At Challenge Success, we believe that our society has become too focused on grades, test scores, and performance, leaving little time for kids to develop the necessary skills to become resilient, ethical, and motivated learners. We provide families and schools with the practical, research-based tools they need to create a more balanced and academically fulfilling life for kids. After all, success is measured over the course of a lifetime, not at the end of a semester.
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Maddy loves her high school, but like many teenagers, Maddy’s school experience has had its ups and downs.
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After Dr. Pope’s lecture, I made immediate changes in how I viewed my children’s capabilities and overall safety.
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Eleven representatives from Piedmont attended the Challenge Success Fall Conference to discuss the social and academic …
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UPDATE FROM DENISE POPE: Several administrators at a recent conference asked my opinion on year-end student awards and assemblies. At their schools, they typically rewarded students who had straight A’s or who had GPA’s above a certain cut-off point. Some gave these students awards at schoolwide assemblies; others listed student names and GPA levels in local newspapers or graduation programs. I told them that I am not a fan of such practices because they tend to emphasize grades – and particularly grade point averages – over other important measures and milestones for student success. What we reward is a reflection of what we value as a school. It’s not that we shouldn’t recognize and honor hard work and achievement, but an A grade is not always an accurate measure of these things. Can we find ways to honor the student who showed the most growth over time in a particular content area? Maybe this is a student who struggled at first, but persisted and worked diligently to understand the material? What about the student who took a risk and showed great creativity? How can we show that we honor kindness, honesty, service to others, excellent collaboration and communication skills – as much as we value academic mastery? When we reward A’s and high GPA’s in very public ways, we send a narrow message about success. When we honor students at community events, let’s use this opportunity to celebrate achievements that go beyond getting the grades. Let’s reward a wide variety of achievements and success stories that reflect the true values of our schools and communities.
According to psychologist Carol Dweck, adults and kids who possess a growth mindset “believe that their most basic abilities can be d…
