Impacting Achievement Through Mentoring

January has been designated as National Mentoring Month.  Established in 2002, National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors, as well as how each of us, individuals, businesses, government agencies, schools, faith communities, and nonprofit organizations, can work together to increase the number of mentors to assure positive outcomes for our young people.

What the Research Says About Mentoring

Research indicates that mentoring has a positive impact on grades and other academic indicators.  . Furthermore, students involved in a mentoring program have been shown to be less likely to have  instances of unexcused absences (Tierney et al., 1995; Aseltine, 2000).  It is easy to see the connection between a decrease in school absences and increased academic performance.  In addition, studies have shown that student participants in mentoring programs received the added benefit of an increased level of academic self-confidence (Rhodes & Grossman, 2000). In other words, these students begin to believe that they can achieve. 

In addition to affecting attendance and grades, mentoring has been shown to boost students' positive relational interactions.  Specifically, it has been found that mentoring improves relationships between youth and their parents, as well as youth and their teachers (Rhodes & Grossman, 2000).  Mentoring has also been shown to increase students' feeling of connectedness with his or her school itself (LoSciuto, Rajala, Townsend, & Taylor, 1996; Portwood & Ayres, 2005). This connectedness builds school pride and school engagement.   Consequently, the long term impact of mentoring can be seen in increases in student engagement and academic success, as well as students' social and emotional well-being. 

Communities in Schools & Mentoring  
(Communities in Schools, Research Brief: Mentoring: an effective level two service, 2013)

Mentoring is not just confined to January at Communities in Schools.  It is an intricate part of our efforts to help students achieve, academically, socially, and emotionally.  Mentoring is often implemented throughout the CIS network as a:"Level Two" service to help students meet their attendance, behavior and academic goals.  CIS identifies Level Two services as targeted and sustained interventions provided for specific students over an extended period of time. Mentoring is among the most common Level 2 service provided throughout the CIS network.  In line with evidence based practices, CIS utilizes a best practices approach to mentoring programs based upon the following 6 elements:

1. Recruitment

2. Screening
3. Training
4. Matching
5. Monitoring & Support
6. Closure

For  more information about how  the CIS model interfaces with mentoring programs, click this link :http://issuu.com/cishenry/docs/mentoring_-_an_effective_level_two_/0

How You Can Become a CIS-Henry Mentor

Volunteers are the cornerstone of Community In Schools mentoring programs. In Georgia, we rely on thousands each year to help us serve students and their families. To be a mentor, you don't need any special skills.  All that is needed is an ability to listen and to offer friendship, guidance, and encouragement to a young person. Also, you will be amazed by how much you will get out of the experience. 

While there are several approaches to mentoring used by CIS affiliates, CIS-Henry, currently utilizes a school-based approach to mentoring. School-based mentoring involves mentors meeting regularly with their mentees at their home school site (MENTOR, 2006).  Trained CIS-Henry mentors must commit to mentoring for one school semester., with a focus on a variety of social, emotional and academic issues of mentees based upon shared interests and needs. 

CIS-Henry is currently accepting volunteers for our pilot mentoring program at Henry County Middle School. Contact Bill Simons, CIS-Henry, Americorps Vista Youth Strategy Coordinator, to see how you can make a difference in a Henry County students' life.

For more information on CIS-Henry contact us at:

Communities in Schools - Henry
70 Macon Street
McDonough, GA 30253
Phone: 678 432 4499

E-mail:  crystal.cohen@cis-henry.org

http://www.cis-henry.org/

The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

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Crystal Cohen is the Part-Time Site Coordinator at the Henry County Communities in School affiliate (CIS-Henry).  Her role at CIS-Henry includes coordinating services for students and their families, implementating and evaluating programs and activities based upon the specific needs of each assigned schools, and  disseminating information regarding evidence based practices that promote student achievement and parental engagement.  She is also a full-time graduate student at Clayton State University completing a Master's of Psychology degree,  Applied Developmental Science Track.  Her expected graduation date is Summer 2014.