I pinpoint what’s really holding your student back.
As a learning scientist with a PhD in psychology and neuroscience, I know what to look for to move past the complexity and identify the most important barriers in your student’s way.
Lots of bright students struggle.
Yours doesn't need to be one of them.
Dr. Rich Daker, a learning scientist with a PhD in psychology and neuroscience, works with your family to pinpoint the barriers holding your student back so they can get on a trajectory that reflects what they’re truly capable of.
30 minutes with Dr. Daker · Online · No obligation
Rich Daker, PhDLearning scientist. Researcher. Parent.
Princeton UniversityBachelor's, Summa cum laude
Georgetown UniversityMaster's & PhD,
Psychology and Neuroscience
Psychology and Neuroscience
Research consultant for:
20+ publicationsPeer-reviewed scientific articles on how students learn and perform
Meet Rich Daker, PhD
My name is Rich. I’m a psychologist and neuroscientist, and I’ve spent my career trying to answer one question:
Why do so many bright students struggle in school?
So many students care about doing well in school and have big goals. But school is harder than they want it to be, and it affects their confidence. Their results don't match their ability. And that gap can put a limit on what they're capable of achieving.
As a parent, you want to help. But when you’ve tried tutoring or extra help from teachers and nothing’s solved the problem, it’s hard to know what will actually make a difference. It’s easy to feel lost.
After 15 years researching how students learn and perform, I started working directly with students and families to pinpoint what’s holding each student back and what will help them do their best.
The students I work with see significant improvements in their performance, and they also feel more confident and in control.
“Within a month, her grades started improving. And she seems more confident again, too, which has been such a relief.”
Does any of this sound like your student?
For students in middle school, high school, and college.
- They care about doing well, but their results don’t match the effort they’re putting in.
- They’ve got big goals, but something’s holding them back from achieving them.
- They’ve recently experienced a dip in academic performance.
- They’re facing a transition or sudden increase in difficulty.
- They understand the material but struggle to show what they know when it counts.
- They’re losing confidence or beginning to feel overwhelmed by school.
- They’ve worked with a tutor or received other outside support but still aren’t seeing the progress they hoped for.
If any of this sounds familiar, I just might be the right person to help. You’ll have a learning scientist with a PhD in psychology and neuroscience on your side to figure out what’s holding your student back and give them the exact tools they need to feel confident, in control, and on their way to reaching their potential.
Here’s how I help.
An illustrative example. The barriers I identify and the plan I build are specific to your student.
See what’s possible when your student has a learning scientist on their side.
Case Study 1
Grace*
From C’s on tests to A’s.
Before
The nights before tests were awful, and she’d stay up late studying for hours, only to get some of her worst grades ever. She started questioning if she was cut out for honors classes.
Key barriers identified:
What changed
She started using the research-backed study strategies I tailored for her right away, and combined with the other techniques I coached her through, she started getting A’s on tests again.
“Within a month, her grades started improving, and she ended the semester much stronger than she started. And she seems more confident again, too, which has been such a relief. He went to Princeton and did his PhD at Georgetown, so he’s obviously very qualified, but he’s also just genuinely kind, great with kids, and very easy to work with.”
Case Study 2
Ben*
From a 3.0 GPA to a 3.7.
Before
He would study for hours and know things the night before. But when the test came, it was almost like he hadn't studied at all. His grades were slipping, and his confidence was shaken.
Key barriers identified:
What changed
He's using the techniques from the custom-researched plan I identified for him, and it's made a significant impact. His GPA last semester was a 3.0. This semester, it's a 3.7. And he's a lot more confident, too.
“Working with a learning scientist like Dr. Daker allowed us to understand where we should be placing our energy so we know that we’re doing the proper thing to help our son. He has such a collaborative approach, and the kindness and feedback Dr. Daker provided to Ben gave him a clear plan for success.”
* Students’ names have been changed to protect their privacy.
Want to discuss how Dr. Daker can help your student?
Book a free consultationFrom finding the barriers to removing them.
All sessions take place online.
The steps of the Pinpoint Method
- 01
The Information Gathering Phase
Understand the full picture- Parent Discovery Session
I meet with a parent to learn about the student’s context.
60 minutes - Targeted Assessments
Targeted assessments the student completes on their own.
~60 minutes - Student Deep Dive Session
I meet with your student 1-on-1 for a deep dive into their experience, how they approach school, and what happens when they struggle.
60 minutes
Typical duration: 1 week
- Parent Discovery Session
- 02
The Research Phase
Pinpoint the problems, pinpoint the solutionsI synthesize the evidence, identify the barriers that best explain the pattern, and do custom research to determine which evidence-backed changes are most likely to help.
Typical duration: 1–2 weeks
- 03
The Transformation Phase
Remove the barriers holding your student back- Pinpoint Session
We all sit down and walk through the barriers I found, what it means, and the plan to remove them.
~1.5 hours - Strategy Sessions
I work 1-on-1 with your student to put their plan into practice. The goal is to put them on their best possible trajectory, with tools they can use in future classes and challenges.
Typical duration: 1 month
- Pinpoint Session
You don’t need another guess.
Let’s pinpoint what will help your student do their very best.
Book your complimentary consultation
- Share the patterns and concerns you're seeing.
- Learn more about what I can do for students.
- Discuss whether this is the right next step for your family.
With Rich Daker, PhD · Online · No obligation
Opens the appointment calendar
About Rich Daker, PhD
Read my storyShow less
My name is Rich, and I’m a psychologist and neuroscientist who helps bright students reach their full potential.
A big reason I do what I do is that I was able to make a big academic transformation myself.
When I got to Princeton, the increase in difficulty from high school was enormous. I knew it would be hard, so I studied more than I ever had in my life for my first midterms. And I still did really poorly.
Then, I learned about the science behind how the brain learns and performs. I made a few targeted changes to how I approached school, and they completely changed my trajectory. I performed better, my confidence improved dramatically, and I felt much more in control. I ended up graduating summa cum laude, near the top of my class.
Who I was didn’t change. What I did changed.
And the changes I made weren’t giant ones. They simply helped me get more out of the effort I was already putting in.
That experience led me to earn a PhD in psychology and neuroscience at Georgetown and dedicate my career to the science of learning and performance. I’ve since published more than 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles on student success, what gets in the way of it, and what can be done about it.
My experience and research showed me just how many bright students could be doing better—and feeling more confident and in control—if they knew what to do differently.
That’s why I developed the Pinpoint Method. I work with each student to pinpoint what’s holding them back and identify the smallest, most targeted changes they can make to transform how they learn and perform.