Attention is the ability to focus on a specific task without being distracted. Attention helps students become better readers and writers because we all learn best when we focus on and thoughtfully practice our developing skills.

Sustained Attention, the ability to maintain focus, is important for reading success because it can help students attend to classroom instruction. Research also shows that students with higher levels of attentional control show greater writing fluency and quality as they progress through elementary school.

Selective Attention is being able to select and focus on relevant information while filtering out other information.

Visual Selective Attention is the ability to focus on relevant information in a cluttered scene. Evidence suggests this is an important skill for learning to read.

Auditory Selective Attention is the ability to focus on a specific source of sound in a noisy environment. Research suggests training in this can enhance early literacy skills.

Read the full annotated bibliography of our Attention research.

Attention: A free microcredential to support students' attention

Executive Function: A paid microcredential to support students' executive functioning skills

Inhibition: A free microcredential to identify and support students' inhibition