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Growth Mindset

In the spirit of Women’s History Month, we are continuing our celebration by honoring another great public-school teacher, Jennifer Henderson.

Ms. Henderson, who has taught in the Aurora Public Schools in Colorado for 21 years and currently teaches eighth grade Literacy at Aurora West College Preparatory Academy, is on a mission to answer the “What ifs.”

What if we dedicated some time to learning to persevere? What if we dedicated time to help students see the struggle as a positive? What if we helped students learn from their failures?

Would this be a beneficial use of class time?

“As teachers, we go above and beyond every day for our students.  It’s an amazing opportunity when we receive support, resources and collaboration in order to make our ideas a reality.  I want my students to know how much power they have and that they can achieve whatever goals they set for themselves.  I know that this is a skill, like all the others we teach each and every day.”

“Carol Dweck, a Stanford professor, reported that ‘students’ mindsets—how they perceive their abilities—played a key role in their motivation and achievement, and… if we changed students’ mindsets, we could boost their achievement.’”

Ms. Henderson is teaming up with leaders within the community to help students achieve whatever goals they set for themselves. In her classroom, she also dedicates instructional time each week to supporting my students with analyzing their data, setting goals, and learning about perseverance and a growth mindset.

We can’t wait to see more on the great work that Ms. Henderson is doing in her classroom and community.

About the Collaborative for Student Success

At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families.

To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most. 

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