The Survival Guide for School Success: Use Your Brain's Built-In Apps to Sharpen Attention, Battle Boredom, and Build Mental Muscle

From struggling students to academic all-stars, everyone can do better in school. Research shows that executive functions such as focus and organization are more valuable to school performance than intelligence or talent. Fortunately, these functions are skills, so students can learn them. This book provides ten tools to improve executive functioning, described as “mental apps” that will appeal to digital natives. Featuring plenty of examples, practice assignments, and a playful tone, this book can provide an academic boost to any student.

Ron Shumsky, Psy.D., is a U.S.-trained and licensed clinical psychologist and child neuropsychologist. He specializes in child development and learning as well as converting psychology-education principles into meaningful and practical use. Ron lives in Tokyo with his wife, two kids, and their dog Pickles.

Susan M. Islascox, M.A., is a learning support teacher at the American School in Japan, charged with the often daunting task of helping high school students get focused, organized, and motivated. Her successes and failures in that endeavor inform just about everything in this book. Susan lives in Tokyo with her husband and son.

Rob Bell, M.Ed., is an elementary school teacher with teaching experience that spans fifteen years and three continents. He currently lives and works in Santiago, Chile, with his wife and two kids.