Growth MindSet is working. We at Ascend Education will continue to promote it and use it’s tenants to improve our products and services. “(This study) explores the relationship between incomeand mindset for the first time, to our knowledge, finding that students from lower-income families were less likely to hold a growth mindset than their wealthier peers but that those who did hold a growth mindset were appreciably buffered against the deleterious effects of poverty on achievement. These results suggest that mindsets may be one mechanism through which economic disadvantage can affect achievement.”
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences http://www.pnas.org/content/113/31/8664
This may be the most important educational research to be released last year! Although, I cannot say I am surprised by the findings, it does confirm that which I have already witnessed first hand. Nonetheless, it in no way diminishes its importance
Let me give you just a few of the many examples I’ve encountered.
Valley High School, Sanders AZ supports one of the poorest student populations in the country. Many are without running water or electrcity. The turnaround in their school appeared to be nothing short of miaculous. It was in fact, a belief in growth mindset and a focus on individual student need that brought about he improvement.
Bibb County Public Schools, Macon, GA a Flexible Learning Program (FLP) in 2015 for students who were most at risk of failing math (in the lowest 25 percentile). The first year off the program 44% of students moved up two or more grade levels.
Fort Stockton Middle School, Fort Stockton, TX did not make AYP. In less than two years, they were honored by the state for having the most improvement in math in their region. It should be noted that 65% of Fort Stockton students are economically disadvantaged and a large percentage are English Language Learners.
Growth MindSet is working. We at Ascend Education will continue to promote it and use it’s tenants to improve our products and services.