Providing students with the strategies and tools they need for academic and life success is at the heart of our mission.
The SMARTS curriculum was developed by ResearchILD, and our impact over this past year reflects teachers’ increased understanding that executive function strategies are critical for helping students to navigate the academic and social challenges of school.
By the numbers
226,875 students have received executive function strategy instruction via SMARTS.
14,025 educators have attended our conferences, trainings, and workshops.
6,075 teachers have used the SMARTS curriculum in their classrooms.
2,082 schools in 47 states and 28 countries have participated in our programs.
82% growth in SMARTS licenses from 2021 to 2022.
Educators in 47 states, the District of Columbia, and 28 countries have implemented SMARTS and/or participated in our conferences and workshops.
2022 Accomplishments
- Addressing executive function needs through an equity lens
In 2022, the EF and Equity Fellowship brought together educators to explore how schools are addressing students’ executive function needs through an equity lens. Each month we examined how educators can use executive function as a transformative tool for building differentiated, inclusive instruction and developing community-based practices. Areas of focus for the current academic year include implicit bias and social-emotional learning. - MetaCOG Surveys & Toolkit
After launching the Strategy Use Survey in January, we began developing the online version of the Motivation and Effort (ME) Survey. In numerous pilots, educators shared feedback to shape the final version. 2022 marked the second year of the SMARTS Student Ambassador Program, a student focus group designed to ensure our materials accurately reflect students’ lives. The ME Survey is targeted for release in January 2023 as part of the MetaCOG Surveys & Toolkit. - Conferences and trainings reach a worldwide audience
Our 37th annual Executive Function Conference explored the intersection between executive function and social-emotional learning. The conference brought together 20+ experts in the fields of executive function, ADHD, social-emotional learning, and education with a virtual audience from 7 countries and 28 states across the US. We also offered free webinars that introduced educators to the fundamentals of executive function, and in-depth training that took educators on a deeper dive into executive function.
Get ready for 2023!
We are looking forward to 2023 and are excited about implementing our new initiatives and transforming the lives of more students so that they can learn how to learn. Read the full impact report here.
- Caitlin Vanderberg, M.Ed., SMARTS Associate
SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum: smarts-ef.org
Research Institute for Learning and Development: researchild.org