Before talking to Michael about it I knew basically nothing about executive function coaching. My daughter had always struggled in school. In kindergarten, the work that her teacher sent home that was only supposed to take 15 minutes, would always take an hour or more. As she got older it just got worse. She would do a beautiful job on a project, and then the feedback from the teacher would be along the lines of, "I can tell she really understands the material, but she didn't follow directions - this is not the project that we assigned" and so her grades would be poor. She's a smart girl, but when her peers were spending 30 minutes on their homework after school and getting all A's, and she was spending hours every night on her schoolwork and barely scraping by, it really took a toll on her self-esteem. We have lots of "maybe" diagnoses, from ADHD to sensory disorders, but not enough to get her put on an EIP or get her extra resources at school. Actually, she tested above grade level in both English and Math, and yet her grades didn't reflect that at all. What I knew is that she didn't need tutoring in any particular subject. What I discovered is that executive function coaching was EXACTLY what she needed. For high school, she wanted to go to Norfolk Aggie. Their admissions process is partially based on performance, so it was really critical for her to bring her grades up to increase her chances of getting in. We started working with Beyond Booksmart at the beginning of the school year for 8th grade. In January my daughter received all A's on her report card for the first time in her life. At that time we stopped seeing her learning coach for financial reasons, but my daughter kept up with the study skills and project planning skills that she learned, and at the end of the school year again received all A's. When got accepted to Aggie and went in for placement testing in June, she tested into all of their "level 1" classes (from Aggie's Program of Study Guide: Level 1 classes are for students who are at or above grade level in academics, have high grades, possess excellent work ethic, and can manage a fast-paced class with significant homework. These classes frequently require outside readings, research papers and/or other additional assignments and obligations.) She received a stellar first report card with 2 B's and all the rest A's at the beginning of her freshman year, and she was on the honor roll. I truly believe that we would not be where we are today without Beyond Booksmart. BBS did such a great job of matching up my daughter with a coach that had a lot in common with her. It was a great personality match, and my daughter really loved working with Melissa and looked up to her. My daughter is a very stubborn girl and did not want to change what she was doing, but Melissa gave her little things that she could do, and built her up one block at a time until we started seeing big changes in her performance. I was not able to be there (my dad was home with her during the coaching sessions) so it was really wonderful that Melissa would call me after each session to let me know what they worked on, and then would enter her detailed notes into the portal so that I could continue working with my daughter between coaching sessions. I would absolutely work with Beyond Booksmart again, and probably will as we start preparing for college in the future. read more

Fretting or dreading the new school year starting for you child? IF you are looking for a tutor help for your kid, look no further than Beyond BookSmart. Their coaches work with students from elementary school and all the way up to college. They come to your house and literally help solve so many problems. Check out their web site at: https://www.beyondbooksmart.com/ "Beyond BookSmart coaches provide customized and comprehensive support, foster independence and confidence, help students and adults work more effectively, and teach the skills necessary for success in school and beyond". You can also read professionals' comments from places like Mass General about how great they are. They are perfect for kids who can't get their work done on time, don't study or know how to study for tests, have issues or get overwhelmed with organizing and writing papers, etc. I found them for a family member 6 years ago. She was smart but struggling in school despite having lots of tutors over the years who never got to the root of the problem so she was frustrated. Her tutor/coach was like Annie Sullivan to Helen Keller. Identified what her problems were and found ways for her to understand them (the most important part) and then succeed. It was the strong executive functioning skills part of the tutoring that was also so helpful and resulted in her being able to soar. I then used them again for my nephew who was having trouble in college in another state and had to drop out. It was their extra, personalized touch via Skype sessions that got him to open up and to be willing to make the changes and even went on to graduate school. I have sent my friend's kids to them for over 5 years now no one has been disappointed! read more

We have been using Beyond Booksmart for about 4 years and have relied on Neal to guide our son through his challenges with executive function. Neal was a great support through the last few years of high school and has continued to assist with writing exercises into the first 2 years of college. At the start, the focus was on study skills and self awareness/advocacy with a parallel track for life skills. At first the progress was slow, but during the last year of high school we noted a marked difference, something kicked in and our son changed his attitude towards learning, become a strong self-advocate and began to seek help on his own when needed. Perhaps most important, he learned to know when to ask for help- which avoided him getting too far behind to salvage the semester. It was a relief to know that because Beyond Booksmart enabled flexible scheduling and Neal was willing to continue with as needed (initiated by our son) on-line and telephonic meetings, the productive relationship they had developed was maintained into the first 2 years of college. Our son has easily made the Dean's list for his first 4 semesters, but more importantly- he is a strong student and cares about succeeding at schoolwork. It has been a relief and joy to watch the transformation and we are extremely grateful to Neal and his calm persistence. He was the perfect match for our son. read more

I have been more than happy with Beyond Booksmart over the last year and a half. I initially found the company through a personal referral when I was frustrated with how the school was continuing to approach my son's learning difficulties. My son was in 6th grade at the time. I found their intake process easy to schedule and was very thorough- through calls and an in-person visit. My son was quickly matched up with an outstanding coach- he took the time and extra effort to develop a trusting relationship with my son (who quickly shuts down when confronted with any challenge). His coach has even been able to come to several IEP meetings with me at the school to help ensure my son has the most appropriate support the school is able to offer. In addition to helping my son, his coach also now works with my daughter who is in 10th grade attending a private high school. He has made a big impact on how she now organizes and approaches her work and he has even been available to my daughter when away traveling via facetime or skype. I have found Beyond Booksmart to be a company of dedicated, knowledgeable and experienced professionals at every level. They continue to help my kids through their academic and organizational challenges, as well as guide me through helping get the best supports in place for them. I highly recommend this organization- they are terrific! read more

What do you do when you have a kid who is clearly really bright, but they are coming home from school with horrible grades, largely due to not studying effectively (or at all), failing to turn in classwork and homework (even homework they've completed) and not tackling major projects until they're almost due? Subject tutors aren't really all that helpful, since your bright kid struggles with grades in all classes, not just a couple, despite knowing the material pretty well. For our family, Beyond BookSmart has been the key to turning things around. We've worked with Michael Delman, the owner of Beyond BookSmart for a bit over half a year now. His rapport with my son has been fantastic. He has not only taught my son the academic skills he needs to be a good and successful student (largely organization, planning and study skills), but, more importantly, helped motivate my son to tackle his own "can't do and won't do" attitude, really the biggest obstacle to success. I would absolutely recommend Beyond BookSmart to parents with struggling students. read more

It's so difficult as a struggling student to find help that actually makes a difference. I've worked with a number of tutors and none were a fraction as influential as Beyond BookSmart was in my path towards achieving success. They are fantastic at matching you with a coach that fits, they are organized, passionate and knowledgeable, and most importantly, they teach you skills that accommodate your strengths and weaknesses. This kind of help cannot be found from a traditional tutor or teacher. Coaches exercise executive function skills by teaching students different unique tools and techniques that strengthen organization, writing, time-management, and focus in ways that you wouldn't be able to learn otherwise. Because of this, the price for the coaching is worth every penny. Any student that is struggling and wants to make improvements would be blessed to work with a Beyond BookSmart coach. It was the single most important step in me getting into a good college and doing well academically and I know many others who feel the same! read more

I have had the pleasure of receiving coaching from Leah, and I can honestly say that I'm so grateful to have her help. If there is anyone out there who struggles to get themselves organised, be it school, work or just every day activities, these guys can help! Prior to starting my coaching with beyond booksmart I really struggled in the academic setting, I was unorganised and my time management skills were poor. This is a lethal combination for a student that wishes to thrive in school. I started to doubt myself and my capabilities as a student, but I shortly discovered through coaching with Leah that this was not the case. After learning skills that help with prioritising my daily tasks and staying organised, I noticed a considerable difference in my grades at school. However these skills don't only have to be utilised in the academic setting, my living space is much tidier and I'm on top of every day tasks. Again I can't thank beyond booksmart enough for the help I've gotten! read more

When we realized that our 5th grader had trouble with some executive function areas Beyond Book Smart came to the rescue. The staff at our local office was easy to work with and very communicative. Our son was paired with a coach who he hit it off with immediately and who gave him tools to start getting organized. Unfortunately, that coach was offered her dream job elsewhere and moved on after a few months. We were apprehensive about our son having to establish a rapport with a new coach, but we are very pleased by his new coach, Noreen. Noreen has continued to provide our son with the tools necessary to be organized and effectively tackle all his school work. As we saw our son become more proficient with organization Noreen has found ways to help our son plan projects and overcome his hatred for writing. The strides our son has made over he last 8 months are incredible and have helped him become a better student and happier child. read more

Our daughter, diagnosed with ADHD in elementary school, has been working with a Beyond Booksmart coach for over a year now and we are thrilled with her progress. As a high school student, she has developed a range of valuable skills and her confidence in being able to tackle challenging academic projects has grown immensely. She really likes her coach and looks forward to her time with her every week. She utilizes a number of different tools/strategies in an effort to stay organized and engaged with her work and, as a result, gets her assignments done on time and has managed to make honor roll every semester. Most importantly, our relationship with our daughter has dramatically improved as we have been able to step back a bit, trusting that her work will get done and that everything is under control. We have found everyone at Beyond Booksmart to be incredibly professional, responsive, and kind. read more

I was a client of beyond book smart for quite a while. The coach I was pared with was exemplary in helping reach attainable goals in effective ways. At first resistant to this type of coaching I was not sure how this would go. However my coach made it a priority to help me feel comfortable honestly talking about my struggles and challenges when this was not something I am used to or comfortable with. The work we did together has been consistently used in my daily life especially now enrolled full-time in a university. I can honestly say if it was not for the essential life skills and time management practices that I learned with BBS I would have not felt confident or capable applying and proceeding with this next chapter of my life. These services set me up for success and the joy of accomplishment is overwhelming I highly recommend Beyond Book Smart with my full confidence in the staff and coaches. read more

Noreen at Beyond Booksmart has helped my daughter enormously. She has become more organized, more efficient and less stressed since working with Noreen. Noreen has not only taught my daughter countless executive functioning skills, which have clearly helped improve her performance academically, but also healthy lifestyle skills to reduce her stress. Noreen is extremely knowledgeable and caring, and clearly cares about my daughter's progress. She has a perfectly balanced way of making sure my daughter uses the tools taught and finds the ones that work best for her. She also checks in with my daughter between sessions to make sure she's on a good track with everything, which is extremely helpful. I couldn't be happier with finding Beyond Booksmart. Their coaches are clearly well educated and know how to get the best results. read more

Beyond BookSmart gave my daughter invaluable coaching through online sessions so that she could manage her college academics and launch herself in life. She was diagnosed with ADHD when she was 19 and was struggling profoundly to keep up with lectures, course material, and the pace of papers and tests. We called BBS needing urgent help. They matched her up with a great coach who lived in another state, was sympathetic and understanding, and found a way to support my daughter with regular, brief online coaching sessions. Our daughter went from having a GPA near the bottom of her college class to graduating with honors. We are very grateful for the lifelong tools that her executive functioning coach gave her! read more

When my son was in need of help with his executive function skills, I knew I'd be in good hands with Beyond BookSmart. I spoke with Janey in the beginning, and she was AMAZING. She listened to my needs and helped me find a great coaching coordinator to set our coaching goals, who then helped me find a stellar coach to work with. My son has made wonderful strides in his self-regulation. He is a hard kid to get to know, but his coach has built a great rapport with him. He's learning how to keep a calendar, set goals for projects, and advocate for his needs. He also remembers to attend his sessions every week without me having to remind him. Thank you! read more

My experience working with Beyond BookSmart has been a really remarkable one. Our coach really took the time to "get" my kid and my daughter can be pretty shy with new people. My daughter has benefited from the use of tools and strategies to stay organized, plan her time and get started. She independently manages her homework and studying within minimum support at this time but the thing I love the most is she knows when to ask for help and how to do that! While it's not a cheap service, but I feel the investment is worthwhile. read more

Beyond Booksmart is a professional, knowledge-based company that understands how to best reach kids where they are academically. Their approach gets great results in empowering kids to learn skills that help them to do better in school and, undoubtably, helps them in their futures as well. As a professional person who works with many stressed-out students, I have found Beyond Booksmart repeatedly to be an effective tool in helping and guiding students to become more successful learners. I highly recommend Beyond Booksmart. read more

Beyond Booksmart has really made a difference for our son and our family. B.B. is spot on in theory and practice. There are some children that need the extra support, organizational help and guidance that schools cannot currently offer. With the help of our extraordinary coach, our son is learning to take control of his academic world, understand how he learns and studies best and advocate for himself in school. Our paths are not easy or inexpensive, but really, can you think of a better investment? read more

Shame on you! You should know better than to act this way, disregarding the impact of your words and actions. It's disappointing to see such behavior when kindness and respect should always come first. People deserve to be treated with decency, and it's never too late to reflect, learn, and do better. I hope you take a moment to think about the consequences of your choices and consider a different approach moving forward. read more

My granddaughter has received coaching from this company and I can tell you she just loved her coach. She is a good student, but had some trouble staying organized and planning her work. Her coach got her set up with her work area and some systems to keep her materials where she needs them. My daughter said she saw a lot of positive changes at home because of what my granddaughter learned in coaching. read more

I have seen the owner speak a couple of times to different audiences, and both talks were fantastic. I appreciate the thoughtful way they approach the different challenges people face while learning and organizing information. What I learned made me feel more empowered and much less anxious. Thanks, Michael! read more