July 11, 2018

Developing Growth Mindset For Families

Overview of Families In SchoolsHistory:• Families In Schools (FIS) was founded in 2000 as a legacy organization

of the largest reform movement in Los Angeles during the 1990s (Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitan Project - LAAMP)

• LAAMP and a rich body of research reveal that when schools engage families, families get involved and student achievement increases

• FIS was created to deepen the work around parent engagement so that schools, families and communities work together in partnership to maximize and support student learning

Three Strategies– Curriculum and Professional Development

– Community Engagement

– Advocacy

– Non-Profit Empowerment

Mission of Families In Schools

To involve parents and communities in their children’s education to achieve

lifelong success.

Icebreaker

In one breath, please introduce yourself to 1 - 3 other people at your table, and share your:

• Name• Role/title • What brought you to this session…

Today’s Agenda

• What is Skills for Success?

– Overview of Project/Grant

– Exploration of the Theory of Change

• Families In Schools Parent Engagement Curriculum

– Overview

– Lesson Exploration

• Lesson Learned

– Teacher Classroom Experiences

– Parent Experiences

What is Skills for Success?

The Skills for Success grant is a 3-year Dept. of Education grant for Local Educational Agencies working with middle schools to “support the implementation, evaluation, and

refining of tools and approaches for developing non-cognitive skills in middle-grades students in order to

increase student success.

– Supports schools participating in GEAR UP 4LA– Provides direct support for teachers and parents

What is Skills for Success?

Goal was to help educators and parents understand:

• What learning mindsets are

• Why learning mindsets are important

• What practices and policies they can implement to develop learning mindsets in their students and children

What is Skills for Success?

Partners:

Theory of Change

Theory of Change

Spheres of Influence

Students learn and grow in three major contexts: the family, the school, and the community (Epstein, Coats, Salinas, Sanders & Simon, 1997). Reciprocal interactions between parents, educators, and community partners help to:• Establish social ties and exchange

information.• Understand each other’s views and

appreciate each other’s contributions.

• Identify common goals for students.

• Build social capital.

Theory of Change

Growth Mindset – Skills for SuccessParent Engagement Curriculum

Overview:

• Growth Mindset is a four-week curriculum that encourages parents to learn new strategies to support their child’s education. The interactive lessons focus on learning mindsets, family communication, and way parents can support their child’s development of non-cognitive skills.

Growth Mindset – Skills for SuccessParent Engagement Curriculum

Goals:

• Increase parental involvement in their child’s education

• Educate parent about their role in promoting student success

• Help parents understand the beliefs of having a Growth Mindset

• Increase parent knowledge about strategies that promote Growth Mindset and contribute to student success

The Facilitator Toolkit includes tools to help you implement the best possible program:• Four core lessons• Reproducible parent/student workbook (English and

Spanish)• Four core PowerPoint presentations• Reproducible outreach, recruitment and welcoming

environment tools• Facilitation Best Practices Guide

Growth Mindset – Skills for SuccessParent Engagement Curriculum

Parent Engagement Curriculum OverviewGrowth Mindset – Skills for Success

LESSON 1:

Defining a Growth Mindset

LESSON 2:

Parent and Student Communication

LESSON 3:

Strategies for Success

LESSON 4:

Culmination: Review, Resources, and Recognition

Defining a Growth Mindset• Learning Objectives:

✓ Review program objectives and identify group agreements

✓ Develop an understanding of Growth Mindset and Fixed Mindset

✓ Become familiar with the benefits of having a Growth Mindset

• Activity: Part B1: What is Growth Mindset • Growth Mindset Continuum• Defining Growth Mindset

Lesson Exploration – Lesson 1

Growth Mindset Continuum:

• You can learn new things, but you can’t really change your basic intelligence

• You could learn new things from making mistakes

• Your intelligence is something about you that you can’t change very much

Lesson 1

Defining Growth Mindset:

• What do you think affects student achievement?• Intelligence• Teacher quality• School quality• Previous experience• Structural/social factors (i.e. poverty, trauma,

discrimination, etc.)• Student mindsets –the beliefs about school

and learning

Lesson 1

Defining Growth Mindset:

• Growth Mindset is the belief that intelligence can be developed. A person with a growth mindset believes that they are capable of growing their abilities through effort, practice, seeking help when needed and learning from mistakes.

• Fixed Mindset is the belief that intelligence is pre determined at birth. A person with a fixed mindset believes that they are not capable of growing their abilities, and that having to work hard, seeking help, and making mistakes are signs of low ability.

(Definitions adapted from mindsetkit.org)

Lesson 1

Teacher Classroom Experiences• Challenges

• Teachers feel overwhelmed about where to start• Addressing large ability gaps• Making mistakes and failure positive

• Opportunities• More guidance on Growth Mindset teaching practices• Video Demonstration

Lessons Learned

Parent Experiences• Challenges

• Parent outreach• Internet access• Language barriers• Cultural differences

• Opportunities• Spanish version of Growth Mindset for parents• Work with school coaches

Lessons Learned

• “The Growth Mindset workshop has changed our perspective. It’s changed the way we see things. Sometimes we don’t know how to help our children or we don’t have the right words. And we, our mindset, becomes inflexible just as our children’s do.”

• “To me, the Growth Mindset workshops (were) good because it helps for parents to figure out how to change their mentality from something that is set in concrete to something that is more flexible.”

What Parents Have to Say

•Questions

•Thoughts and reflections

Final Thoughts

Contact Information

• Rocio Pina, Program Manager

rpina@familiesinschools.org

(213) 201 - 3906

• Tina Ochoa, Director of Strategic Partnerships tochoa@familiesinschools.org

(213) 201-3928