Mentors
Effective Program Practices
Students who are tracked and mentored in their educational progress do better in school and have a much lower risk of dropout. Dropouts in high school and college are frequent. They occur for many avoidable reasons. All participants in Yount Seminars are asked to accept a helper who can track educational progress and locate help when it is needed. Mentors are required for those receiving Yount financial aid.
Mentor duties
Mentors must establish a relationship of respect and trust with the person they are tracking. The following principles are followed:
- Good mentors provide support, not judgment
- Good mentors do not impose their values and attitudes upon the student
- Good mentors have frequent, but not obtrusive contact with the student
- Good mentors must understand the cultural differences of students reared in different socioeconomic conditions. The book “Bridges out of Poverty” clearly defines the differences as they relate to succeeding in America’s middle class school systems.
- Mentors and educational advancement specialists working with students from low-income or from minority cultures can contact Yount Headquarters for more information.
Research findings.* From a review of evaluation studies of early intervention programs, the most effective programs appear capable of at least doubling the college-going rate of participants. Students and families report that these programs open both eyes and doors to postsecondary possibilities and success therein. The programs that were the most effective had the following elements in common:
- Providing a key person who monitors and guides the student over a long period of time—a “mentor,” program director, faculty member, or guidance counselor. Studies are not clear on whether any one is more effective than another.
- Making long-term investments in students rather than short-term interventions. The longer students were in the program, the more likely they were reported to benefit from it.
- Paying attention to the cultural background of students. Many programs reported having greater success with one group of students than another; it is likely that background and expertise of the staff and directors helped them to make cultural connections with students.
- Providing a peer group that supports students’ academic and job preparation aspirations as well as giving them social and emotional support. (Networking)
- Providing financial assistance and incentives. Financial assistance is important for access to academic leveling experiences—college visits and SAT preparation courses—as well as to monetary support to make college a realistic possibility for some students.
- Help finding scholarships. Scholarships make the difference between going to college or not for many low-income students).
*Paving the Way to Postsecondary Education:
K-12 Intervention Programs for Underrepresented Youth
Report of the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative Working Group on Access to Postsecondary Education
Prepared for the National Postsecondary Education Cooperative (NPEC) and its
Working Group on Access by Patricia Gándara with Deborah Bial, under the sponsorship of the
National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), U.S. Department of Education.
