Mindset Matters at Wapato High School
The human brain is like a muscle; the more you use it, the more it grows. Researchers have found that neural connections form and deepen most when we make mistakes doing difficult tasks rather than repeatedly having success with easy ones. This means that intelligence is not fixed, and the best way to learn is to embrace tasks where we may struggle and fail. Teachers and students at Wapato High School are using growth mindset to improve student learning in mathematics. In just one year, ninth grade students taking the Intensified Algebra course that couples growth mindset instruction with Algebra content improved course pass rates by 68%. Students and teachers are growing their mindsets, embracing challenges, and understanding that tenacity and effort can change learning outcomes.
School Year Academic Youth Development (SY-AYD) and Intensified Algebra (IA) are programs developed by Agile Mind in collaboration with the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin. College Spark is currently funding SY-AYD and IA at 27 schools. Information about grant funding to implement SY-AYD or Intensified Algebra is available on OSPI’s iGrants #804; applications are due October 16, 2017.