The National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools (NCSU) spent the 2011-12 school year conducting intensive case studies of four Fort Worth, Texas, high schools to understand what differentiates higher-performing from lower-performing schools. It was found that high schools can address gaps in student achievement, especially with traditionally underserved student populations, by developing policies and practices that help students take ownership and responsibility for their own learning. In collaboration with a district innovation design team, a practice was identified that can increase student ownership and responsibility in schools: helping students to develop growth mindsets and build problem-solving skills. This brief discusses the advantages of a student with a growth mindset and how schools can help students adopt growth mindsets.