class assignments. Students with these skills can also apply what they’ve learned.  
• Social-Emotional Skills — This skill set is more related to how students respond to outside stimuli. This is about staying focused, managing your emotional response to stressors, and self-regulation. 

Both of these groups of interdependent skills make up the umbrella of executive functioning and set students up for success when making and working toward personal goals or their desired outcome. For high school students, having executive functioning skills can be the difference between success and frustration, or becoming paralyzed by tasks for fluently completing assignments and projects. If a student has executive dysfunction (no matter how passionate they are about the goals they hope to achieve), they can struggle to evaluate resources, complete tasks, focus attention, and set smart goals in an efficient manner

That’s why it is important to prioritize ensuring students acquire these skills. While students can learn the frameworks associated with academic management and social-emotional skills, these skills are e typically not taught in the classroom. Moreover, post-pandemic saw many students lose the opportunity to develop the executive functioning skills they needed, especially in the absence of a consistent classroom structure.

With the proper lessons and supportive coaching, students can develop executive functioning skills to successfully prioritize, start, and complete tasks on the way to achieving their goals. This will ultimately set them up for success and allow them to thrive in high school and beyond.

Discover academic coaching — and smart goal setting — with Effective Students

Executive functioning coaching can make a world of difference for students struggling to achieve. Whether your student has lofty goals or is struggling with simple daily self-management At Effective Students, we carefully curate our programming to deliver impactful, engaging executive functioning lessons to the students who need it most, launching them toward academic success with confidence and competence. 

If academic coaching may be right for you or your student, explore the Effective Student Method™ course and one-on-one coaching sessions. Contact our team to learn more.