Lou Tice began his career as a high school teacher and football coach, and Diane Tice started as a high school art teacher. In fact, after Lou developed the concepts and principles to make cognitive research easy to understand and apply, his first students were his high school athletes. Once the parents saw the positive changes in their kids, they wanted to know what Lou could do for their companies. From that start, in 1971 came the formal corporation now known as The Pacific Institute. So, it is only natural that The Pacific Institute has continually focused its cognitive education programs on youth.

As Lou's educational programs made their way through the corporate world, he began to hear, "Why didn't I have this information when I was a kid? And How can I get this for my kids?" In the early days of the Institute, there was no formalized program for young people; Lou would simply translate the concepts himself, so they could be put into practice. In the ensuing years, the Institute developed several programs geared toward young students, including the new PX2&trade program for teens and young adults.

Each of the Institute's programs specifically designed for the education arena is focused on raising the warranted self-esteem of the individual, as well as enhancing self-efficacy - the individual's opinion of their ability to make things happen. Research conducted by Dr. Albert Bandura, of Stanford University, has shown that an individual's belief in their ability to perform a task largely determines if the task will even be attempted. These beliefs drive performance in every area of one's life, and start very early in a child's life. Exposure to these concepts positively impacts the student's bottom line - achievement.

If we can imagine a world where the youngest among us can meet the challenges of school with confidence and enthusiasm, then carry those qualities through the teen years and into advanced educational opportunities, then we can make it happen. The Pacific Institute stands ready to assist with the tools and skills to build self-confident, efficacious, contributing members of society.