GRIT LAB 101

What it is

Grit Lab 101 is a free, research-backed 13-week course developed by Dr. Angela Duckworth at the University of Pennsylvania that equips high school students with the mindsets and skills to pursue their long-term goals — grit, growth mindset, purpose, deliberate practice, and the productive use of feedback.

the evidence

A randomized controlled trial of 1,685 students across 19 states found that students who took Grit Lab 101 scored significantly higher than control-group peers on course-related knowledge and metacognitive skills, an effect size equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 70th percentile.

A flowchart illustrating three steps: 1) Person with a graduation cap, 2) School building, 3) Growing bar graph with an upward arrow.

How partnerships work

Grit Lab 101 is offered through partnerships with state education agencies or school districts, and directly to individual educators who can provide a verifiable institutional email address. In either case, our ask is light: to report each semester the number of students served.

A woman smiling on a video call with computer screen showing Grit Lab 101 workbook pages and a bookshelf in the background.

what penn provides

Duckworth Lab provides everything educators need to get started — orientation materials for teachers, 26 lecture videos, a Teacher Guide, Student Workbook, quizzes, assignments, and grading rubrics — all at no cost.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The materials are designed for any high school context and have been used successfully across English language arts, business education, career and technical education, technology, and advisory classrooms. While all students can benefit from it, the course has been specifically designed for juniors and seniors.

  • Thirteen weeks. Each week is built around two half-hour interactive lectures by Prof. Duckworth, with an optional third discussion session each week using prompts we provide. Schools have embedded Grit Lab 101 in advisory periods, SEL blocks, electives, and credit-bearing courses; the implementation pattern is flexible.

  • Facilitate, mentor, and guide reflection. The Teacher Guide walks educators through hosting the videos, pausing for prompts, leading the workbook activities, and (optionally) administering quizzes. No content expertise is required.

  • All materials are free. Teachers need a projector or screen and an internet connection to play the lecture videos.

  • A complete implementation package: orientation materials for teachers, 26 lecture videos, the Teacher Guide, the Student Workbook (PDF), quizzes and assignments, grading rubrics, and a suggested syllabus.

  • A randomized controlled trial of 1,685 students across 19 states found that students who took Grit Lab 101 scored 0.54 standard deviations higher than control-group peers assigned to the wait-list control group on course-related knowledge and metacognitive skills (p < .001) — an effect size equivalent to moving a student from the 50th to the 70th percentile, or roughly from a C-level to a B/B+ level mastery of the concepts and skills the course teaches.

  • Fill out this short form using your institutional email — a school, district, university, or government address. Personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.) are not accepted, and we are not currently able to accommodate exceptions. After you confirm your email, we will send you the full materials package: Teacher Guide, 26 lecture videos, Student Workbook, quizzes, assignments, grading rubrics, and a suggested syllabus. Grit Lab 101 is free, and intended for educational use only.