Closing the Skills Gap
Closing the Skills Gap
The skills gap persists not because students lack potential, but because the bridge between academic knowledge and real-world capability remains incomplete. While schools teach content and employers seek durable skills, the cognitive abilities that connect the two are often underdeveloped. Strengthening these skills is key to closing the gap and that’s where COGx comes in.
The COGx Framework:
A Holistic Approach to Developing Durable Skills
Monitoring Skills
Metacognition plays a significant role in a student’s academic achievement across disciplines and has been identified as a key differentiator between sophisticated, successful learners and those who struggle, especially at learning independently.
Applying Skills
Applying refers to one’s ability to encode, store and retrieve information effectively. Memory is critical to learning as it serves as the foundation for knowledge. These skills are critical for mastery as well as for 21st Century Skills.
Managing Skills
Managing information effectively includes the ability to self-regulate, organize, manage time, initiate tasks, and other behaviors shared by successful learners. While these are affected by Processing Skills, they can also be improved.
Processing Skills
Effective information processing requires focus to sustain attention, the ability to hold and manipulate incoming data through working memory, and the capacity to integrate information through processing speed.
Affective Skills
Affective skills shape how learners feel about their learning, influencing motivation, resilience, and emotional well-being. These skills help students manage stress, build confidence, and develop a positive mindset, creating the emotional foundation needed for persistence, engagement, and meaningful learning experiences.
Behavioral Skills
Behavioral skills are the actions and habits that help learners stay engaged, organized, and self-regulated. They include goal-setting, time management, perseverance, and self-discipline allowing students to take responsibility for their learning, adapt to challenges, and develop productive learning behaviors.
Developing Durable Skills:
Customizable Programs for Educators & Students
Professional Development (PD) for Educators
COGx professional development equips educators with the science and strategies to cultivate durable skills in every learner. Through research-based insights, collaborative workshops, and practical tools, educators strengthen their own teaching efficacy while empowering students to think critically, adapt, and apply knowledge with confidence.
Flexible by Design
Each program is tailored to the context of the school or district, ensuring relevance without adding burden. COGx partners with educators to align content to local goals, pacing, and learner needs—so professional learning feels purposeful, practical, and manageable. This flexibility allows schools to strengthen durable skills within their own unique environments.
Program for Students (Middle School–College)
Students gain the tools to become independent, lifelong learners. Grounded in the Science of Learning, the program helps them strengthen cognitive skills through practical strategies they can apply across subjects. With guided practice and reflection, students learn how to learn, turning knowledge into lasting capability. The program is available in multiple versions to meet the needs of different age groups and learning abilities
Tailored to Every Classroom
COGx programs are designed to be flexible and adaptable. Through a collaborative model, educators serve as facilitators who bring the Science of Learning to life in their classrooms while schools and districts customize the program to align with their priorities, schedules, and learner needs. This ensures every implementation feels relevant, manageable, and impactful.
Available for 3 levels
Middle School
High School
College
Delivered in 3 languages
English
Spanish
Arabic
