NBEFC® Makes Bold Move Into K–12 Education in 2026 With New Specialist Certification and Professional Development

National Board of Executive Function Certification Announces Public Enrollment in the Educational Executive Function Specialist Program

LEXINGTON , OH, UNITED STATES, November 6, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — National Board of Executive Function Certification Announces Public Enrollment in the Educational Executive Function Specialist Program

The 150-hour program, offered to public and private K-12 schools as professional development since earlier in 2026, is now open to individual candidates.
The National Board of Executive Function Certification (NBEFC^®) today announced that its Board Certified Educational Executive Function Specialist (NBEFC-ES) program is now open to individual enrollment. NBEFC^® expanded into educational institutions earlier in 2026, bringing the program to public and private K-12 schools as professional development for special education and student support staff.

Before the program was built, one in five NBEFC^® candidates already had their tuition paid by an employer, mainly school districts funding the program as professional development and special education training. NBEFC^® saw a need for a credential written for that role: professionals working inside schools, where executive function support is delivered under a defined educational role and scope.

Why Schools Need Executive Function Specialists

Executive function is the set of cognitive processes that supports attention, working memory, self-control, planning, and goal-directed behavior. Students rely on these skills to start assignments, organize materials, manage time, follow multi-step directions, and regulate emotions in the classroom. When those skills lag, the result is missing work, disorganization, behavioral referrals, and chronic absenteeism.

Two longitudinal studies published in Child Development in March 2026 found that the pandemic slowed the development of these skills. Harvard University researchers, using data from more than 3,100 children ages 3 to 11, reported that executive function grew more slowly after the pandemic began than national norms would predict, across every socioeconomic group. A separate study led by the University of East Anglia found that children who entered school during the first lockdowns showed slower growth in self-regulation and cognitive flexibility than children still in preschool at the time. Both research teams concluded that these students will need additional support from schools for years to come.

The effects reach higher education. A 2024 report from EAB and Seramount, covered by Inside Higher Ed, described a multi-year decline in students’ socio-emotional readiness and executive functioning that the pandemic worsened, with colleges reporting more students seeking counseling and crisis services.
Schools have responded with academic support centers, learning specialists, intervention blocks, and student success offices, but the staff who run them have had few options for formal training in executive function built for educational settings. The Educational Executive Function Specialist program fills that gap.

The Educational Executive Function Specialist Credential

The program is designed for educators of all kinds, including special education teachers, learning specialists, student support staff, and school psychologists. Participants learn to identify executive function barriers, select and apply evidence-informed strategies, support students within educational settings, and monitor student progress. Candidates hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in education or a related field.

The program is 150 hours, including assignments and the examination, and tuition is $6,950. The degree prerequisite is verified prior to scheduling the examination. The credential includes access to the Neurocognitive EFTech System, the NBEFC^® screener-to-intervention-plan tool, the EF techniques library, and the NBEFC^® Interactive Study Advisor and NBEFC^® Certified Interactive Resource.

Program page: Educational Executive Function Specialist
Professional Development for Public and Private K-12 Schools
For school districts, the program is delivered as 150 hours of professional development for special education and student support professionals. Participants receive documentation of 150 PD hours for self-submission to their district, licensing board, or professional association, and qualified participants are eligible to sit for the board examination. Districts fund the program through IDEA Part B, Title II Part A, Title IV Part A, Title I schoolwide funds, and local professional development budgets.

Seats purchased by a school may be used by staff anywhere in the district. Districts enrolling six or more staff receive their own online cohort community, and when five or more employees become board certified, the organization, district, or school earns the NBEFC-O organization credential, with a digital badge for its website.

NBEFC^® also offers Neuroinclusion in K-12, a 30-hour professional development course open to anyone in the district, with a micro-certification in neuroinclusion on completion.
School program page: nbefc.org/k12

Graduate Spotlight: Palmer Trinity School
Andrea Fresco, NBEFC-E, holds a Master of Education in Reading and leads the Academic Resource Center at Palmer Trinity School.

“My NBEFC certification with the ADHD coaching certification, combined with my Master’s degree in Reading, has strengthened my ability to support the diverse needs of our students and has helped inform the development of the Academic Resource Center,” Fresco said. “The program has been especially valuable because of the quality and relevance of the information.”

Statement From the Board Chair

“Schools were already sending us their special education staff and paying the tuition as professional development,” said Michele Nusbaum, Board Chair of NBEFC^®. “Those professionals work under an educational role and scope, and they deserved a credential written for exactly that. This program gives districts 150 hours of professional development they can fund through the sources they already use, and it gives their staff a board certification that recognizes the work they do with students every day.”

Free Resources for Schools

NBEFC^® provides the Classroom Executive Function Guidance Framework at no cost. The tool gives teachers three strategies for each identified area of executive function difficulty and does not collect student names. NBEFC^® also offers the free Give Teachers EF Initiative course for special education directors and coordinators.

About NBEFC^®

The National Board of Executive Function Certification (NBEFC^®) awards examination-based board certification in executive function practice to coaches, educators, and clinicians, and the NBEFC-O credential to organizations. NBEFC^® was founded by Michele Nusbaum, Board Chair and curriculum director, who has 21 years of executive function coaching experience and 11 years as a special education advocate.

For information, call 1-844-306-2611, Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time, or visit nbefc.org.

Michele Nusbaum
National Board of Executive Function Certification NBEFC
+1 844-306-2611
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