You're studying hard, but something's not clicking.

The free discovery call is a conversation with Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed., about your child’s learning. Tell us what has been hardest, and we’ll reply to find a time. The call takes about 20 minutes, by video, and you leave with clear next steps. There is no pressure.

Choose “Book a free discovery call” on the Achieve Education website and fill in a short form: your first name, your email, your child’s grade, what has been hardest lately and the best time to reach you. A phone number is optional, and please leave out medical details. Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed., will email you to arrange your free call.

Yes. The discovery call is free, with no pressure and no obligation: it is a conversation about your child. Tell us what school looks like at your house, and we will tell you plainly how we can help and how we would begin. Whatever you decide, you leave the call with clear next steps.

The MindSmart learning program is Achieve Education’s brain-based study program for students from transitional kindergarten through 12th grade and their parents. It builds study skills that fit how your child learns, on four pillars: brain-based learning strategies, emotional and mental skill-building, confidence and resilience support, and practical tools for school and life. Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed., is Achieve Education’s MindSmart Learning Specialist.

No. Our MindSmart learning program is a brain-based study program that fits the way your child learns. Rather than re-teaching tonight’s homework, we find the starting point, then practice at the right level. School teaches what to learn; Achieve Education also teaches how to learn and shows parents simple ways to help at home.

The MindSmart learning program serves students from transitional kindergarten (UTK and TK) through 12th grade, together with their parents. That includes young children starting school, elementary and middle school students, and high school students in demanding classes such as AP. Families at any of these grades can start with a free discovery call.

Both. The MindSmart learning program is offered online and in person. Achieve Education is based in San Diego, California, and the free discovery call is by video, so you can start from home. Online and in-person families begin the same way: with a free discovery call that ends with clear next steps.

The MindSmart learning program works on how your child learns. We help your child find a way of learning that works for them, one step at a time: study skills that fit how they learn, a realistic routine with room for rest, and recall practice for test day. Progress is gradual and looks different for every child.

Start small, and blame the cycle, not the child. Our free Homework Peace Plan gives seven ways to calmer homework, such as a 10-minute reset with a snack, water and movement, one tiny first step, and short work blocks with real breaks. Pick one, try it for a week, and notice what changes. If homework distress happens most nights for weeks, talk with your child’s teacher and doctor, and book a free discovery call.

Check what your child needs first, then try one small change at a time. Are they tired, hungry, upset or unsure what the task means? Our free Five Focus Tips guide offers five small experiments to try together: make room for focus; choose one small next step; move, then return; say it, show it, check it; and notice progress. If focus problems persist or cause substantial distress, talk with your child’s teacher, and discuss your concerns with a qualified professional.

Keep the goals and change the method: better study strategies and a realistic routine with room for rest. Our free Five Study Habits guide, written for ambitious high school students, covers five habits: plan the week you actually have, turn notes into questions, come back to explain and apply, give the work a reason, and protect your energy. Protect sleep, too: the American Academy of Pediatrics endorses 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours for ages 13 to 18.

The effort is real, but the study method may not be working yet. Rereading feels productive, but it fades fast, and it never checks what your child can recall when the book is closed. Two habits from learning science work better: retrieval practice, “Close the book and tell me,” and spaced practice, “A little, often.” Five minutes today and five minutes tomorrow beats one long session the night before a test.

Treat one result as information, not the whole story, and look at the study method before adding more hours. Praise the effort and the strategy, not just the grade. Then make a step-by-step plan for the retake, so your child walks in knowing how.

Yes. Parents can download the free Homework Peace Plan, a PDF guide from Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed., and Dr. Roger Nakata, D.O., with seven ways to calmer homework. Three more free PDF guides cover focus at homework time (Five Focus Tips), study habits for high school students (Five Study Habits) and a study method for medical and health-professions students (the S4 Study Method). You can also book a free discovery call.

SayPhonics is an online course from Achieve Education that teaches children in grades K–12 to read in English, step by step, with letters, sounds, real reading lessons, games and books. It is still being built, and we have not set a date. Everyone on the free SayPhonics waiting list hears first when it opens. SayPhonics is not on sale yet, so joining the waiting list charges you nothing.

Achieve Education is an education company in San Diego, California, founded by Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed., and Dr. Roger Nakata, D.O. We help K–12 students who are studying hard but feel that something isn’t clicking, through study skills, our MindSmart learning program and free guides for families. Families start with a free discovery call of about 20 minutes, by video. Achieve Education is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating.

Achieve Education was founded by Kimly Hoang-Nakata, M.Ed., award-winning educator and author, and Dr. Roger Nakata, D.O., board-certified pediatrician. Kimly is the CEO and an International Impact Book Awards Author of the Year 2025 finalist. Dr. Nakata received the San Diego Top Doc Award three years running, 2021–2023. Achieve Education provides learning support and coaching, not medical care or diagnosis.

Achieve Education helps K–12 students and their parents through our MindSmart learning program, college and pre-health students through our Holistic Learning Course, and kids learning to speak Vietnamese through Say Việt and our bilingual picture books. K–12 families can start with a free discovery call.