April 08, 2026, Durham, NC – As the school year draws to a close, many students begin to lose momentum. Final projects, standardized testing, and the anticipation of summer break can make it difficult to stay focused and motivated. For some students, this time of year can feel overwhelming, especially if they are struggling academically or feeling discouraged about their progress. Supportive adults can play an important role during the end of the school year by helping students develop a growth mindset. As the school year enters its final stretch, adults can help students develop the mindset they need to push through challenges and finish strong.

What Is a Growth Mindset?

A growth mindset is the understanding that intelligence and abilities are not fixed traits. Instead, they can develop over time through effort, practice, and learning from experience.

Students with a growth mindset believe:

  • Intelligence can improve through effort and learning
  • Skills and personal qualities can be developed through dedication and practice
  • Growth happens through trying new strategies, applying effort, and seeking help when needed

When students adopt this perspective, challenges begin to look different. Instead of avoiding difficult work, they are more likely to see it as an opportunity to learn and improve.

Why Growth Mindset Matters at the End of the School Year

The final weeks of school often bring higher expectations and increased pressure. Students may be preparing for standardized tests, completing major assignments, or trying to improve grades before the year ends. For students who feel discouraged or behind, this period can sometimes lead to disengagement. They may believe it is “too late” to improve or assume their abilities are fixed.

Supportive adults can help shift this thinking by reinforcing the idea that effort and persistence can still make a difference. By encouraging a growth mindset, adults can help students stay motivated during challenging periods of the school year, approach tests with more confidence, learn from mistakes instead of feeling defeated by them, and build resilience that supports long-term success in school and beyond.

Supporting Adults in Building Growth Mindset

Many teachers, parents, and mentors want to encourage perseverance and resilience but may not always know how to introduce growth mindset concepts to students or reinforce them in meaningful ways.

Mentoring Central’s web-based Promoting Effort and Resilience in Learning (PERL) training helps adults learn practical strategies they can use in everyday interactions to encourage a growth mindset in a student. Through interactive lessons, adults learn:

  • What a growth mindset is and why it matters
  • Key elements of a growth mindset
  • How they can encourage growth mindset in students
  • Practical ways to help students persist when they encounter challenges

PERL also prepares adults to support students’ goal setting and school engagement for academic success. While the PERL program was designed for adults volunteering in mentoring programs, concepts in the program are applicable to any adult in a supportive relationship with a student, including school and afterschool staff, parents, tutors, and more.

Helping Students Build Skills That Last

Helping a student develop a growth mindset does more than improve their outlook on schoolwork. It helps young people build resilience, confidence, and persistence that will serve them throughout their lives.

As the school year comes to a close, adults have a powerful opportunity to help students see challenges as opportunities to grow. Learn more about how Mentoring Central’s PERL training can help adults support student motivation, resilience, and growth mindset: https://mentoringcentral.net/mentoring-training/perl/.