Mentoring programs for high school graduation
- Issue Areas
- K-12 education Health and well-being
- Outcomes
- High school graduation
Local governments can invest in this strategy using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
- This strategy can help address educational disparities and promote healthy childhood environments. The U.S. Department of Treasury has indicated that strategies that help achieve these outcomes are eligible for the use of Fiscal Recovery Funds.
- Investments in this strategy are SLFRF-eligible as long as they are made in qualified census tracts or are designed to assist populations or communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Program overview
Counseling and guidance for students at risk of dropping out: Mentoring programs for high school graduation match adults with students who are at risk of dropping out of school. Mentors support students as they navigate academic problems, family and community issues, and personal challenges. There is strong evidence that these programs increase high school completion.
Staff or volunteer mentors supported by implementing organizations: Typically, schools and community-based nonprofit organizations implement mentoring programs. These implementing organizations lead recruitment efforts for mentors and mentees; provide administrative services; offer training and guidance for mentors; and facilitate communication between families, mentors, and mentees. Most often, mentors are adult volunteers from the surrounding community, but may also be paid staff of the organization implementing the program.
Multiple options for location and timing of mentoring sessions: Mentoring programs may take place during or after school, at school or off-site in the community, and with varying frequency and duration. Programs occurring in schools during or after the school day tend to have regularly scheduled, recurring mentoring sessions while those taking place in the community often use a more informal structure.
Helping students overcome obstacles and build beneficial skills: Mentors help their mentees face challenges both in and out of school. To address academic challenges, mentors may provide support such as tutoring. To handle interpersonal challenges, mentors can model positive behavior and help students build decision-making skills. Programs vary in the amount of time they dedicate to academic-focused interactions versus interpersonal or social-emotional activities.
- Strategies
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School attendance and persistence
- Cost per Participant
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$600 to $4,500 per student
Multiple studies with rigorous designs demonstrate that mentoring programs for high school graduation are a well-supported strategy to increase high school completion.
- This assessment is based on evidence from a 2023 research synthesis.
Begin mentoring before high school: Many students who do not complete high school are already off track for graduation by the time they reach high school, either due to academic challenges or behavioral issues. Implementing mentoring programs for middle school students can help increase programmatic effectiveness by addressing behaviors closer to their inception and increasing students’ readiness when they enter high school.
Support longer-duration matches: Mentoring relationships that last longer than one year have stronger effects on academic, social-emotional, and employment outcomes. As such, implementing organizations should prioritize recruiting mentors who are interested in remaining involved for more than one year and provide opportunities for mentoring pairs to interact during summers and school breaks.
Facilitate high-quality matches: Implementing organizations should look for opportunities to establish mutually beneficial and engaging matches for mentors and mentees. This may involve, for example, interviewing or collecting detailed application information from prospective participants prior to match assignment to identify compatibility, shared goals and interests, and common backgrounds. Organizations should also consider using assessments and frameworks such as those from the National Mentoring Resource Center to monitor and understand the quality of relationships throughout programming and promptly address issues as they arise.
Focus on education and social-emotional learning: Mentoring programs that focus on education, social skills, and relationship-building rather than behavior problems (e.g., bullying, involvement in illegal activities) tend to be more effective. Programs should narrow their focus to emphasize the specific needs of and barriers faced by the student populations they serve. Providing mentors with suggested conversation starters and recommended activities can help them to explore those topics in more depth with mentees.