Giving Compass' Take:

• This MDRC study uses a student-level random assignment design to assess the effects of a "growth mindset" intervention on the academic performances of ninth-graders.

• Implementing a "growth mindset" in academics reduced students' beliefs that intelligence is a fixed attribute, and helped improve grades. How can funders apply this to program support?

• Here's why a growth mindset might be the key to a smooth start in high school.

The transition into high school is a volatile time for adolescents and a precarious point in the course of their education. Students who successfully navigate this transition and pass their ninth-grade classes are far more likely to graduate from high school with their peers and attend college than those who fail courses in the ninth grade.

The growing awareness of the importance of the first year of high school for future success has prompted schools and districts across the country to develop interventions designed for ninth-graders. This study focuses on one such program: a “growth mindset” intervention. The intervention consists a set of two self-administered online modules (25 minutes each) designed to communicate the message that the brain can grow “stronger” (that is, more intelligent). This approach aims to increase students’ desire to take on challenges and improve their persistence.

Read the full article about analysis of the growth mindset by Pei Zhu and Ivonne Garcia at mdrc.org.