Integrated Executive Function Model

By Mary Miele, Originally Published 8/17/2024

For the past 25 years plus, I’ve worked with students and schools across New York City, and Birch Wathen Lenox (BWL), a private K-12 school on the UES of Manhattan, has always held a special place in my heart. Some of my first tutoring students attended BWL, and I developed our initial whole-child approach as I worked with them. As I progressed in my career working with students, I applied the Integrated Executive Functioning (IEF) model to them. The goal was clear: to help students who struggled with executive functioning break free from the frustrations and challenges they faced every day by building strategies in a way that aligned with the research within executive functioning and teaching and learning. To meet them during the school day, using a research-based approach, would be a game-changer. But those days, this was a dream of my wildest imagination.

I’m a big believer in the power of one person’s invitation. And, this is what happened to make that pipe dream a reality, and I’d like to share this story with you today.

Before the summer of 2022, I had heard about my colleague Kim Kramer through professional circles. Known for her top-tier speech and language, literacy & consulting services, Kim’s work and reputation preceded her—but oddly enough, we hadn’t yet crossed paths. That August, everything changed. Kim, a parent at BWL, invited me to meet with the new leadership at the school. Bill Kuhn and Geoff Fisher were taking over from Frank Carnabuci, and when we first met, I knew I wanted to be part of their vision for BWL.

As the fall unfolded, Kim and I grew closer, and I even completed my college counseling practicum with the guidance of Momoho Takao, the college counseling director at BWL. Week after week, I witnessed firsthand the warmth, commitment, and excellence that defined BWL students, teachers, and families. Kim and Bill had another idea brewing, though—a program that would further support students’ learning. When Kim asked for my input, I knew this was the moment for the IEF Model. Could we build it into the fabric of BWL?

What followed was a whirlwind of planning, advising, and creating that culminated in the launch of the EXCEL program. Kim’s dedication was nothing short of extraordinary. She’s the type of person who can fit more into a day than most, and she worked tirelessly to make EXCEL a reality. Her attention to detail, paired with my expertise in the IEF model, made us an effective team – literally, the two of us get tasks done. Together, we led parent presentations, built excitement for the program, and assembled a top-notch team of specialists trained in the IEF model.

Today, hundreds of students benefit from EXCEL’s assessment and debrief process, with over fifty receiving support within the program. We’ve watched students who once struggled to keep up with schoolwork and clashed with their parents over homework transform into confident, capable learners. More importantly, they’ve gained a renewed sense of self-worth and improved relationships at home.

As I look back on this past year, I can’t help but be so grateful for the invitation that Kim extended to me just two summers ago. Indeed, this changed me a great deal. Not only would I license the model that came from the work I have done for a school, but I would be able to see just how incredible a program that used it would affect the lives of so many people. This past year, I would continue to write, develop, and pitch the model. Developing and getting people to use a new model with integrity is challenging and worthy work. Still, it is not so easy to get traction among all that education offers, so even on my most difficult days, I can look at EXCEL and see evidence of the model’s impact, and I carry on. All of this experience is part of my career now, and years ago, it was not something I foresaw to be possible.

Living a possibility and working on it is fantastic about an invitation.

What you might not know, which is just as fun, is that Kim and I have birthdays a day apart! Her birthday is today, at the time of this article’s publication, and mine is tomorrow.

Today, I want to celebrate Kim and thank her for the opportunity to take part in this journey. None of this would have been possible without her passion, vision, and countless behind-the-scenes hours. And I emphasize that sincerely and profoundly. Kim is a person who reads, writes, plans, and organizes every day to ensure the success of this program. She and I lead companies and do education work that is complex and human, and I am very lucky to have her as someone I can call upon for support, guidance, or even just for her to say – keep going. Little did we both know that the summer of 2022 would mean the start of just so much!

And, I applaud you to Bill Kuhn, the board at BWL, Director of EXCEL Mary Ann Lettieri and its faculty, and the families, faculty, and students who support EXCEL. Thank you for seeing this work through and developing a student support program of excellence that challenges the status quo of “kids with issues” to “kids with the ability to learn the strategies that allow them to be excellent students.” Years ago, when I wrote Disability: Ability, I wanted schools to create cultures where students who had lagging skills for one reason or another were celebrated for their abilities – and that has been something enjoyable and fulfilling to be a part of in this program- for sure!

Each day I get up, I’m thrilled that I get to do work that supports students’ learning lives. As I approach my own birthday tomorrow, I look back on this year and I am incredibly grateful that I have had the opportunity to impact students’ lives using a model that was developed through experience, research, writing, and modeling throughout my career. It is truly an honor to have this kind of opportunity. 
What is next? Well, EXCEL is growing. The school has hired additional teachers, and I am training them this year and supporting their growth and development. Many more students will benefit from the program, and as a result of its success, the IEF Model is being adopted in additional schools and programs. 

Of course, this means that, professionally speaking, I, too, am growing and learning. I am revising the training materials, updating the research that informs the model, and helping even more educators learn how to strengthen executive functioning for their students. 

I couldn’t be more excited about it all, and I hope you enjoyed learning more about the behind-the-scenes of such an important program and aspect of my career. Taking that pipe dream and living it has been extremely fulfilling.

So, in closing, here are cheers to the year that was and to the year to come! And, if you haven’t already come by to see what EXCEL is about or learned about the IEF Model, I invite you to do so! You never know where that invitation might lead!

In full disclosure to readers of this article, I am not an employee of Birch Wathen Lenox School. To learn more about EXCEL or BWL, please contact them directly. 

To learn more about the Integrated Executive Function Coaching Model, please email me at mary@evolvededucationcompany.com.