Case Studies
Case Study #1
School Profile: Medium (~1200 students) public middle schools, grades 6-8
Issue: Charlotte was ranked last for economic mobility among the 50 largest U.S. metro areas in studies conducted by Harvard researchers in 2014. A needs assessment conducted in 2019 demonstrated that the student population, largely Spanish-speaking and socioeconomically diverse, did not use planners or binders across all middle school grades.
How we helped:
- Built out weekly lessons along with presentation slides for teachers, in English and Spanish
- Created family engagement materials for family and caregivers, including a Family Packet
- Developed an interactive professional development program for teachers and administration
- Adapted all curricula to be able to be delivered in both remote and hybrid formats
- Created an online document management portal
- Organized an annual Family Event
“We've seen a shift in upper school ever since starting to focus on executive functioning, and I think it's been such a positive shift. Expectations and reasoning are clear to both students and faculty, which allows us to be more on the same page about everything, even beyond executive functioning.”
– Participating upper school teacher
Case Study #2
School Profile: Small (~400 students) independent school, grades K-8
Issue: The school didn’t have a school-wide planner and there were varying systems of organizations across grade levels. Students were struggling with organization and there were many behavioral-related disciplinary issues, causing frustration amongst faculty and parents.
How we helped:
- Conducted interactive professional development sessions with Lower (K-4) and Upper (5-8) School teachers
- Worked closely with K-4 administrators to modify schedule and transition structures
- Conducted school visits and teacher training sessions
- Revamped the study hall to include regroup and quiet work time, focusing on transitions and spaces of silence
- Provided “EF kits” to all families that include
- Introduced the Life Navigator lessons within Advisory-type period
- Helped design a uniform planner and binder system for the Upper School