Do Bensalem Students Have 'Grit'?

Small percentages of Bensalem High School students historically enroll in Advanced Placement courses. 

While some may say smarts and economics play a role in that fact, Bensalem school officials are working to determine if another factor is at play: "Grit."

Defined by research psychologist and University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Angela Duckworth as "passion and perseverance for very long- term goals," the school district may find out soon just how many of Bensalem's 450 seventh-graders have what Duckworth likens to a main ingredient in student success. 

During Wednesday night's school board committee meeting, Assistant Superintendent Monica McHale-Small said Duckworth is interested in participating in research with Bensalem students. 

The three-phase study, which could begin in November or December–pending board approval on Nov. 6–would begin with a pre-test evaluation to determine student beliefs, attitudes and "grit levels," according to information presented Wednesday night. 

By January, intervention would get underway and in March a post-test wrap-up would reassess students and offer daily practice sessions to "reinforce the gritty habits and skills" taught in the study, according to the presentation.

"Our kids aren’t interested and don’t have the persistence and determination or mindset to pursue these rigorous challenges," McHale-Small said, referring to the low percentages enrolled in AP courses. "We still have a big chunk of kids who do not challenge themselves."

Students whose parents permit participation in the study would be broken into either a placebo group, or one designated for intervention, according to McHale-Small. 

The district would receive the findings by June, she said. 

Duckworth, who taught seventh-grade math in New York City prior to obtaining her Master's degree and becoming a researcher, said in a video, that she noticed that "IQ was not the only difference between my best and my worst students."

While studying individuals in various situations and predicting outcomes, Duckworth said she began to notice a pattern.

"One characteristic emerged as a significant predictor of success," she said. "It was grit."

Superintendent David Baugh said that finding out Bensalem students are or are not "gritty" is not the whole intent. 

The goal, he said, is to "help our kids become grittier," adding that Duckworth's materials can assist in that effort. 

Should the board approve moving forward with the largely computer-based study, Baugh said seventh-graders would be "deliberately targeted."

"That’s where things start going south," he said. "If we could intervene in seventh-grade that would be great."