Changing Minds to Address Poverty: Graduation Mindset for Counselors

About This Course

As a counselor, you know how critical it is for students to envision a future beyond their current circumstances. In this course for counselors, you’ll explore the concept of a graduation mindset and how to help students adopt one—regardless of their socioeconomic background. Learn how to create empowering learning environments that support long-term goals and promote hope, agency, and resilience. This course is part of the Changing Minds to Address Poverty series, inspired by the work of Eric Jensen.

In this course, you will:

• Define what a graduation mindset is and why it matters for students in poverty.
• Explore how beliefs, expectations, and future orientation shape student behavior and achievement.
• Learn practical strategies to help students build aspirations and a strong academic identity.
• Discover enrichment practices that develop critical thinking, agency, and resilience.
• Identify ways to model growth and possibility through your teaching approach.

This course is one in a series of seven offered by Michigan Virtual on how poverty impacts student learning and achievement. Based on the work of Eric Jensen, it focuses on real-world applications to shift student mindsets and outcomes. This is the ONLY course in the series aligned with counselor-specific SCECH credit. This course is offered in partnership with the MDE. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our privacy policy.

This course is offered in partnership with Michigan Department of Education. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with our privacy policy.