Learn why Beyond BookSmart has been the leader in Executive Function coaching since 2006.
At Beyond BookSmart, we support struggling students and adults, providing them with tools and strategies for academics and lifelong success. Whether a student has learning differences, has been diagnosed with ADHD, or is simply overwhelmed by a demanding workload, our coaches promote and strengthen a broad range of critical Executive Function skills, including organization, time management, focus, planning, prioritization, reflection, and many others -- all skills that students use throughout their academic careers and lives.
We are proud of being the first organization to provide comprehensive Executive Function coaching at a large scale. Since 2006, we’ve coached thousands of clients with a wide variety of challenge areas and learning differences like ADHD, ASD, and dyslexia. This extensive experience has given us unparalleled expertise in supporting complex Executive Function challenges, as well as an extensive database of over 300 of the most effective Executive Function tools, strategies, and apps for our coaches to use in their sessions.
We have built an impressive team of over 300 Executive Function coaches, all of whom have at least a Master’s degree or an equivalent. Furthermore, most of our coaches are either current or former special education teachers, speech and language pathologists, classroom teachers, or school psychologists, and they all have prior experience working one-to-one with students. Even so, we continue to build their expertise with a comprehensive Executive Function training program from our in-house Professional Development Team. We also provide ongoing opportunities for our coaches to expand their expertise and continue to refine their coaching practices.
Thanks to our extensive roster of coaches, we’re able to match every client with a coach who is experienced in supporting their learning profile or challenge areas. This allows us to create a truly customized coaching experience that also takes into account a client’s readiness to change their habits and tackle challenges. Our coaches get to know their clients' interests and motivational triggers, both of which they incorporate into their approach to sessions. We customize our coaching to each individual client and have a structured, field-tested system that drives our personalized approach to Executive Function support.
Over the last two decades, we’ve gathered a team of people who not only know how to bring out the best in others but are deeply passionate about it. At every level of our organization, you’ll find people who are dedicated to helping others transform their lives. This passion has helped us form a cohesive team that understands that improved Executive Function skills mean greater success and enjoyment in life.
We believe that the relationship that forms between a student and their coach is the most important foundation for effective Executive Function coaching. Before the coaching journey even begins, we connect with you 1:1 to learn about your child and understand their unique goals, challenge areas, and mindset. Using this information, our team identifies a coach who is best suited to support your child’s coaching journey. We are proud of our 91% success rate in matching students with the best coach for them on the very first try.
We believe in regular and routine communication to keep you updated on progress. We have developed a secure online portal for our clients to check on coaching goals and outcomes, as well as track which tools and strategies were introduced or applied in coaching sessions. While we empower students to self-advocate, we also can meet with school staff to support families, and with your consent, we welcome communication and collaboration with other professionals (your child's teacher, psychologist, psychiatrist, or his/her school psychologist, for example) on how best to meet your child’s needs.
Beyond BookSmart pioneered the method of varying a coach's strategic approach to a client based on their mindset. Our model is based on the Transtheoretical Model of Change (Prochaska, 1979; Prochaska, Velicer, DiClemente, & Fava, 1988). This model has been adopted by numerous organizations worldwide due to its efficacy in helping people overcome resistance to change. It views change as a process and supports our clients' progression through specific stages (or mindsets) necessary to achieving substantial and meaningful change. Based on that, our Executive Function coaches are not only able to support clients who are prepared to take action, but also those who are not yet ready to change their behavior. We incorporate this evidence-based model of behavior change into our unique coaching process, Reach, Teach, Reflect, and Release.
As coaches, we constantly reflect on what works and what doesn’t work so that we continue to improve our Executive Function coaching practice. Unlike a single practitioner coach, our coaches benefit from 1:1 mentoring support from our Customer Success Team, as well as our Executive Function Consultants - a team of experienced coaches who provide specialized solutions for families and their coaches. In other words, you don't just benefit from the expertise of one coach, but rather the wisdom of many great coaches.
We have the data that shows us what works when it comes to building Executive Function skills in students. Our unique coaching program is the culmination of years of refinement and study. Thanks to our incredible research team at Beyond BookSmart, we're able to not only keep up with developments in the emerging field of Executive Function research, but apply those developments in the way we approach coach training, tool selection, and - of course - your coaching sessions.
At the most fundamental level, Executive Function coaching is an investment in your child’s future. Although it can be tempting to take a “wait and see” approach with our kids’ challenges in hopes that they’ll improve on their own, the truth is that they rarely do. On the other hand, when students receive support for these challenges, they become better equipped to handle the demands of both school and adult life. This renewed confidence combined with their ongoing coaching sessions enables clients to work towards and achieve goals they once thought were unreachable. As a result, we regularly see clients graduate coaching with improved self-confidence, independence, academic performance, and relationships at home. In other words, the return on their initial investment was priceless. This is why over 2400 referring professionals, such as pediatricians, therapists, and educational consultants, trust us to provide life-changing coaching for their clients and patients.
While academic coaching includes elements of traditional tutoring, the goals and process of academic coaching reach further and deeper to teach students to become more effective learners, not simply to survive the crisis of the day.
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