STEPPing Back and STEPPing Forward: Perspectives on a Thirty-year Mentoring Program for Students At-risk

Format

Individual Presentation

Presenters

Ellen V. Whitford, Georgia Southern UniversityFollow

First Presenter's Institution

Georgia Southern University

First Presenter’s Email Address

ewhitford@georgiasouthern.edu

First Presenter's Brief Biography

Ellen V. Whitford, Ed.D., is a Professor of Education Leadership at Georgia Southern University. Dr. Whitford earned her degree in Educational Administration, Theory and Policy from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. In her administrative career, she has served as a Dean of Education and Professional Studies. a Provost, and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Her research interests include teacher preparation and career development, organizational change, and the role of the principal in teacher retention. Currently, she serves as the Coordinator of the Professional Development School network at Georgia Southern University.

Second Presenter's Institution

Crisfield High School and Academy

Second Presenter’s Email Address

jjohnson@somerset.k12.md.us

Second Presenter's Brief Biography

Janae Johnson, B.S., MSW, is a Learning Support Specialist at Crisfield High School and Academy in Somerset County, Maryland. She has earned degrees in Elementary Education and Social Work from Salisbury University. Prior to her work as a learning support specialist, she taught at the elementary school level and was Teacher of the Year at Woodson Elementary School. A recent video by the Crisfield Arts & Entertainment District and the Maryland State Arts Council highlighted Ms. Johnson’s contributions to the Crisfield community as part of a series on Black History and Women’s History month.

Location

Session Three Breakouts

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Heart: Social & Emotional Skills

Relevance

The presentation describes a mentoring program for at-risk students that touched on both the Head and the Heart. A primary goal of the program was for students identified in middle school to do well academically and graduate from high school. A secondary goal of the program was to instill a sense of confidence and self-worth in these children. This connection is evident in the name the students gave to the program, STEPP. They called themselves the STEPP Students: “Striving to Excel Personally and Professionally. “

Brief Program Description

This co-presentation offers two unique perspectives on a mentoring program for at-risk students from (1) the professor who established the program and (2) a student who was mentored in the program and is now a Teacher of the Year and Learning Support Specialist. Together they will identify elements of success and suggest how lessons learned can benefit future mentoring programs for at-risk students

Summary

This joint presentation offers a unique opportunity to consider the key elements and outcomes of a mentoring program for at-risk students from two different perspectives: from the university professor who established the program and from a student who was mentored in the program and is now a school counselor. Together, they will share their views about the impact of long-term mentoring program for at-risk students.

The mentoring program, known as STEPP, included twenty students identified at age 10 as socially, economically, and academically at-risk, yet having promise for success with the support of mentoring. Goals of the program included the students’ successful completion of high school, college attendance, and possible selection of careers in teaching or social sciences. This was an ambitious goal for the students who lived in a small rural town, home to generations of watermen whose occupations and way of life were increasingly endangered.

The STEPP program was named by the students to recognize their shared goal of “Striving to Excel Personally and Professionally.” The STEPP model, based on research and best practice, supported the students through the collaborative efforts of their principal, a fifth-grade teacher, a guidance counselor, parents, and a professor. Activities for the program were aligned with the goal and were designed to occur throughout their middle school and high school years. STEPP functioned as a small-scale program with a limited budget, and yet it maintained its momentum with ongoing progress and commitment through the middle and high school years. There were frequent successes and celebrations, especially when the 18 students who remained in the program graduated together with their class. The success continued as each of the students pursued some type of post-secondary education.

One student became a teacher who was recognized as Teacher of the Year in the school where she began as a STEPP student. She earned a master’s degree in Social Work and currently serves as a high school counselor. For this presentation she explains how the elements of STEPP influenced her life and how she uses that experience as a counselor helping a new generation of students at-risk.

Evidence

Mentoring programs for middle school students are currently promoted for the impact they have on prevention of school absenteeism, drop-outs, drug abuse, and juvenile delinquency (MENTOR, 2013). Programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters have demonstrated that during the mentoring experience, children who were being mentored were less likely to engage in drug activity, had better school attendance records, and showed better academic achievement than members of a control group who were not being mentored (Tierney, Grossman, and Resch, 2000). A limitation noted in research on large-scale mentoring programs is the fact that in most mentoring programs the match between mentor and child lasts about twelve to eighteen months. Additionally, while there is an academic improvement, the gains do not continue beyond the first year or eighteen months. (Rhodes, J.E., Grossman, J.B., and Resch, N.L., 2000).

Mentoring of school age children is generally defined as the relationship between a child and an adult. School-based mentoring programs have been found to have a significant, but small influence on adolescents and their social and academic development (Steinberg, 2011). While mentoring can result in a multitude of changes in the child, the nature of the relationship will influence the types and extent of the outcomes (Rhodes & Lowe, 2009). While relatives, neighbors, and community members can offer useful and significant mentoring, the role of a teacher as mentor can have a more significant influence on the academic achievement of the adolescent (Erikson, McDonald, and Elder, 2009).

The length and frequency and nature of mentoring has been linked with the successful and long-term outcomes (Roth, Brooks-Gunn, Murray, & Foster, 1998). Steinberg (2011) notes that mentoring programs can have a greater likelihood of success if there is consistent involvement with the mentor over a period of at least two years. The mentoring experience should include frequent contacts and activities that cover a range of events from social to recreational and practical. Furthermore, while one-to-one mentoring has much to offer, mentoring in isolation is not the single answer to addressing the needs of adolescents. Their social and academic development must be addressed in ways that involve the neighborhood, the school and environment in which they live. This suggests that the model of the program described in this presentation involving several mentors for the group over a period of more than seven years had an increased likelihood achieving its long-term goals.

Sources for research on mentoring programs for at-risk middle school students include the following:

Erickson, L. D. McDonald, S. and Elder, G.H., Jr. (2009). Informal Mentors and Education: Complementary or Compensatory Resources? Sociology of Education, 82, (4), 344-367. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40376056

Lindt, S.F. and Blair, C. (2017) Making a difference with at-risk students: The benefits of a mentoring program in middle school, Middle School Journal, 48:1, 34-39, DOI: 10.1080/00940771.2017.1243919

Mentor. (2013). The Value of Mentoring. National Mentoring Partnership. Boston: MA. http://www.mentoring.org/about_mentor/value_of_mentoring/

Rhodes, J.E., Grossman, J.B., and Resch, N.L. (2000). Agents of change: pathways through which mentoring relationships influence adolescents' academic adjustment. Child Development, 71, 1662-1671. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1132506

Rhodes, J.E. and Lowe, S. (2009). Mentoring in Adolescence. In Lerner, R. & Steinberg, L. Handbook of Adolescent Psychology (3rd ed., volume 2, 152-190). New York: Wiley.

Roth, J., Brooks-Gunn, J., Murray, L., & Foster, W. (1998) Promoting healthy adolescents: Synthesis of youth development program evaluations. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 8, 423-459.

Steinberg, L. (2011). Adolescence. (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.

Tierney, J. P., Grossman, J.B., and Resch, N.L. (2000). Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Philadelphia, PA: Public Private Ventures.

Learning Objective 1

Recognize essential components of a long-term mentoring program

Learning Objective 2

Understand ways to replicate and sustain a small-scale mentoring program with limited budget

Learning Objective 3

Have a clear perspective about the memories at-risk students carry with them and the impact of mentoring on their lives

Keyword Descriptors

Middle School Mentoring, Students At-risk, Middle School to College Mentoring, School based Mentoring, Mentoring Partnerships

Presentation Year

2022

Start Date

3-7-2022 2:45 PM

End Date

3-7-2022 4:00 PM

Recommended Citation

Whitford, Ellen V., "STEPPing Back and STEPPing Forward: Perspectives on a Thirty-year Mentoring Program for Students At-risk" (2022). National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Conference. 22.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/nyar_savannah/2022/2022/22