In this presentation, I will report on efforts to collaboratively work with ES teachers and students towards a smooth and more rewarding transition from Gaikokugo Katsudo to English as a compulsory subject. The focus will be on reporting student and teacher voices to better illuminate a growth mindset where classroom practices can be improved through communities of practice. The growth mindset is the idea that effort, grit, and persistence is most important in order to improve performance. In the first year, I reported on research in 2021 with 99 5th grade elementary students from three different schools and 242 7th grade students from one junior high school in southern Japan. Our second year, we compared responses from 60 6th graders in the same school district. The goals for the final year will be to put all our data together and give recommendations to the local boards of education. The project so far seems to suggest that students and teachers need more direct contact and direction as to how to reach MEXT English goals. Future implications will also be discussed. (151 words)