Starr's Mindset

As part of an organized entry plan, new Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Josh Starr will start a book club. In the upcoming school year, Starr will conduct three book club meetings. According to the plan, posted on the MCPS website, the first book club selection is "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success." The book is authored by Carol Dweck, a Stanford University psychology professor.

The books selected "will inform the community of [Starr's] educational philosophy and further their understanding of his approach to managing MCPS," the plan says. If this is true, then the Dweck book raises interesting questions about Starr and the directions he is taking MCPS.

I did not read "Mindset." However, I visited Google Scholar and found a lot of free Dweck paper and articles that explore her mindset research. I read as many of the free papers as I could. I also came across this Dweck interview, which summarizes her basic mindset research findings.

So, here are three interesting questions about Starr’s plans for MCPS:

1. Dweck tells us that there are two types of people, “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset” people. Growth people are lifelong learners—always searching, always learning. Fixed people are just the opposite, and even engage in blocking negative feedback about themselves.
   This is interesting because if I had to label MCPS—the institution—I would label them fixed. Why fixed? Well, if you were a visitor from Mars, and you had to learn about MCPS only from recorded Board of Education meetings, I doubt very seriously that you would ever hear anything negative said at meetings. Meetings seem only focused on reporting and discussing successes.
   Question: Is Starr going to change this practice by occasionally balancing out meetings by publicly debating and discussing mistakes? All I can say here is if the answer to this question is “yes,” then it sure will be fun watching board meetings under Starr.
2. Dweck seems to say that “growth” mindset people aren’t really interested in outcomes—grades, test scores. Outcomes are what fixed minds fixate on. Well, I cannot recall a time when MCPS was not interested in outcomes, especially test scores—Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam scores, SAT scores.
   Question: Is Starr going to change the MCPS tradition of raising the flag each and every time MCPS ranks No. 1 on some state or national measure? All I can say here is hell will freeze over when MCPS isn’t focused on outcomes, ratings, and rankings.
3. I might be wrong on this count, but Dweck seems to say that people do not inherit any special talents and that outcomes are solely driven by effort and hard work.
   Now, I’m pretty sure that if I took art lessons I could paint and paint well. However, we have all met that individual who can look at anything and draw it—without lessons. I’m sure the same is true about playing a musical instrument. With lessons I could play wonderful music. But we all grew up with a friend or relative who, without any lessons, picked up an instrument and played beautiful music days after figuring out the instrument. And back in the day, no matter how many miles I ran—and I ran a lot of miles—I could never run that four-minute world-class mile time. 
   On the other hand, there is some person out there that is just faster than the rest of us and it has nothing to do with his or her mindset or effort. They are just faster. They’re headed to the 2012 Olympics. The rest of us will be watching on television.
   Question: Does Starr believe no one has special gifts or talents? All I can say here is I hope that we don’t misuse Dweck research. Effort and hard work is 98 percent of every battle in life. (Heck, my parents told me that.) Still, I continue to believe that there are humans with gifts and talents that the rest of us do not have. I hope Starr believes this too.