Dr. Dawn Matera, Ed.D. is an innovative educator, author, and thought leader in personalized learning and executive function development, whose work has influenced students, families, and educators for more than three decades. With a background that blends psychology, special education, and educational leadership, Dr. Matera is widely recognized for translating research into practical, compassionate educational models that support neurodiverse learners and those who struggle in traditional school settings. 

Dr. Matera began her career as a special educator, working directly with complex learners in highly specialized environments in Connecticut, including Eagle Hill School Southport (now The Southport School) and Winston Preparatory School. These early experiences shaped her deep understanding of how cognition, emotion, and environment intersect in the learning process. In 2008, she founded A Way to Learn, an educational services practice offering individualized tutoring, test preparation, and executive function coaching, further refining her student-centered approach and expanding her impact beyond the classroom. 

In 2013, Dr. Matera co-founded The Westport Day School, a Connecticut state-approved therapeutic day school for students in grades 6–12. As founder and educational leader, she helped build a school recognized for its warm, relationship-driven culture and highly individualized academic programming. The Westport Day School serves students experiencing anxiety, school avoidance, learning differences, and executive function challenges, integrating rigorous academics with social-emotional support to help students re-engage, grow, and succeed. 

Dr. Matera’s signature contribution to the field is her work on executive functioning as the foundation for lifelong learning. She is the founder of The Executive Function Project, a comprehensive framework that identifies and teaches 12 core executive function skills essential for academic success, self-regulation, and independence. The project provides educators, parents, and students with accessible language, tools, and strategies that can be implemented across schools, homes, and organizations. 

She is the author of The Executive Function Project: Discover You (Grades 9-12), now available on Amazon, which brings her framework to a broader audience. The textbook offers a clear, practical guide for understanding executive function and developing skills such as planning, organization, time management, emotional regulation, and flexible thinking. The book provides a full-year, 10-month, 10 module comprehensive and ready-to-use curriculum, grounded in real-world experience, the book reflects Dr. Matera’s belief that executive function skills can be taught, practiced, and strengthened at any age. 

Dr. Matera enjoys escaping to the coast of Maine as often as possible, is an avid reader of fiction and even writes fiction under the penname, Didi Cooper.  

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