A good deal of our professional development services to schools is funded through Title 1, focusing on students who have greater learning needs than their peers. We believe that students who are coming to school from homes where finances are limited do not have the same prior experiences as many of their peers. They may also be living under the chronic stress that can affect executive function. We believe executive function must be a key part of working with students in this situation; that can do much to level the playing field. The Learner-Active, Technology-Infused Classroom is characterized by many structures to put students in charge of their own learning -- structures that build executive function indirectly. In the book, Building Executive Function: The Missing Link to Student Achievement, there is a chapter entitled, A Culture, Not a Course.
One of the downfalls of most programs aimed at students from financially disadvantaged homes who are not keeping pace with their classmates is to spend more time drilling in the lower-order skills. Without a context or "felt need," and with executive function gaps, students do not necessarily make the wanted gains and are bored with school, often feeling inadequate. Teaching through problem-based learning gives everyone the opportunity to solve real-world problems and then have access to a variety of learning activities to meet their own needs.