Two Methods to Amplify Mindfulness and Growth Mindset In Schools

Over the last decade, a majority of schools incorporated some kind of growth mindset or mindfulness rollout. As leading researchers in the mental health space, we love the emphasis on Mind Health in the classroom.

However, success has been mixed. According to EdWeek, school leaders have reported limitations like lack of time to commit to SEL, low teacher/parent support, lack of funding, and burdensome curriculum. These are usually symptoms of an unfocused SEL rollout with no or limited data to support an efficient and effective implementation.

There are two reasons why mindfulness and growth mindset programs have been ignored or less effective than expected in many schools. If you’ve been struggling with mindfulness or mindset rollouts, see if these may be tripping up your school.

Reason 1: They Were Brought in Without Sufficient Data.

In a typical intervention, the starting point is data. With data points in hand, a wise school leader can create targeted, powerful programming to address the most severe needs in their school. This may seem like a familiar and basic approach, but it is often lacking in the SEL space.

The reality is, most schools know that SEL, mindfulness, and growth mindset make a huge impact on student success. However, very few are trained in creating a needs assessment and measuring the effectiveness of programs covering those topics. It is not as cut and dry as subject area content.

Interventions without data are darts at a dartboard while blindfolded. You may get a hit, but odds are, you’ll be off the board with no impact. Even the best programs may fall flat if you are applying unnecessary interventions and missing key areas.

How can administrators succeed without a data-driven approach to Mind Health? What can be done to create assurance and accountability for the programs that school leaders implement?

Solution: Create a Methodological Approach

Stop thinking about student mental health as a broad, sweeping category. Saying “SEL” as an all-encompassing term encourages you to think that any program or intervention helps every aspect of SEL, whereas it may only address one or two contributors.

Instead, speak in specifics and begin obtaining data, observations, and surveys around those more refined topics. Analyze student behaviors like:

Sense of belonging within the school culture.
Involvement in activities beyond the classroom.
Instances of negative behaviors in the classroom/school environment.
Technology usage – both in and out of school.
Physical health and movement/activity during the school day.
Responses to challenges/resilience.

At Schools for Strong Minds, we have identified 47 elements of Mind Health, all of which are critical to student health and success. Ready to trust the experts? We will provide a research-based solution with a pre- and post-survey of the most valuable data for your school’s improvement. https://www.schoolsforstrongminds.org/

Reason 2: The Program Was Taken At Face Value, Not As A Shift In School Culture.

Are your school improvement plans a culture shift, or a simple implementation of new programs? There is no shortage of schools that invest financially in growth mindset or mindfulness programs, but not authentically in energy and effort.

When a school commits to a program rollout, it is never as simple as providing a new book or computer program to its teachers. There has to be passion and intentional purpose in every step of the rollout.

It is easy to get casual with new implementations, focusing on the technical aspects of a program instead of creating importance, time, and space to execute on it. What can you do when an implementation seems to be falling flat?

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Solution: Be a Culture Leader, Not a Program Distributor

School leadership takes a balance of technical skills and people skills. You have to analyze the data well, find the right interventions, and apply solutions to lead school growth. However, you also have to create the buy-in and lead the people who will determine the success, failure, or even the opportunity for the intervention to take hold.

Try these methods to build buy-in to mental health programs at your school:

Be specific with the time and space where your teachers and staff will implement the program.
Give training that is relevant and not done in a rush or as an afterthought attached to another meeting.
Check in often throughout implementation with teachers AND students.
Model elements of the program and create clear connections often.
Get involved with a peer network of other schools and administrators who are rolling out similar programs.

Leading Success in Mindfulness and Growth Mindset School Programs

School leaders can make a powerful impact on every student in their care. It starts with data and becomes amplified through careful implementation. Whether you partner with a proven program like Schools For Strong Minds, or you launch your own data collection and intervention system at your school, these two steps will maximize your results.

No matter where your school is on its Growth Mindset and Mindfulness journey, you can always take another step towards greater success. Implement with intention and watch your results increase twofold!