The Program Schedule Credits Travel Registration

Cost is $2,195 per person through May 28, 2027 and $2,395 per person after May 27, 2027. Save $200 per person when registering a group of 3 or more.

Join Us This Summer in Santa Barbara for a Hands-on Workshop

From July 12 - 16, 2027, Learning & the Brain is offering a Summer Institute on the oceanside campus of UCSB.

How do executive functions shape student success, and what can educators do to support students struggling with these critical skills? This hands-on institute will provide practical, research-based strategies to help children and adolescents strengthen their executive functions—key skills that impact focus, self-regulation, and academic performance.

Participants will gain a deep understanding of executive function deficits and their effect on behavior and learning. You will explore evidence-based methods to help students improve executive function skills and learn how to communicate these concepts effectively with students, parents, and colleagues. Special emphasis will be placed on motivating students and guiding them from external control to internal self-regulation using strategies that foster independence.

Through case studies, interactive discussions, and hands-on activities, you'll analyze real-world examples of assessment, intervention, and student progress. By the end of the week, you'll leave feeling energized, informed, and equipped with actionable tools to make a lasting impact in your classroom and school community.

This institute is limited to 45 participants, ensuring a highly interactive and collaborative learning experience. Join us and take your teaching to the next level.

At This Institute, You Will:

Explore a comprehensive model of executive functions and their role in student success

Describe and apply external support strategies to help students navigate school tasks more effectively

Be able to implement techniques to help students bridge the gap between external controls to self-regulation

Learn to support students in strengthening their independent self-regulation to enhance academic performance

Differentiate between learning difficulties and producing difficulties in the classroom

Find and use evidence-based resources to enhance students’ awareness of when and how to self-regulate

Identify and access sources of information on evidence-based programs designed to foster executive function development and/or remediate difficulties

The Summer Institute Is for:

All Teachers, Special Educators, School Administrators

School Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists

Learning Specialists, Counselors, Academic Support Staff

Other Professionals who work with children and adolescents in grades PreK-12

About the Institute

This Learning & the Brain Summer Institute will be led by Dr. George McCloskey and assisted by Laurie McCloskey. This program is designed to help individuals and school teams develop knowledge about executive function research and applications to the classroom and/or clinical practice. The program offers participants an intensive professional development experience, drawing on the most up-to-date findings in research on executive functions.

Active participation is expected throughout this Institute. Class sessions will begin Monday afternoon after a lunch with the other participants. On subsequent days, classes will be held in the morning with afternoons free to explore Santa Barbara.

Attendees will be housed and all sessions will take place at the Sierra Madre complex on the Goleta, CA side of the UC Santa Barbara campus. Lodging, some meals, and course materials are provided. See the online schedule for meals provided.

Professional Development Credit

Earn up to 20 hours toward professional development credit for various professionals. For details on credit offered, visit our CE credit page or call our office at 857-444-1500 ext. 1. Note: credits are not provided by the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Accommodations and Meals

Interaction between faculty and participants outside the classroom is an integral part of the Institute. To foster this total immersion learning environment, participants are housed in undergraduate dormitory accommodations on the UC Santa Barbara campus. The dormitory rooms are located in the recently opened Sierra Madre complex located on the Goleta side of the UC Santa Barbara campus. Participants are assigned to their own bedroom in a shared two-bedroom apartment with each participant having their own bathroom. Linens are provided. All facilities are ADA compliant. The Institute provides four nights lodging with an arrival date of July 12 and a departure date of July 16. If you would like to arrange for an early arrival and stay over on the night of Sunday, July 11, the extra cost would be $125. If you are interested in making your own accommodations off-campus, please call us at 857-444-1500 x1. Please check the online schedule for information on the meals provided. Note: The UCSB campus is a smoke-free campus.

George McCloskey, PhD

Professor and Director, School Psychology Research, Department of Psychology, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine; Author, McCloskey Executive Functions Scales (2015) and Essentials of Executive Function Assessment (2010); Lead Author, Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties (2009)

Laurie McCloskey

Laurie McCloskey is a a classroom teacher certified in special and general education with experience in curriculum development. She is trained in using Orton-Gillingham approaches to reading instruction and has taught reading and study skills to elementary, middle, and high school students. She is the co-author of the children's book The Day Frankie Left His Frontal Lobes at Home and co-author of the Silas/McCloskey Executive Functions Curriculum published by CentralReach.

Executive Skills in the Classroom

Applying Strategies to Help Students Improve Executive Functions

July 12 - 16, 2027

Santa Barbara, CA

Institute Leaders in Santa Barbara Include: