ABSTRACT
The executive functions are a set of processes that all have to do with managing oneself and one's resources in order to achieve a goal. Executive function is an umbrella term for the neurologically based skills involving mental control and self-regulation. What is intriguing is the connection between the definition of executive function and the prefrontal cortex: the part of the brain most involved in the development of skills. Given that more traditional "lessons" that were once the monopoly of teachers are now readily available through other venues, such as the Internet, the role of the teacher and the focus of school instruction must shift. If schools can help enhance and advance brain development related to executive function, they can provide their students with much greater cognitive accessibility to learning and higher-order reasoning and protect them from the many unhealthy decisions that they might otherwise make.
