Mindset Works™ Wins Contract from U.S. Department of Education to Develop Critical Tools and Programs to Raise Student Motivation and Achievement

SAN CARLOS, Calif., June 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Mindset Works™ announced today at ISTE 2010 that it was awarded an $849,000 contract by the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences to develop its Growth Mindset Learning Platform. The Growth Mindset -- students' belief that their intelligence can be developed --  has been shown to increase students' motivation, grades, and achievement test scores.

The new platform will enable schools and districts to create a growth-mindset culture and increase student achievement through an integrated suite of programs.  The contract was awarded based on the evidence that the approach, as described in Mindset, by Carol Dweck, Ph.D., has raised motivation and achievement among a diverse set of students in a range of settings.

The approach is already available to families, schools and districts via the Brainology® program, a research-based, online curriculum that teaches the growth mindset. Students learn how the brain forms new connections and gets smarter every time they stretch themselves to learn new things, and they learn how to apply the growth mindset in their schoolwork.  The program has been implemented in upper elementary schools, middle schools and high schools across the U.S. and abroad to rave reviews.

The funding from the US Department of Education will support the development of additional tools and programs to guide educators on classroom practices that can develop and sustain the growth mindset in students, and a growth mindset online community to connect educators to one another and to leading experts in the field.

Heading the effort is a team of established and dedicated educators.  "Mindset Works looks forward to creating a platform that will help schools, teachers, and students to realize their potential for growth and cultivate a learning-centered culture," said Lisa Blackwell, Ph.D., VP of Design, Implementation & Evaluation, who will head the development efforts.

The contract was awarded under the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences 2010 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Fast-Track program.  It is the first such contract awarded for a social/behavioral intervention.

Mindset Works is showcasing Brainology June 28-30 at the ISTE 2010 show in Denver.

Schools and districts interested in piloting the GMLP or Brainology should contact Eduardo Briceno at 650.273.5717 ext. 999 or ebriceno(at)mindsetworks(dot)com, or visit the company's website at www.mindsetworks.com.

About Mindset Works, LLC

Mindset Works™ unlocks human potential by equipping people with the growth mindset.  The Company raises student achievement by motivating upper elementary, middle school and high school students to take an active role in their own academic development and giving them the tools to succeed. Children learn relevant neuroscience along with study skills, a combination that engages them, sparks their passion for learning and increases academic success. The online program is available to educators, administrators, parents and students at www.brainology.us.

About Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D.

Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., is one of the world's leading researchers in the field of student motivation and is the Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology at Stanford University. Her research focuses on why students succeed and how to foster their success. More specifically, her work has demonstrated the role of mindsets in students' motivation and has illuminated how praise for intelligence can undermine motivation and learning. She has also held professorships at Columbia and Harvard Universities, has lectured all over the world, and has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her work has been prominently featured in such publications as The New Yorker, Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post and she has appeared on Today, Good Morning America, 20/20, and NPR. Her recent book Mindset (published by Random House) has been widely acclaimed and is being translated into 17 languages.

About Lisa S. Blackwell, Ph.D.

Lisa S. Blackwell, Ph.D., has a long-standing commitment to educational equity and adolescent achievement, beginning with her early experience as a literacy instructor for under-served students in New York City.  She earned her Ph.D. in Psychology at Columbia University, where she studied achievement motivation in adolescents with Dr. Carol Dweck, and subsequently became a research scientist leading teams in the design, implementation and evaluation of a variety of intervention programs in New York City secondary schools.  She is the co-author and designer of the Brainology® program.  Dr. Blackwell is Mindset Works' VP of Design, Implementation & Evaluation and advises schools and districts implementing the Brainology® approach.

Brainology is a registered trademark and Mindset Works is a trademark of Mindset Works, LLC.

Available Topic Experts: For information on the listed experts, click appropriate link.

Carol Dweck

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=92071
Lisa Blackwell

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=92073
Eduardo Briceno

https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=92074

SOURCE Mindset Works, LLC