Reaching out to Rockdale: Mentoring Program

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Reaching out to Rockdale Mentoring Program

• Candace Ford, Ed.S.
• Director of Student Support Services
• Rockdale County Public Schools

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Why mentor?

• Mentoring decreases levels of depression among
  high risk youth (Bauldry, 2006).
• Conduct improves among students who had
  disciplinary referrals prior to mentor.
• Grades and attendance also improved (Bullock,
  2000).
• Clearly, making a positive difference is
  rewarding.

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Why we need businesses and the larger community
to mentor

• Generalizability outside of school setting
• Role models
• Expanded opportunities for service learning
• Not enough people to reach the students in most
  need of reaching
• Consider the starfish flinger

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The starfish flinger

• As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he
  noticed a young man ahead of him picking up
  starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally
  catching up with the youth, he asked him why he
  was doing this. The answer was that the stranded
  starfish would die if left until the morning sun.
  
• But the beach goes for miles and miles and there
  are millions of starfish, countered the other.
  How can your effort make any difference?

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• The young man looked at the starfish in his hand
  and then threw it safely in the waves.
• It makes a difference to this one, he said.
• Mentors can and do make a positive difference!

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Types of mentoring opportunities available

• Individual mentoring one on one with student,
  at school, 30 minutes per week. Arrangements for
  contact outside of school may be made with the
  parent but school system does not coordinate.

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How to sign up as a RCPS mentor

• Email Candace Ford at cford_at_rockdale.k12.ga.us to
  express interest. She will email you the step by
  step process for mentoring.
• Once matched, the local school counselor will
  become the primary contact person for logistics
  and information for the local school.

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Training and development

• Mentors will begin in Fall 2007 as mentors for
  the 07-08 school year.
• A year-long commitment letter will be signed, and
  training for mentors will be held in August,
  2007.
• Background checks will be completed prior to
  mentor pairing.

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Projected schedule 2007-2008 School Year

• August, 2007 Mentor training and processing
• September, 2007 Mentor/Mentee match and
  icebreakers held.
• Ongoing weekly meetings held with mentee for 30
  minutes per week. Lunch time is a good time to do
  this. Check with local contact about other times.
• Spring, 2008 Culminating mentor/mentee activity
  (e.g. Fox Theatre, Braves game, Phillips arena
  activity, restaurant, etc.) or potential
  beautification project. Event and date to be
  announced.

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Benefits to businesses and community

• Potential increased graduation rate, decreased
  discipline referrals, higher GPAs
• School statistics have powerful influence over
  hiring and retaining employees
• Greater sense of connectedness to public
  education
• Recruitment of future employees post high school
• Ownership in shaping community and making a
  positive difference providing value to employees
  independent of job duties

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Other ways to help with mentoring program

• First and foremost we need mentors, but funding
  and/or your ideas are also needed for culminating
  activity for mentors and mentees.

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Questions?

• Thank you for your participation!

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References/AcknowledgementsBauldry, S. (2006).
Positive Support Mentoring and depression among
high-risk youth. Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention. Public/Private
Ventures. Philadelphia, PA. Bullock, G. (2000).
One at a time school mentoring. Program
grant application.Gaskins, R. (1992). When good
instruction is not enough a mentor
program. The Reading Teacher. (45, 8). 568
572.Johnson, C. (2000). The Circle Mentoring
Presentation. Consultation with developer
about group mentoring program.Ryan, S.
Whittaker, C. and Pinckney, J. (2002). A
school-based elementary mentoring program.
Preventing School Failure. (46, 3)
133-138.Terry, J. (1999). A community/school
mentoring program for elementary students.
Professional School Counseling (2, 3). 237-
241.