Report calls for wide classroom-based adoption of ten brain fitness programs designed to improve foundational executive functions

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Nation­al Non­prof­it Releas­es Report Call­ing for Brain Fit­ness Inter­ven­tions in All U.S. Schools (press release):

“Brain­Fu­tures released a report today that makes a clear case for inte­grat­ing proven brain fit­ness pro­grams into all U.S. class­rooms. Over a decade of research has shown that evi­dence-based pro­grams can improve stu­dents’ exec­u­tive func­tion skills and proso­cial behav­iors, which are more accu­rate pre­dic­tors of aca­d­e­m­ic readi­ness and life suc­cess than IQ or any oth­er per­for­mance markers.

Brain Fit­ness and Exec­u­tive Func­tion: Evi­dence-Based Inter­ven­tions That Improve Stu­dent Out­comes details the impor­tance of foun­da­tion­al exec­u­tive func­tion skills — work­ing mem­o­ry, inhibito­ry con­trol, and cog­ni­tive flex­i­bil­i­ty — on aca­d­e­m­ic per­for­mance and how class­room pro­grams can help improve those skills. These skills are inex­tri­ca­bly linked to social emo­tion­al learn­ing (SEL).”

About the Report:

Of imme­di­ate use to edu­ca­tors and school lead­ers, the report presents a vet­ted set of brain fit­ness pro­grams that meet the evi­dence-based stan­dards of the fed­er­al Every Stu­dent Suc­ceeds Act (ESSA). The report high­lights class­room inter­ven­tions specif­i­cal­ly because they allow all stu­dents to engage in the pro­gram togeth­er with­out stig­ma­tiz­ing those with the great­est deficits.

The report ana­lyzed brain fit­ness inter­ven­tions already being used in schools, includ­ing cog­ni­tive train­ing pro­grams, mind­ful­ness tools, and exec­u­tive func­tion skills cur­ric­u­la. Those pro­grams have yield­ed proven out­comes for stu­dents, including:

  • Increas­es in pro­fi­cien­cy on state-man­dat­ed stan­dard­ized tests and school-admin­is­tered tests
  • Reduc­tions in dis­rup­tive school behaviors
  • Increas­es in proso­cial behaviors

The Call to Action: all schools should adopt brain fit­ness pro­grams and ensure that exec­u­tive func­tion train­ing is a stan­dard com­po­nent of teacher cer­ti­fi­ca­tion programs.

–> Down­load the full report HERE (opens PDF)

About the ten vetted brain fitness programs:

The report reviewed more than 40 exec­u­tive func­tions skills (EF) pro­grams. Of these, 10 met the rig­or­ous cri­te­ria estab­lished by the advi­so­ry group. Here are the ten, ordered alpha­bet­i­cal­ly, and indi­cat­ing dura­tion and sug­gest­ed fre­quen­cy of use:

  • Acti­vate: 10 hours plus 5 hours of exer­cise breaks across 10 weeks: 20 min. per day, 3 days per week plus 5‑min. exer­cise breaks twice a day
  • Cogmed Work­ing Mem­o­ry Train­ing: 21 hours across 5 to 13 weeks: five 50-min. ses­sions per week for 5 weeks can be spread out across up to 13 weeks
  • Fast For­Word: 150 min. per week until desired lev­els are complete
  • Inner Explor­er: 50 min. per week rec­om­mend­ed: 10 min. daily
  • Mas­ter Mind: 6 hours and 15 min. total: 15 min. dai­ly for 5 weeks
  • Mind­ful­ness in Schools Project: Grades 2–6: six hours total: Can be taught as six 1‑hour lessons or twelve 30-min. lessons. Grades 6–8: eight-nine hours total: nine lessons for 40–60 min. each
  • MindUP: One 45 min. les­son per week plus Brain Breaks 3 times a day (25 min. each)
  • PATH to read­ing: 5 hours 20 min­utes total: 64 5‑min. ses­sions, either 1 ses­sion dai­ly (5 min) or 2 ses­sions every oth­er day at start of the school day
  • SMART: 8.5 hours total: ten ses­sions imple­ment­ed in two or three 45–50 min. ses­sions per week for four weeks
  • Tools of the mind: Cur­ricu­lum is used every day through­out the day

In addi­tion to the 10 pro­grams that passed all cri­te­ria, 19 pro­grams had promis­ing results and are pro­filed in Appen­dix 3.

The Report in Context: