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Programs
and Strategies for Positive Behavior:
Early Intervention Programs & Strategies:
School-Based Mentoring
Student
Population Served
Mentoring is effective for students of all ages. However the scheduling
for school-based mentoring may be more easy to facilitate with elementary
students who remain with the same teacher all day (Jacovy, 2000).
Program
Description
School-based mentoring is a relatively new mentoring strategy in
which a mentor organization (e.g. Big Brother Big Sisters) partners
with a school to pair students with mentors from the community.
Teachers refer children to the program who could benefit from additional
adult attention and who may lack family support (Herrera, 1999).
Students and mentors meet for an hour each week during the school
day and at school related events or events of the mentor organization.
The mentor and mentee usually meet on the school's campus, but they
are not limited to academic activities. Other activities have included
playing sports, exploring the Internet, doing artwork, eating lunch,
etc. The close contact between the mentor and school professionals
keeps both parties more informed about the child's needs and progress,
and also heightens community involvement with the school (Jacovy,
2000). A recent study of the Big Brother Big Sister School-based
Mentoring Program indicated that students who participated in the
program showed a decrease in average number of absences, developed
more positive attitudes about school, and were less likely to repeat
a grade (Curtis and Hansen-Schwoeble, 1999). Students have also
reported that the mentoring program has helped them to improve their
relationships with teachers (Herrera, 1999). Mentoring is the most
beneficial when a mentor and youth meet frequently, build a strong
relationship based on trust and when the student can identify with
the mentor (Tierney and Grossman, 1995). Early research has indicated
that strong mentoring relationships can develop in the school context,
but in order to foster this relationship, mentor and mentees should
engage in social activities as well as academic activities and there
must be strong support from the school staff and administration
(Herrera, 1999).
The
goals of school-based mentoring programs include:
- Increasing
the number of children who have access to mentors and supportive
adult relationships.
- Forming
a safety net for the child with collaboration between the mentor
and school professionals.
- Fostering
community-school partnerships by bringing mentors into the schools
(Jacovy, 2000).
Training
& Support Information
A training session and background check is required for new mentors.
Additionally, case managers from the mentoring organization may
provide continuing support to the mentors and the school personnel
who help facilitate the program.
Contact
Information:
Contact a local chapter of the BBBS Organization or the National
Organization at:
230 N. 13th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Phone: 215.567.7000
Fax: 215.567.0394
Email: national@bbbsa.org
References
& Additional Resources
http://www.mentoring.org
http://www.ppv.org/indexfiles/mentor-index.html
http://www.project.org/bbbsa/downloads/resource_guide.pdf
Curtis,
T. and Hansen-Schwoebel, K. (1999). Big Brothers Big Sisters School-based
Mentoring: Evaluation Summary of Five Pilot Programs. Philadelphia:
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Herrera,
Carla (1999). School-based Mentoring: A First Look into Its Potential.
Philadelphia: Private/Public Ventures
Jacovy,
Linda (2000). The ABC's of School Based Mentoring. Philadelphia:
Private/Public Ventures
Tierney, J. P., Grossman, J. B., and Resch, N. L. (1995) Making
A Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers/Big Sisters (BB/BS).
Philadelphia: Public/Private
Ventures
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