Meet Linda Borden!

Independent Educational Consultant

Executive Function & Student Success Coach

I specialize in preparing students as they transition from one educational milestone to the next.  I am dedicated to supporting students’ academic, social, personal success and wellbeing. I guide students to develop skills in areas which include executive functioning, time management, goal setting and long-term planning. Together, we will identify strengths and challenges in academic areas and build strategies to better manage and balance academic and extracurricular expectations.

My educational background includes a Master’s of Social Work from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, a Master’s in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a Bachelor of Arts from Fordham University, as well as training certificates in Coaching for Student Success and Coaching Neurodiverse Learners from JST Coaching & Training. I bring over ten years of experience working at schools and nonprofits to improve access for students, design strategies for their success and support students in achieving their goals.


I live in the Boston Area and am the parent of two young adults.

Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA)

  • Member, National Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA)

  • Member, National Association of Social Workers (NASW)

  • Member, Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)

  • Member, Ambassadors, The Steppingstone Foundation

  • Member, Advisory Board, National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA)

Services

  • Navigating their current academic needs. Identifying current challenges to academics, developing strategies to plan for papers and projects, building reliable study skills, balancing extracurricular schedules, preparing for academic and social demands of college, and focusing on personal and wellness goals.

  • I create individualized strategies designed to address ADHD and executive functioning needs. This includes enhanced study and organizing skills, compliance with existing academic plans (IEP, etc.), and collaboration with Disability/Accommodations/Support offices to further encourage the use of resources made available to the student.

  • I provide comprehensive academic advising that involves both students and their families to ensure an inclusive approach to success.

  • I collaborate with students as they transition into high school or college and navigate new academic and social expectations.

    This includes supporting time management in the final semesters of middle or high school, the transition during the summer months, planning their courses, and completing the numerous expectations for incoming freshmen.

    Additionally, I work closely with students in their first semesters on a high school or college campus to further build reliable skills in self-advocacy, self- confidence, social confidence, time management, executive function, goal setting and managing academic schedules. The areas of focus include:

    • Identifying new goals for academic and personal success

    • Methods to assure accountability

    • Time management strategies in a new academic setting

    • Understanding a school's learning management system (Canvas, D2L, Blackboard, etc.)

    • Navigating information about orientations, class registration, and dorm life

    • Review of all course syllabi and planning for multiple long term assignments

    • Developing a weekly assignment plan

    • Study strategies - individual and group study planning

    • Building familiarity with the resources available to increase academic confidence

    • Ways to make use of office hours, the writing center or other tutoring options

    • Managing accommodations process, if necessary

    • Exploring extracurricular and volunteer opportunities on campus

    • Handling setbacks

Working Together

Our first meeting will include the student and the parents or guardians to meet each other and talk about your goals, academic strengths and challenges. I will answer your questions and you will have some time to determine if we are a good fit for each other.

Once you engage my services, the student and I will meet one-on-one with frequent text check-ins. Our meetings (on ZOOM, if out of area) are tailored to your strengths, challenges and goals. We will work on strategies which help you to understand, manage, and advocate for specific learning needs. Regular meetings are critical to building improved academic and personal routines. Brief outreach between meetings helps to keep the student focused on goals. 

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out using the contact form. You can also reach me by email or phone from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday. 

Student Success Stories

  • Parent of Student in Career Transition

    “It was in this moment of great frustration for my son that Linda became a resource. From my first conversation with Linda I was impressed by her comfort, experience and enthusiasm for working with people with ‘differences’, whatever they may be.”

  • Parent of Incoming College Student

    “Linda Borden worked with our daughter over a period of about 12 months. Linda was very skilled in working with her to identify areas of need so that she felt invested in the process. Their goals for their work together included proactively focusing on wellness and academics and helping her set boundaries for herself.”

  • Parent of College Sophomore

    “Linda is unfailingly empathetic and always available. She also provided regular status updates by email and phone. We loved working with her and I recommend her without reservation. She also was in touch with my daughter’s tutor and advisor to make sure she stayed on track with her courses and work load.”

  • Professor, Academic Outreach Program

    “Linda is one of the most exceptional colleagues I have had the pleasure to work with throughout my time in higher education. Her dedication to student success—both in the class and outside its walls—is peerless, With her dynamic blend of kindness, passion, and intellect, Linda's aptitude for building close relationships with students from a wide variety of backgrounds and learning styles has fostered years of successful programming that both faculty and students alike have benefited.

    When I felt as if a student was not managing his or her time well, Linda was there to help. When I felt as though a student might be experiencing trouble outside the classroom in his or her private life, be it on campus or at home, Linda was there. But more importantly—and what often goes unrecognized—are the countless number of times students arrived at class fully prepared for discussion and confident in his or her self because of Linda's preventative intervention early on.”

  • Executive Director, Educational Access Nonprofit

    “Linda is a superb leader and thought partner. Linda is committed to positively impacting educational outcomes for historically marginalized students along the continuum of grades, but especially at the higher education level, supporting transitions both to and through college. Linda’s experiences as a social worker who has already worked in various education settings, combined with a Master’s in Education, provides a unique combination of service to the field, at a time when looking holistically at the range of student needs is more important than ever.”

Start Your Student Success Journey Today!