Why Students Seem to Be Struggling More Lately (And Why Executive Functioning Matters More Than Ever)
Many educators are asking the same question right now: Why does teaching feel harder than it used to?
Each year, expectations stay high. We’ve seen it over and over: the curriculum shifts and new initiatives roll in. And yet, more and more students seem dysregulated, disengaged, or overwhelmed in ways that feel different than before.
Many of the teachers we’ve worked alongside have seen:
Shorter attention spans
Increased emotional outbursts
Difficulty completing independent work
Lower follow-through with practice or homework
A growing sense of disconnection
So many educators say that they keep waiting for things to “settle down.” But for many students, the world has not settled. It has accelerated. But why? The simple reality is that…
The Context Students Are Growing Up In Has Changed
Today’s students are navigating a childhood unlike any generation before them. Researchers, including Dr. Haidt in “The Anxious Generation” and Dr. Brené Brown in “Strong Ground” (both absolutely phenomenal books if you’re looking for something to dive into), point to a convergence of factors shaping student development:
A phone-based childhood with constant access to stimulation
The rapid rise of social media and comparison culture
Prolonged disruptions from the pandemic
Ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and collective stress
Increasing academic demands paired with reduced downtime
The fast emergence of AI and shifting expectations around learning
For adults, this is a lot to process, honestly, too much to process. For our students, it can be absolutely overwhelming.
How this is showing up in our students…
Many educators are noticing changes that weren’t as pronounced even five years ago. I know we’ve seen this in our work with our own students. Lessons that once held attention for 60 minutes now require more breaks, more movement, and more regulation built in. We used to have students who could easily practice more independently, but now many of our students are struggling to get started, follow through, and persist when tasks feel challenging.
I must admit, it feels like for many of our students, their emotional reactions can feel more intense, there’s a more rapid onset of emotions, and it just generally feels like those tough emotions are harder to recover from. This can sometimes look like it’s showing up in all kinds of different ways with our students, it might look like:
a lack of respect
apathy
poor motivation
But what we’re often seeing is not actually disengagement. It’s the nervous system under strain. And when the world feels chaotic, kids need a sense of calm. There’s a simple truth here for our students:
Chaos creates chaos. But calm creates calm.
When students feel overwhelmed by their internal or external world, their ability to:
regulate emotions
sustain attention
plan and initiate tasks
reflect and adjust
begins to break down. These are executive functioning skills. And right now, many students need more support developing these skills than ever before.
We want to be clear, executive functioning is not about compliance or self-discipline. It’s about how students make sense of expectations, feel grounded enough to engage, experience success again, and regain a sense of control over their learning. When students feel capable, connected, and supported, engagement returns, trust builds, and respect follows.
And here’s the thing:
Students don’t just learn executive functioning skills through instruction. They learn these skills through experience. When we, as educators, can slow the pace when needed, build in reflection and regulation, externalize planning and organization, and model calm problem-solving, students begin to internalize those same processes. They borrow your emotional regulation until they can build their own. And over time, that borrowing turns into independence.
This Is Why Executive Functioning Is the Foundation
Executive functioning is not just another “trendy” educational construct. It’s a necessary set of skills and abilities that students need to develop. And, when we can help them to develop these skills, it’s a way for us to reduce friction, create predictability, support learning without escalating behavior, and meet students where they are without lowering expectations. When we focus on executive functioning, we’re building capacity.
So, if you’re noticing that students seem more dysregulated, less engaged, or more overwhelmed than before, you’re absolutely not alone. The landscape has completely changed, which means students have changed. And the supports we provide must evolve too. This is the case in every part of our instruction; it’s why we must always be open and flexible as educators.
What’s Next
In our 5-Step EF Framework, we break executive functioning down into concrete, teachable skills from attention and working memory, to planning, initiation, and flexibility. This framework is not meant to be a checklist. It’s designed as a system. Because when students feel calm, connected, and capable, learning becomes possible again. And so does teaching. We all need to find that calm.
If you’re needing the space to reflect for yourself, we’d love to invite you to listen to our podcast, Using the 5-Step EF Framework to Start the Year (although honestly, you can use this anytime; it’s really just meant to be a reset, grounding for you!)
And, if you’re looking for a way to bring this work in with your students, check out our free 5-Step Executive Functioning Routine that will bring structure and clarity into any activity or lesson.
