Post on 01-Mar-2023
The Seedling
Mentor Programfor Children of Incarcerated Parents
Annual Evaluation Report2015-2016
Karen L. Looby, Ph.D.
October 2016
TableofContents
PROGRAMCONTEXT 1
PURPOSE 2
PROGRAMDESCRIPTION 2
EVALUATIONMETHODS 2
PROGRAMIMPLEMENTATION 4
SEEDLINGMATCHSUPPORT 5
SCHOOLCONTACTS 5MENTORS 7
THEMENTORINGEXPERIENCE 9
MENTORINGRELATIONSHIPOUTCOMES 11
SCHOOLCONTACTANDTEACHERPERCEPTIONS 11MENTORANDMENTEEPERCEPTIONS 12CAREGIVERPERCEPTIONS 16
MENTEEEDUCATIONALOUTCOMES 17
ATTENDANCE 17DISCIPLINE 18ACADEMICOUTCOMES 21
DISCUSSIONANDCONCLUSION 24
PRIMARYPROGRAMOUTCOMES 24SECONDARYPROGRAMOUTCOMES 25
APPENDICES 27
APPENDIXA:DESCRIPTIONOFSTATISTICALANALYSES 28APPENDIXB:SEEDLINGSCHOOLCONTACTSURVEY,SPRING2016 30APPENDIXC:SEEDLINGTEACHERSURVEY,SPRING2016 33APPENDIXD:SEEDLINGMENTORSURVEY,SPRING2016 36APPENDIXE:SEEDLINGSTUDENTSURVEY,SPRING2016 42
REFERENCES 45
SeedlingMentorProgram,2015-2016
Page1
ProgramContext TheNationalResourceCenteronChildrenandFamilies(2016)reportsmorethan2.7millionchildrenintheUnitedSateshaveatleastoneparentwhoisincarceratedandone-thirdofthemwillbecome18whileaparentisbehindbars.Greatracialdisproportionalityispresent,as45%ofthechildrenwithincarceratedparentsareblack,comparedwith28%whoarewhiteand21%whoareHispanic.Thisdisparityappearstobegrowing.InChildrenofthePrisonBoom:MassIncarcerationandtheFutureofAmericanInequality(2013),researchersfound25%ofblackchildrenbornin1990hadaparentinjailorprisonbythetimethechildwasage14andthisratehadmorethandoubledsince1978.
Parentalincarcerationhaslong-lastingeffectsontheirchildren’shealthandsocialbehaviors.Usingdatafromanationalsurveyofchildren'shealth,Turney(2014)foundchildrenofincarceratedparentshadhigherratesofattentiondeficitsthanthosewithparentsmissingbecauseofdeathordivorce.Theyalsohadhigherratesofbehavioralproblems,speechandlanguagedelays,asthma,obesity,depression,andanxiety.
MurphyandCooper(2015)reportedadditionalfactorsthathadlong-termnegativeimpactsforchildrenofincarceratedparents.Theyfoundmorethan50%ofthechildrenlivedwithsomeonewhohadasubstance-abuseproblem,comparedwithfewerthan10%ofchildrenwithnoparentalincarceration.Approximately60%ofthechildrenexperiencedparentaldivorceorseparation,comparedwith20%ofchildrenwithoutparentalincarceration.Morethanone-thirdhadwitnessedviolencebetweentheirparentsorguardiansandviolenceintheirneighborhoods.About25%ofthechildrenhadlivedwithsomeonewhowasmentallyillorsuicidal.
Parentalincarcerationalsohadlastingeffectsonchildren’seducationaloutcomes.MurphyandCooper(2015)reportedchildrenofincarceratedparentsweremorelikelytohaveproblemsinschoolandexperiencelowlevelsofschoolengagement.TurneyandHaskins(2014)foundtheelementaryschoolagedchildrenofincarceratedparentswereathigherriskofbeingheldbackattheendoftheyear.Thisriskwasfoundrelatedtoteachers'perceptionsofthestudents'academicproficiencyandhowwelltheyweredoinginschoolratherthanactuallyhavingsignificantlylowertestscoresormorebehaviorproblemsthanclassmates.Childrenwithanincarceratedparentalsowere50%lesslikelytocompletehighschoolthanthosewithoutanincarceratedparent(Habecker,2013).AccordingtoareportfromtheAmericanBarAssociationandtheWhiteHouse,about2%ofstudentswithincarceratedmothersand13%-25%percentofstudentswithincarceratedfathersgraduatefromcollege(Sparks,2015).
Thus,interventionsareneededtosupportchildrenwithincarceratedparentstohelpthemsuccessfullynavigatechallengesexperiencedduringperiodsoffamilyseparationandmitigatepotentiallylong-lastingeffects.
Page2
PurposeAnnually,theSeedlingFoundationcontractsanevaluationoftheSeedlingMentorProgram.Thepurposeoftheevaluationistoidentifyprogramareasofstrengthandchallenge.Thisinformationwillbeusedtoadjustprogramactivitiestoensureeffectiveness.Theevaluationalsowillhighlightareasofsuccessandprogresstocommunicatetheprogram'simpacttoothers.
ProgramDescription TheSeedlingMentorProgramisaschool-basedprogramforchildrenofincarceratedparents.Thepurposeoftheprogramistwo-fold:
Toprovidethechildrenwithalong-term,positiverelationshipwithatrainedadultmentor,sotheymaybebetterabletonavigatethechallengesexperiencedduringthisperiodoffamilyseparation;and
Tohelpthechildrendevelopormaintainpositiveattitudestowardsandconnectionstoschool,sotheymayhaveaclearunderstandingofthecriticalneedforeducationtoachievetheirlong-termgoals.
Theemphasisoftheprogramisplacedonsupportinglong-term,positivementoringrelationships.Menteeattendance,discipline,andassessmentoutcomesalsowereexaminedtobetterunderstandthesupportstudentsmayneed.Figure1displaystheSeedlingMentorProgramtheoryofchange.
EvaluationMethodsQuantitativeandqualitativedatawerecollectedandincludeddemographic;stateassessment;attendance;discipline;andstudent,teacher,andmentorsurveydata.AcademicoutcomerecordswereavailableformenteesenrolledinAustin(n=495)andDelValle(n=66)IndependentSchoolDistricts(ISDs),andamatchedcomparisongroupfrombothAustinandDelValleISD’s(n=560).Inpastevaluations,resultsforchildrenontheprogramwaitlistalsowereusedforcomparison.However,thewaitlistin2015-2016wasdeemedtoosmallandnotrepresentativeoftheSeedlingmenteesoverallforacomparisonofoutcomes.
Avarietyofdataanalyseswereusedinthisevaluation.Descriptivestatisticssummarizedoutcomesforeachgroup.Inferentialstatisticswereusedtodeterminestatisticalsignificanceoftheresults,thatis,tofindoutwhetherthedifferencesinoutcomesweregreaterorlesserthanwouldbeexpectedonlybychance.Multilevelmodelingwasusedtoexplorerelationshipsamongvariables.Finally,contextualanalysessummarizedthemesfromopen-endedsurveyquestions.AdditionaltechnicaldocumentationisprovidedinAppendixA.
Page3
369
623
328
610
2010-2011 2015-2016
Figure1SeedlingMentorProgramTheoryofChange
SeedlingParticipantsIn2015-2016,theSeedlingMentorProgramservedatotalof623childrenattending119schoolsincentralTexas.Ofthesementees,200werenewtotheprogramin2015-2016.Menteesattended44designatedschoolsand75“satellite”schoolsin2015-2016,upfrom44intheprioryear.Inall,7schooldistricts(i.e.,Austin,Bastrop,DelValle,Elgin,Hays,Manor,andPflugerville)and17charterschoolsweresupported.Thesatelliteschoolsdidnothaveadesignatedschoolcontact;however,mentorswhocontinuedthementoringrelationshipafterachildhadmovedintoanon-SeedlingprogramschoolstillreceivedtrainingandsupportfromSeedlingMentorDirectors.
Figure2 Thenumberofmenteesandmentorshasincreaseddramaticallysince2010-2011.
Mentors
ü Recruitmentü Screeningü Orientationü Trainingü Support
SeedlingResources
üPrivate&publicfunding
üKnowledgeableprogramstaff
üResearchliterature
üCommunity/agencypartnerships
ü Schoolpartnerships
StudentIdentification
ü Schoolreferralü Caregiverreferralü Selfreferral
PrimaryOutcomes
• Long-lastingrelationship
• Positiveattitudes
Secondary Outcomes • Attendance • Discipline • Academic
MatchSupport
MentoringRelationship
üSchool-based üChild-centered
Match
Figure3MostchildrenservedbytheSeedlingMentorProgramwereinelementaryschool,Hispanic,andeconomicallydisadvantaged.
Source.SeedlingMentorProgramrecords,2015-2016
Source.Studentenrollmentrecords,2015-2016
SeedlingMentorProgram,2015-2016
Page4
15%
12%
5%
32%
35%
41%
26%
23%
21%
27%
30%
33%
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
Lessthan3months 3to12months 12to24months 24ormoremonths
ProgramImplementationSeedlingMatches
HowlongdidSeedlingmentoringrelationshipslast?
Asinpastyears,Seedlinghadahighmentorreturnrateof72%in2015-2016(Looby,2015).Seedlingstaffsupported610mentorswhomentoredoneormorechildrenduringtheschoolyear(Figure2).In2015-2016,71%ofmentorshadmentoredmorethanoneyear,asignificantincreasefrom63%theyearbefore.Overall,mentorsin2015-2016spentanaverageofthreeyearssupportingtheprogram.Mentoryearsofservicerangedfrom1to11years.TheaveragecommitmentofSeedlingmentorswasabovethenationalaverageof14months(Mentoring.org,2013).
TheaveragelengthforSeedlingmentoringrelationshipsthatwereinplacewithinthe2015-2016schoolyearwas1yearand10months,anincreasefromtheaverageof1year,5monthsin2014-2015.UsingmethodologydefinedbyMENTOR,theNationalMentoringPartnership,(2016)tocalculateaveragematchlengthforallactiveandinactiverelationshipsacrossschoolyears,theaverageSeedlingmatchlengthwas1year,7months.Attheendofthe2015-2016schoolyear,activementoringrelationshipdurationrangedfromthreemonthsto9years,9months(Figure4).Asignificantlygreaterproportionofmenteeswereservedfor3monthsormorein2015-2016,and54%ofthemwereintheprogramformorethanoneschoolyear.Menteesparticipatingformorethan24monthshadanaverageparticipationlengthof2yearsand10months.Thenationalbenchmarkforlengthofmentoringrelationshipstowhichprogramsaspireis12months. Figure4Asignificantlygreaterproportionofmenteeswereservedfor3monthsormorein2015-2016.
Source.Seedlingprogramrecords,2015-2016
ßnationalbenchmark
*
Page5
7.7%
7.7%
34.6%
50.0%
Fearofschoolinterference
MistrustoftheSeedlingprogram oridea
Reluctance totellthechild oftheparent’sincarceration
Fearofothersfinding out,stigmatizingthechild
SeedlingMatchSupportSchoolContacts
IncollaborationwithSeedlingMentorDirectors,SchoolContactssupportedandmonitoredthementoringrelationships.TheannualSeedlingsurveyofSchoolContactsprovidedevidenceofeffectivementoringprogrampracticesandqualityofthementoringrelationships.Highlightsfromthesurveyareprovidedbelow,andacompletesummaryofresultsisprovidedinAppendixB.
DidSchoolContactsreporteffectiveprogramimplementationpractices?
SchoolContactsreportedeffectiveprogramimplementationpractices.In2016,agreaterpercentageofSchoolContacts(92%)wereverysatisfiedwiththeircommunicationwiththeirSeedlingMentorDirectorsthanintheprioryear(87%).SignificantlymoreSchoolContacts(84%)reportedtheSeedlingSchoolContactGuidesupportedtheireffortsinimplementingtheMentorProgramontheircampusescomparedwiththeprioryear(72%).
HowdidSchoolContactssupportandperceivetheprogram?
SchoolContactsassistedintheidentificationofprospectivementees.Asinyearspast,SchoolContacts(81%)reportedtheyidentifiedeligibleparticipantsmostoftenthroughreferralsfromteachersandotherschoolstaff.Consistentwithpracticesinpastyears,studentreferralsgenerallyoccurredafterprograminformationwaspresentedtogroupsordistributedinprint(e.g.emails,flyers,letters,etc.).Studentsorparentsalsomayhaveself-identifiedasbeingeligibleforprogramparticipation.
SchoolContactsintroducedtheprogramtocaregivers.Mostoften,theSchoolContactspersonallycontactedcaregiverstotellthemabouttheprogram(e.g.,schoolconferencesandphonecalls).Sometimes,caregiversdeclinedtohavetheirchildparticipateintheprogram.
Figure5SchoolContactsidentifiedreasonswhyacaregivermightdeclineprogramparticipation.
Source.SeedlingSchoolContactSurvey,Spring2016
SchoolContactspreparedmenteesfortheirmentoringexperiencesandmonitoredthequalityoftheSeedlingmentoringrelationships.SchoolContactstalkedwithprospectivementeesaboutwhattherolesofmentorsareandthebenefitsofhavingone.Theydiscussedparentalincarcerationandletmenteesknowthattheirmentorwouldprovideconfidentialandpersonalsupport.SchoolContactsmonitoredthementoringrelationshipsbytalkingwithmentors,mentees,caregivers,andteachers;
Page6
conductedregularobservations;andcommunicatedwithSeedlingMentorDirectors.
AsignificantlygreaterpercentageofSchoolContactswereverysatisfiedwiththequalityofmentorsrecruitedbytheSeedlingMentorProgram.Schoolcontactsdescribedmentorsasbeingwell-trained,caring,dependableandgreatrolemodels.
Figure6AlmostallSchoolContactswereverysatisfiedwiththeirSeedlingexperiencein2015-2016comparedwiththosein2014-2015.
SchoolContactsdescribedthevaluablecontributionsoftheSeedlingprogramontheirrespectivecampuses.
Whenaskedforprogramimprovementrecommendations,mostSchoolContactsrequestedadditionalmentorstoserveeligiblestudentscurrentlyontheirwaitinglists;othersneededadditionalassistanceinidentifyingeligibleparticipants.
82.1%*
15.4%*
2.5%
97.1%*
2.9%*
Verysatisfied
Somewhatsatisfied
Notsatisfied
“Thementeesseemtojustblossomwiththeirmentorsandreallybondwiththem.Theysolookforwardtotheirmeetingdayandtheoneononeattentiontheyget.”
SchoolContact,Spring2016
“Thementorsareallincrediblyreliableandexcellentatbuildingrelationshipswiththestudents.Thestudentsallanxiouslyawaittheirmentoringmeetingseachweekandfeelsupported.”
SchoolContact,Spring2016
“You[theSeedlingMentorprogram]provideourstudentswithrelationshipstheyNEEDinpromotingahealthyandpositivedevelopment.”
SchoolContact,Spring2016
“Ithasbeenamazingtoseetheprogressofmanyofourstudentswithmentorsandhowimportanttheybecometothesestudents.”
SchoolContact,Spring2016
Seedlingmentorsprovidedconsistentandstablerelationshipsforthechildrenandwerepositiverolemodelsforchildrenexperiencingdifficultiesanduncertaintyintheirpersonallives.
Seedlingmentorscontributedtothedevelopmentofemotionalandmentalwellbeingforthechildren.
TheSeedlingmentoringexperiencecontributedtotheimprovementofstudentacademicandsocialskills.
SchoolContactReflections
Page7
Mentors
Mentorsrespondedtosurveyquestionsregardingeffectivementoringprogrampracticesandsatisfactionwiththeirsupport(AppendixD).Seedlingmentorsurveyresponseswerehighlypositiveandconsistentwithsurveyresultsfrompreviousyears(Looby,2009-2015).Keyfindingsaredescribedinthissectionofthereport.
Howwerementorssupportedtoprovideeffectivementoringexperiences?SeedlingMentorDirectorssupportedmentorsmultiplewaysthroughoutthe
year.TheSeedlingFoundationprovidedanoverallprogramorientation,specializedtrainingsessions,andfocusedsupportmaterialsfornewmentors.Seedlingprovidedmonthlytrainingsessionsonavarietyoftopicsandprovidedpersonalizedoutreachtomentors(e.g.,phonecalls,emails,meetings,etc.).Seedlingstaffpublishedamonthlyonlinenewsletter,MentorMinute,containingsuggestionsforactivities,supportingarticles,andotherannouncements.MentorswereencouragedtocontacttheirdesignatedMentorDirectororSchoolContactiftheyhadquestionsorneededassistance.
In2015-2016,alowerpercentageofmentors(49%)initiatedcontactwith
theirSeedlingMentorDirectorforassistancethandidmentors(54%)inthe
priorschoolyear.However,morementorscontactedtheirSchoolContactforassistancein2015-2016(66%)thandidthoseinthepriorschoolyear(61%).MostmentorsreportedMentorsDirectorsandSchoolContactstobeveryhelpful.
Figure7
MostmentorsreportedMentorsDirectorsandSchoolContactstobevery
helpful.
Source.SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
34%ofallmentorswerein2015-2016.
90%ofallnewmentors
reportedthe
mentoring
experiencemet
theirexpectations.
Newmentorshighly
ratedSeedlingsupport
intheearlyweeksof
theirmentoring
experiences.
Source.SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
“ItwasjustasrewardingandhelpfulforbothofusasIhopeditwouldbe!”NewSeedlingMentor,Spring2016
“Mentorswhoreceivedearly-matchtrainingandconsistentprogram
supportmetmorefrequentlyandhadlonger-lastingrelationshipswith
theirmentees.Youthwhosementorsreceivedtrainingalsoreported
higher-qualityrelationships(Herrera,Dubois,Grossman;2013).”
NewMentors
New
62%
75%
63%
34%
21%
33%
Support
Recruitment
Orientation
Extremelysatisfied
Mostlysatisfied
54%
57%
29%
32%
12%
9%
SchoolContact
MentorDirector
Extremely helpful Mostlyhelpful
Sometimeshelpful Notatallhelpful
Page8
6.0%
16.8%
19.0%
19.8%
34.1%
45.7%
Idonotthinkthetopicsarerelevanttomysituation.
Ipreferonlinetraining.
Ifeelwell-preparedanddonotrequireadditionaltraining.
Ipreferreadingtheelectronicnewsletter.
Icannotattendsessionsduringthelunchhour.
Ican'tbeawayfromworktwiceinoneweek.
Mentortrainingandsupportwereprovidedthroughouttheyearforallmentors,and89%ofthementorswhoattendedtrainingreportedthesessionstobeextremelyormostlyhelpful.ThirtypercentofallmentorsattendedoneormoremonthlytrainingsessionshostedbySeedling.Most
mentorswhodidnotparticipateinmonthlytrainingsessionscouldnotaffordtobeawayfromworkthe
additionaltimeduringtheweek(Figure6).Ofthosewhoparticipatedinoneormoretrainingsessions,
89%ofthementorsreportedthesessionstobeextremelyormostlyhelpful,and62%reportedtheyfelt
moreconfidentinthementoringexperienceasaresultoftheirtrainingparticipation.
Figure8Mostmentorswhodidnotparticipateinmonthlytrainingsessionscouldnotaffordtobeawayfromworktheadditionaltimeduringtheweek
Source.SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
…………………………………………………………………..Whatdoeseffectivementoringprogramimplementationlooklike?
MENTOR’sElementsofEffectivePracticeforMentoring™providesresearch-informedStandardsfor
buildingandsupportingqualityyouthmentoringprograms.Tocreateaneffectivementoringprogram,
staffmustcarefullyrecruit,screen,andtrainmentors;matchmentorsandmentees;andmonitorand
supportthementoringrelationships.Recruitmentstrategiesshouldbuildpositiveattitudesand
emotionsaboutthementoringexperience.Asprospectivementorsarescreened,staffmustdetermine
whetherprospectshavethetime,commitment,andpersonalqualitiestobeasafeandeffective
mentor.Mentortrainingshouldprovidementorswiththeknowledgeandskillsneededtodevelopan
effectiverelationshipwhichwillinfluencethelengthandqualityofthematchrelationship.Thematchingprocessshouldconsiderindividualcharacteristicsaboutthementorandmenteeinorderto
fosteranenduringrelationship.Oncematched,monitoringandsupportiscriticaltocreatesatisfying
andsuccessfulmentoringrelationshipsbyprovidingongoingadvice,problem-solving,training,and
accesstoresourcesforthedurationofamentoringrelationship.Asaresult,manystudiesshowthat
qualitymentoringrelationshipshavesignificantpositiveeffectsonyoungpeopleinavarietyofpersonal
andacademicways.
Page9
7%
15%
20%
22%
41%
74%
89%
Tryingout suggestedactivities
Engaginginoutdoor activities
Reading
Supporting academicwork
Discussingproblems
Playinggames/artsandcrafts
Talking/listening
TheMentoringExperienceMentorsrespondedtosurveyquestionstoelicitinformationaboutthe
mentoringexperiencestheyprovidedthroughouttheschoolyear
(AppendixD).Keyfindingsaredescribedinthissectionofthereport.
MentoringSessions
Howdidmentorsdescribetheirmentoringexperiences?Mostmentorsmetwiththeirmenteesfrequentlythroughouttheschoolyear.Eighty-ninepercentofmentorsreportedmeetingwiththeir
menteeeachweek,asexpected.
Figure9Ofthe11%ofmentorswhomettheirmenteeslessthanonceaweek…
31%metthreetimesamonth Workcommitments54%mettwiceamonth Menteemobility11%metonceamonth Menteeabsence3%metlessthanonceamonth Scheduling conflicts
Source.SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
Mostoften,mentorsspenttheirtimetalkingandlistening,playinggames,ordoingartsandcraftswiththeirmentees(Figure8).Approximately35%ofmentorsmettheirmentees’caregiveratthe
schooloraSeedlingevent.
Figure10Mostoften,mentorsspenttheirtimetalkingandlisteningtotheirmentees.
Source.SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
Reasons
Page10
Consistentwithyearspast,mentorshighlyratedtheirexperiencewiththeSeedlingMentorProgram.Seventy-eightpercentofmentorswereplanningtocontinuethecurrentrelationship.Ofthosenotabletocontinueintheircurrentmentoringrelationship,33%ofthemindicatedtheywouldbeinterestedinmentoringanotherchildinthenextschoolyear.
Figure9Mentorsthoughtthementoringwashelpfultomenteesandhighlyratedtheirmentoringexperiences.
Source.SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
……………………………………………..Whatdoestheresearchsayaboutsuccessfulmentoringrelationships?
Closementoringrelationshipsaregenerallydevelopedwhenthementormaintainsayouthcenteredapproach(Herrera,etal.,2013).Mentorsshouldactivelyconsiderthechild’spreferencesandnotbeconcernedwithachievingparticularoutcomes(e.g.academicimprovement)atthepriceofdevelopingapositiveconnection,especiallyatthebeginningoftherelationship.Successfulmentoringrelationshipsmaybedeepenedwhenthementorandmenteeengageinenjoyableandmeaningfulactivitiesledbythechild.
Effectivementoringrelationshipsareconsideredtopromoteimprovedbehavioral,social-emotional,andacademicoutcomesamongyouth(Chan,et.al,2013).Higherqualitymentoringrelationshipswererelatedtoimprovementsinstudents'relationshipswiththeirparentsandteachers.Theseimprovedrelationshipssupporteddevelopmentinacademicattitudes,self-esteem,andprosocialbehavior.Thesechangeswerefoundforbothgendersandforelementary,middle,andhighschoolstudents.
85%98%
Extremelyormostlyhelpfulformentees
Experience wasexcellent orgood
“MySeedlingwasprettyclosedtomeformostofhisfirstyear,butthentherewasadayweplayedagamethatinvolvedansweringquestionsaboutoneselfonJengablocksaspartofthegameandalotcamepouringoutofhim.Itwasareallyspecialdayandmademerealizehowtogetmenteestoopenupbetter.”
Mentor,Spring2016
“Ibelieveshefeelssheisabletotrust,sharewithoutanyjudgmentfromspendingtimewithme.Shefeltatease,happytohavesomeonecare/showup/haveanoutingtohavespecialoneononetime.
�Thatlookaboutherwhenshesawmeeachweek.”
Mentor,Spring2016
“Althoughassessinga13year-old'sthoughtsandfeelingscanbenear-impossible,therehavebeensweetnuggetsoffeedbackfrommymenteethatthisisagoodthing.Weeventuallydevelopedarhythmofspendingtimetogetherthroughacreativeactivity,oftencoloring;it'slikemagic!”
Mentor,Spring2016
MentorReflections
Page11
MentoringRelationshipOutcomes
SchoolContacts,teachers,mentors,menteesandcaregiversrespondedtosurveyitemsonmentoringqualityandoutcomes(AppendicesBthroughE).Keyfindingsaredescribedinthissectionofthereport.
SchoolContactandTeacherPerceptions
WhatdidSchoolContactsandteacherssayaboutthementoringrelationships?
Overwhelmingly,SchoolContactsreportedthedevelopmentofmentor
andmenteerelationshipswasthemostvaluablecontributionofthe
program.Theyperceivedmentorstobepositive,encouraging,andconsistentrolemodelsforchildrenwhomaybestrugglingintheirpersonallives.SchoolContactsemphasizedtheimportanceofchildrenhavingcaringandsupportiverelationshipsthatcontributedtothedevelopmentofemotionalandmentalwellbeingforthechildren.Theyalsoreportedthatchildrenhadimprovedattendance,academic,andsocialoutcomesasaresultoftheirprogramparticipation.
Elementaryteachersobservedpositivementoringoutcomesforthe
Seedlingmenteeswhowereintheirclassroomsasaresultoftheir
mentoringexperiences(Figure10).Mostteachersreportedmenteesexperiencedpositivechangesintheirtemperament(66%),interpersonalrelationships(59%),academicefforts(60%),andclassroombehavior(60%)duringtheschoolyear.Teachers(89%)reportedtheirstudentslookedforwardtoseeingtheirmentorsand90%recommendedtheycontinueintheprogram.Teachersobservedpositivementoringrelationshipsandsuggested
continuingparticipation.
Source.SeedlingTeacherSurvey,Spring2016
Intheiropen-endedcomments,teacherscommendedtheworkofthe
mentorsandrecognizedthebenefitsfortheirstudents.Someteachersreportedinstanceswheretheirstudentsachievedpersonalandacademicbenefitsasaresultoftheirmentorship,whileothersunderstooditwouldtaketimetoobservementeepersonalandacademicgrowth.
89%ofteachersreportedtheirstudentlookedforwardtomeetingwiththeirmentorseachweek.
90%ofteachersrecommendedthattheirstudentscontinueparticipatingintheSeedlingMentorProgram.
Page12
94%
95%
Mentorswhodescribed theirrelationships withmenteesas
"excellent" or"good".
Menteeswhodescribed theirrelationships withmentorsmentor as"prettyclose".
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016.Note.Ratingsof3or4weredesirable.
88%
94%
94%
95%
Youthsatisfaction
Youthcenteredness
Emotional engagement
Closeness
MentorandMenteePerceptions
Whatdidmentorsandmenteessayabouttheirmentoringrelationships?
Consistentwithresultsinpastyears,mostmentorsreportedexcellentorgoodrelationshipswiththeirmentees,andtheirperceptionsmatchedthoseoftheirmentees(Figure11).Mostmentorsdescribedpositiverelationshipsthatrangedfromtheearlystagesofgettingtoknowoneanothertomuchdeeperconnectionsembodiedbydifficultconversationsandlong-termcommitment.Theirnarrativesportrayedfeelingsofachievementwhentheyobservedeventhesmallestsignsofsuccessandthechallengestheyencounteredindevelopingrelationships.
Figure11Mentorsandmenteeshighlyratedtheirrelationshipswithoneanother.
Source.SeedlingMentorandMenteeSurveys,Spring2016
Menteesurveyresultsindicatedthepresenceofachild-centeredprogramwherementeeswereemotionallyengagedandsatisfiedwiththeirmentors.Ninety-fivepercentofmenteesreportedtohavea“closerelationship”withtheirmentors.Resultswereconsistentacrossmostmenteegroups.Elementaryschoolgirlshadsignificantlyhigherratingsofemotionalengagement(3.9)thandidboystheirage(3.7).
Figure12Mostmenteeshighlyratedsurveyitemspertainingtomentoringrelationshipquality.
The most valuable program contribution is… “Consistency.Thestudentswhohaveincarceratedparentsareoftennotusedtoalotofconsistency,sohavingsomeonecomeEVERYweekreallyhelpsbuildtheirtrustinadultsandotherpeopleingeneral!”
School Contact, Spring 2016
“Ilovethatwegetwellinformedamazingadultstospendtimewithandbepositiverolemodelsforourstudents.”
School Contact, Spring 2016
“Mychildseemsverycomfortablecommunicatingherfeelingstohermentorandisalwaysexcitedwhenhermentoriscoming!”
Teacher,Spring 2016
“Thechildhasbenefitedfromthisprogramandhasbeenabletonavigateotherproblemswithfriendsandfamilyduetohermentorshelp.”
Teacher,Spring 2016
Page13
3.43.6
2.8
3.3 3.4
2.73.1 3.2
2.4
0
1
2
3
4
Hope Academicself-confidence Socialacceptance
In2015-2016,thereweresignificantlyhigherpercentagesofmenteeswhohighlyratedsurveyitemspertainingtohopeandacademicself-confidencecomparedwithmenteesintheprioryear(Figure13).Significantdifferencesontheseitemsalsowerefoundbetweenelementarymiddleandhighschoolstudents.Elementarymenteeshadhigherratingscomparedtomiddleandhighschoolmentees(Figure14).Additionally,boysinelementaryschoolhadsignificantlylowerratingsofsocialacceptance(2.7)thantheirfemalepeers(3.0).Incontrast,girlsinhighschoolhadsignificantlylowerratingsofsocialacceptance(2.6)thandidhighschoolboys(2.9).Figure13Mostmenteeshighlyratedsurveyitemspertainingtohope,academicself-confidence,andsocialacceptance.
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016Note.Ratingsof3or4weredesirable.QuestionsaboutsocialacceptancewereaskedfrothefirsttimeinSpring2016.
Figure14Elementarylevelmenteesratedsurveyitemspertainingtohope,academicself-confidence,andsocialacceptancesignificantlyhigherthandidmiddleandhighschoollevelmentees.Highschoolmenteesratedthesameitemssignificantlylowerthantheotherstudentgroups.
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016Note.Ratingsof3or4weredesirable.
88%78%
95%* 95%*
73%
Hope Academicself-confidence Socialacceptance
2015 2016
Page14
64%
43%
53%
25%
32%
26%
7%
5%
11%
17%
12%
0% 100%
Interestindoingthings
Relationships withothers
Abilitytotalkaboutyourfeelings
Verypositivechanges Somepositivechanges Somenegativechanges
Verynegativechanges Idon'tknow.
InSpring2016,additionalsurveyquestionswereaddedtobetterunderstandchangesinmenteesocialemotionalhealththatmaybetakingplacethroughoutthementoringexperience.Mostmenteesreportedpositivechangesintheirinterestinactivities,relationshipswithothersandtheabilitytotalkabouttheirfeelings.
Figure15Eighty-ninepercentofmenteesreportedtheyweremoreinterestedindoingthingssincetheystartedmeetingwiththeirmentor.
Sinceyouhavestartedmeetingwithyourmentor,havetherebeenanychangesinyour...
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016Note.QuestionsaboutsocialemotionalhealthwereaskedfrothefirsttimeinSpring2016.
Whiletheoverallmeanratingswerehighforallmenteegroups,thereweresomedifferencesbygenderandschoollevel.Elementaryschoolgirlshadsignificantlyhigherratingsofincreasedinterestindoingthings(3.9)andtheirabilitytotalkabouttheirfeelings(3.8)thandidboystheirage(3.7and3.3respectively).Middleschoolgirlshadsignificantlylowerratingsofchangesintheirrelationshipswithothers(3.2)thandidboystheirage.
In2015-2016,significantlygreaterpercentagesofSeedlingmenteesinmiddleandhighschoolwereplanningtoenrollincollegecomparedtomenteestheprioryear(Figure16).EightypercentofallSeedlingstudentsresponded“yes”tothisquestion,comparedwith74%ofallSeedlingmenteesin2014-2015and75%ofallstudentsinAustinISDin2015-2016(Lamb,2016).
Thebestthingaboutmymentoris…
“KnowingIcancountonhimforanything,beingabletotalktohim,Inevergetbored.”
“SheunderstandswhatIgothrough.Sheiscaringandinterestedinmylife.Andgivesmeconfidence.”
“SometimeshebringsmeM&Msfromhiswork.Sometimesheletsmeplaygames&sometimeswegooutsideandplay.”
“She'sbeenwithmesinceIwaslittlesoI'musedtoherappearanceandamabletotalkmorewithher.”
“Shealwayscomestoseemeandsendslettersinthemailtomeinsummer.”
“Sheisfunnyandshelistinstomeandshemakesmelaugh.”
“WetalkaboutthingsthatarebuggingmesoIcanrelievestress.”
SeedlingMentees,Spring2016
Page15
ElementarySchool 79%
MiddleSchool 87%*
HighSchool 73%*
All 80%*
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Figure16EightypercentofallmenteesinSpring2016wereplanningtoenrollincollegeafterhighschool,asignificantincreasefrommenteesin2015.
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016
Overall,surveyresultswerehighlypositiveforSeedlingmentees.Whenresultswereexaminedfor
menteesbasedondemographiccharacteristics,theresultswerelargelysimilaracrossmoststudent
groups.Thereweresomedifferencesinsurveyresponsesamongstudentsbasedongenderandschool
level.Inregardtocurrentresearchliteratureaboutmentoringanditsinfluencesbasedongender,
additionalinquirymaybeconsideredinthefuturetoexplorehowthementoringrelationshipmayor
maynotinfluencementeeperceptionsovertimeandhowthementoringexperiencesmaybeperceived
differentlybymenteeswithdifferingdemographiccharacteristics(e.g.,genderandschoollevel).
……………………………………………………………………
Whatdoestheresearchsayabouthowyouthmayexperiencethementoringrelationship?
Researchershavefoundmenteeswhoratedtheirrelationshipsasyouthcentered(e.g.,theirmentor
tooktheirpreferencesandinterestsintoaccount),whowereemotionallyengagedwiththeir
mentors,andwhoweresatisfiedwiththeirmentorsweremorelikelytoshowimprovementintheir
behaviorsandattitudesthanwereyouthwithlessfavorableimpressions.(NREL,2002).When
mentoringrelationshipswerecharacterizedbyfeelingsofcloseness,theywerelikelytolastlonger
andleadtobetteroutcomesforthementees(DuboisandKarcher,2013).Hope,engagement,and
feelingsofwell-beinghavebeenstrongpredictorsofacademicsuccess(Gallup,2012).
WhilepreparationforcollegeisnotafocusofSeedlingmentoring,assistingmenteestodeveloppositive
attitudestowardsschoolisamajorprogramobjectivewiththeintentthatthechildrenmayhaveaclear
understandingofthecriticalneedforeducationtoachievetheirlong-termgoals.TheNational
AssociationforCollegeAdmissionCounseling(NACAC)foundencouragingpositiveattitudesabout
postsecondaryeducationwasessentialindevelopingcollegeandcareerreadinessatthehighschool
level.Thisprocessisespeciallyimportantforlow-incomestudentsandstudentswhoarethefirstintheir
familiestoconsiderattendingcollege.
Page16
CaregiverPerceptions
InasurveyconductedbyChildren'sOptimalHealth(2016)onbehalfoftheSeedlingFoundation,caregiverperceptionsofprogramoutcomeswereexplored.Thissurveyprovidedanopportunitytoextendanunderstandingofhowthementoringexperiencealsomayimpactthestudentintheirhomeenvironmentandvalidatetheperceptionsofthoseoperatingintheschoolsetting.Highlightsfromthesurveyareprovidedbelow.
Whatdidmenteecaregiverssayaboutthementoringexperience?
Caregiversonlyprovidedpositive,nodiscernableeffect,or“Idon’tknowresponses”onfouritemsonascalethatrangedfrom“verypositive”to“verynegative”andthatincludedan“Idon’tknow”response.Therewerenonegativeresponsesontheseitemsthatwerelargelyrelatedtomenteeeducationaloutcomes.
Hashavingamentoraffectedyourchild’s…
Schoolattendance?Beliefinhisorherabilities?Gradesandschoolperformance?Attitudeaboutschool?
Onsixquestions,caregivershadaveragescoresof3.5orhigher,meaningthatmostresponseswere“verypositive”—thehighestratingonthesurvey.
Doesmychildlookforwardtomeetinghis/hermentoreveryweek?(3.81)
HavemyhopesabouttheSeedlingprogrambeenmet?(3.70)
Hashavingamentoraffectedyourchild’s
beliefinhis/herabilities?(3.61)desiretosetgoalsforthefuture?(3.59)self-esteem?(3.59)attitudeaboutschool?(3.55)
Thelowestratedsurveyitemwas“Sinceyourchildbeganthementoringprogram,haveyouseenchangesinyourchild’sappetiteoreatingpattern?”withanaverageratingof2.50orbetween“noeffect”and“somewhatpositive”.
Overall,thecaregiversurveyresultsprovideanenhancedviewofmentoringoutcomesformenteesprovidedbysomeoneoutsideoftheschoolsetting.ThecaregiverperceptionswereconsistentwiththoseofSchoolContacts,teachers,mentors,andmentees.
InSpring2016,theSeedlingFoundationreceivedfundsfromAustinIndependentSchoolDistricttoconductasurveyofmenteecaregiverstoassesscaregiversatisfactionwiththeprogramandperceptionsofprogramoutcomesforthechildren.SeedlingcontractedChildren’sOptimalHealthtoconductthesurvey,analyzethedata,andreportsurveyresults.Thesurveyhadfourmajorcomponents:1)caregiverknowledgeofthementorandthechild’ssatisfactionwiththementor,2)caregiverperceptionsofhowhavingamentormayhaveaffectedschoolandhomelife,3)caregiverperceptionsofhowthechild’sphysicalandemotionalwell-beingmayhavechangedsinceenteringtheprogram,and4)overallsatisfactionwiththementorandtheprogram.ThesurveyswereconductedthroughphoneinterviewsinEnglishandSpanishbasedoncaregiverpreference.
Participantswereselectedusingarandomsamplingmethodologywithreplacement.Of405studentswithatleast3monthsofprogramparticipation,atotalof200wereselectedtocompletethesurvey.Atotalof149respondentscompletedthesurvey,providingresultsatthe95%confidencelevelwitha6.5%marginoferror.
Formoreinformationaboutthissurvey,pleasecontactSeedlingFoundation.
SeedlingCaregiverSurvey
Page17
91.8%*
94.4%
94.7%*
93.6%
Lessthan3months
3to12months
12to24months
24ormoremonths
95.1%
92.4%
86.3%
93.4%
96.4%*
93.4%
87.8%
94.8%*
0.0% 100.0%
ES
MS
HS
All
MenteeEducationalOutcomesAttendance
Whatwerementeeschoolattendanceoutcomes?
Menteeattendanceratesrangedfrom44%to100%,andtheaveragementeeattendanceratewas93.4%.Elementarystudentshadsignificantly
higherattendanceratesthanthoseinmiddleandhighschool.Thispattern
wasconsistentforSeedingmenteesandthecomparisongroup.Elementary
comparisongroupstudentshadsignificantlyhigherattendanceratesthan
Seedlingmentees.However,Seedlingmenteesandcomparisongroup
studentshadsimilarattendanceratesatmiddleandhighschoollevels.A
significantlyhigherpercentageofSeedlingmentees(29%)werechronically
absentwith10ormoreabsencesduringtheschoolyearthanwere
comparisongroupstudents(17%).Menteeswhoparticipatedforlessthan3
monthshadasignificantlylowerattendanceratecomparedwiththose
participatingforlongerperiods.
Figure15Overall,comparisongroupstudentshadsignificantlyhigherattendanceratesthandidSeedlingmentees.
Source.AISDandDVISDstudentattendancefiles,2015-2016
Note.*Significantlydifferent(p<.05).
Figure16Menteeswhoparticipatedforlessthan3monthshadasignificantlylowerattendanceratecomparedwiththoseparticipatingforlongerperiods.
Source.AISDandDVISDstudentattendancefiles,2015-2016
Page18
Stronglyagreeoragree,60%
Stronglydisagreeor
disagree,20%
Notsure,20%
34%
30%
36%
51%
25%
36%
33%
22%
32%
28%
27%
23%
Workswithoutdisturbingothers
Respectsschoolpersonnel
Respectsothers’rightsandproperty
Followsschoolandclassrules
Almostalways Often Sometimes Almostnever
Discipline
Whatdidteacherssayaboutmenteebehavioraloutcomes?
Inthe2015-2016schoolyear,60%ofelementarylevelteacherscontinuedtoreportpositivechangesintheirstudents’dispositionsandbehaviorsasaresultoftheirprogramparticipationcomparedwith56%intheprioryear(Appendix5).Teachersmaynothaveobservedpositivechangesintheirstudents’behavior,buttheyoftenexplainedthedifficultcircumstancesthechildwasencounteringthatmayhavepreventedbehavioralimprovement.
Figure17Mostoftheteacherssurveyedstronglyagreedoragreedthattheirstudents’behaviorsimprovedthroughouttheschoolyearasaresultofthechild’sparticipationinthementoringprogram.
Source.SeedlingTeacherSurvey,Spring2016
Figure18Mostteachersstronglyagreedoragreedmenteeswererespectfulofothersandofschoolrules,andsignificantlyfewerteachersdisagreed.
Source.SeedlingTeacherSurvey,Spring2016
Page19
Whatdidthedisciplinedatarevealaboutmenteedisciplinaryoutcomes?
Asinprioryears,Seedlingmenteesandthematchedcomparisonstudentshadsimilartypesof
disciplinaryoffenses(Table1).Mostinfractionswerelower-leveloffensesanddidnotrequireremovalfromtheclassroom.
Table1.Seedlingstudentshadsimilartypesofdisciplinaryoffenses,comparedwiththeirpeers.
SeedlingMentees ComparisonGroup
1 PhysicalAggression-Student* Insubordination2 Disruption Disruption3 Insubordination Threatorharassmentofstudent4 Rudetoadult Classcut5 Classcut Rudetoadult6 Leavew/oAuthorization Leavew/oAuthorization7 RudetoStudent Violation8 Threatorharassmentofstudent PhysicalAggression-Student*9 Fight* Fight*10 Violation PhysicalAggression-Adult*
Source.AISDandDVISDstudentdisciplinefiles,2015-2016Note.*Categorizedashigherleveloffense
Whilethetypesofoffensesweresimilaracrossthestudentgroups,significantlyhigherpercentagesof
Seedlingmenteeshaddisciplinaryoffensesoverallcomparedwithcomparisongroupstudents(Table2).Ofthosewithdisciplinaryoffenses,Seedlingmenteeshadasignificantlyhigheraveragenumberofoffenses(6.4)thandidthecomparisongroup(4.0).SignificantlygreaterpercentagesofSeedlingmenteesalsohadaggressivebehaviorsandhomeorin-schoolsuspensionscomparedwiththecomparisongroup.DisciplinaryoffensespeakedatthemiddleschoollevelforbothSeedlingmenteesandthecomparisongroup.However,disciplinaryoffensesdeclinedatthehighschoollevel,andtherewerenosignificantdifferencesbetweenSeedlingmenteesandcomparisongroupstudents(Table3).
Table2.Asignificantlylowerpercentageofcomparisongroupstudentshaddisciplinaryoffensesand
suspensions,comparedwithSeedlingmentees.
Seedling ComparisonGroup
AnyTypeDisciplineOffense 28.7%* 19.4%
Aggressivebehavior 23.1%* 13.9%
Home/In-SchoolSuspension 19.8%* 9.9%Source.AISDandDVISDstudentdisciplinefiles,2015-2016Note.*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05
Page20
40.7%* 40.7%*
33.3%*30.3%
24.9%
18.1%
30.0%
21.4%* 21.5%*
36.2%
23.5%21.5%
AnyTypeDiscipline Offense Aggressivebehavior Home/In-SchoolSuspension
Lessthan3 3to12 12to24 24ormore
Table3.GreaterpercentagesofSeedlingmenteeshaddisciplineoffensesandweremorelikelytoexperiencehomeorin-schoolsuspensionthancomparisongroupstudents. Elementary MiddleSchool HighSchool
Seedling CompGroup Seedling CompGroup Seedling CompGroup
AnyTypeDisciplineOffense 22.0%* 7.0% 46.0% 33.3% 18.6% 11.1%
Aggressivebehavior 18.1%* 6.5% 37.2%* 22.5% 10.7% 7.1%
Home/In-SchoolSuspension 10.8%* 3.3% 42.3%* 26.1% 32.6% 23.3%
Source.AISDandDVISDstudentdisciplinefiles,2015-2016Note.*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05
Theanalysisofdisciplineoffensesrevealedsignificantdifferencesbetweengroupsofmenteesparticipatingintheprogramforvaryingdurations.SignificantlygreaterpercentagesofSeedlingmenteeswhoparticipatedforthreemonthsorlesshaddisciplineoffenses,aggressivebehaviors,andsuspensions.Disciplinaryoffenses,aggressivebehaviors,andsuspensionsdeclinedsignificantlyforSeedlingmenteeswhowereinamentoringrelationshipforlongerthan3months.
Figure19
SignificantlygreaterpercentagesofSeedlingmenteeswhoparticipatedforthreemonthsorlesshaddisciplineoffenses,aggressivebehaviors,andsuspensions.Source.AISDandDVISDstudentdisciplinefiles,2015-2016Notes*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05
Page21
56.0%
45.2%
52.1%
62.3%
48.3%
57.1%
Elementary
MiddleSchool
AllStudents
19%
32%
35%
13%
24%
21%
37%
36%
29%
34%
37%
30%
34%
26%
30%
49%
30%
40%
10%
Refusestoputforthacademiceffort
Worksonlyashardasnecessarytogetby
Doesmorethanisrequired ofhim/her
Participates constructively inclass
Isopenandreceptive tolearning
Doesthebesthe/shecan
Almostalways Often Sometimes Almostnever
AcademicOutcomes
Howdidteachersandmenteesdescribeacademicbehaviors?
Mostteachersandmenteesreportedpositiveacademicoutcomesontheirrespectiveprogramsurveys.Approximately60%ofteachersreportedtheirstudents’academiceffortsimprovedthroughout
theschoolyearasaresultoftheSeedlingprogramparticipation.About92%ofallmenteesreported
theytriedtodotheirbestonschoolwork,and87%ofthemfeltsuccessfulintheirschoolwork.
Figure20Mostteachersreportedmenteeswereacademicallyengagedintheirclassrooms.
Source.SeedlingTeacherandMenteeSurveys,Spring2016
WhatwerementeeoutcomesontheStateofTexasAssessmentsofAcademicReadiness(STAAR)?
SeedlingmenteeshadcomparableSTAARtestoutcomescomparedwithamatchedcomparisongroup.Whilegreaterpercentagesofthematchedcomparisonstudentsmetthestatestandardsonthe
STAARreadingandmathteststhandidSeedlingmentees,thedifferenceswerenotstatistically
significant.
Figure21OntheSTAARreadingtests,greaterpercentagesofallmatchedcomparisongroupstudentsmetthestatepassingstandardthandidSeedlingmentees.
Source.AISDandDVISDSTAARfiles,2015-2016Notes.Onlyreadingtestresultsforthirdthrougheighthgradeswerereported.STAAREndofCourseexamresultsforhigh
schoolstudentswerenotreportedduetosmallcellsize.
Page22
60.0%
46.3%
55.1%
67.3%
49.6%
57.5%
Elementary
MiddleSchool
AllStudents
38.9%*44.4%
48.9%54.9%
60.6% 63.4%
52.7% 52.3%
STAARReading STAARMath
Lessthan3months 3to12months
12to24months 24ormoremonths
Figure22
OntheSTAARmathtests,overallgreaterpercentagesofallmatchedcomparisongroupstudentsmetthestatepassingstandardthandidSeedlingmentees.
Source.AISDandDVISDSTAARfiles,2015-2016Notes.Onlymathtestresultsforthirdthrougheighthgradeswerereported.STAAREndofCourseexamresultsforhighschoolstudentswerenotreportedduetosmallcellsize.
Whenexaminingstateassessmentresultsformenteeswhoparticipatedfordifferentlengthsoftime,thosewhohadparticipatedformorethanthreemonthsmetthepassingstandardathigherratesthanthoseparticipatingforlessthanthreemonths.OntheSTAARreadingtest,asignificantlylowerpercentageofmenteesparticipatingforlessthanthreemonthsmettheSTAARpassingstandardthandidmenteeswhohadbeenmentoredformorethanthreemonths.
Figure24Agreaterpercentageofmenteesparticipatingintheprogramfor12to24monthsmetthestatepassingstandardontheirSTAARreadingtestsandSTAARmathteststhanthoseparticipatingforlesserdurationsoftime.
Source.AISDandDVISDSTAARfiles,2015-2016Notes*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05
Page23
………………………………………………………………….Whatdoestheresearchsayabouthowthementoringrelationshipmayinfluenceacademicoutcomes?
Childrenofincarceratedparentsweremorelikelytodisplayantisocialbehaviors,likedisobedience,aggression,tempertantrums,lyingorstealing,thanchildrenwhodidnothaveparentswhoareincarcerated(Eddy&Poehlmann,2010).Ameta-analysisofresearch(Duboisetal.,2011)revealedmentoringrelationshipshelpchildrendevelopselfidentityandcanshapetheirbehavioraldecisions.Muchoftheidentitydevelopmenttakesplaceasthementorsmodelpositivebehaviorsandexposethechildrentonewactivities,resources,andeducationaloroccupationalopportunitiesonwhichtheycandraw.
Bayer,GrossmanandDubois(2015)foundmenteeperceptionofclosenessinthementoringrelationshipinfluencedtheiracademicoutcomes.Ifmenteesreportedtheirrelationshiptobeatleast“somewhatclose,”theyweremorelikelytoexperiencepositiveacademicoutcomescomparedtostudentswhowerenotmatchedwithmentors.Additionally,relationshipclosenesswasastrongerinfluencethanbothmatchstatusandmatchlengthaspredictorsofacademicoutcomes.Thisstudyfoundmoreimportanceinthe“mentoring-as-relationship”perspective,sincementeeperspectiveofclosenesspredictedgreateracademicoutcomes,ratherthanmentoringwithafocusonacademics.Thus,theprocessofdevelopingclosementoringrelationshipsshouldbeemphasized,andmentorsmaynotrequirerigorousacademictrainingtobenefitstrugglingstudents.
Page24
DiscussionandConclusionPrimaryProgramOutcomes
DidtheSeedlingMentorProgramprovidethechildrenwithalong-term,positiverelationshipwithatrainedadultmentor?
Seedling’sMentorProgramfacilitatedlong-lastingmatchrelationships.In2015-2016,71%ofmentorshadmentoredmorethanoneyear,asignificant
increasefrom63%theyearbefore.Overall,mentorsspentanaverageof
threeyearssupportingtheprogram.TheaveragelengthforSeedling
mentoringrelationshipsthatwereinplaceduringthe2015-2016schoolyear
was1yearand10months,anincreasefromtheaverageof1year,5months
in2014-2015.
Matchlengthisoneofthegreatestindicatorsofprogrameffectiveness.Enduringmentoringrelationshipsleadtosignificantimprovementsinchildren’sperceptionsofthemselves,theirpeers,familymembers,andotheradults(Grossman,Chan,Schwartz,andRhodes;2011).Mentorconsistencyalsohadapositiveinfluenceonmenteesocialskills,self-esteem,andself-management(Karcher,2005).
Seedling’sMentorProgramwaswell-implementedandprovidedongoingmentortrainingandsupportformentorsandtheirmentees.SchoolContactsandmentorsreportedeffectiveprogramimplementationpracticesthatwereexemplarsofmentoringstandardsrecommendedbyMENTOR’sElementsofEffectivePracticeforMentoring™.DuboisandKarcher(2013)assertacombinationoftrainingandsupervisionisassociatedwithhigherlevelsofmentoreffectivenessandhigherlevelsofclosenesswiththeirmentees.Mentorswhoreportedhigherlevelsofstaffsupportandhelpfulnessalsofeltclosertotheirmenteesandweremorelikelytocarrytheirmatchoverintoasubsequentschoolyearthanthosementorswhoreceivedlesssupport.
SurveysofSchoolContacts,teachers,caregivers,mentees,andmentorsyieldedevidenceindicatingpositivementoringrelationshipsformostmentees.SchoolContactsreportedthedevelopmentofmentorandmenteerelationshipswasthemostvaluablecontributionoftheprogram.ElementaryteachersobservedpositivementoringoutcomesfortheSeedlingmenteeswhowereintheirclassrooms.Caregiversreportedtheirchildrenlookedforwardtoseeingtheirmentorsandthementoringexperiencepositivelyinfluencedschoolbehaviors.Consistentwithresultsinpastyears,mostmentorsreportedexcellentorgoodrelationshipswiththeirmentees,andtheirperceptionsmatchedthoseoftheirmentees.Menteesurveyresultsindicatedthepresenceofachild-centeredprogramwherementeeswereemotionallyengagedandsatisfiedwiththeirmentors.
Page25
Mentorandmenteesurveysrevealedthementoringrelationshipstobechild-centered,resultinginhighlevelofmenteesatisfactionandfeelingsofcloseness.Ninety-fivepercentofmenteesreportedtohavea“closerelationship”withtheirmentors.Multipleresearchstudieshaveidentifiedtheimportanceofmenteefeelingsofclosenessinamentoringrelationship(Rhodes,Schwartz,Willis,andWu,2014;Chanetal.,2013).Mentorassessmentsofrelationalqualityandclosenesshavebeenpredictiveofmatchlength,andinsomeinstances,improvedacademicoutcomesformentees.
DidtheSeedlingMentorProgramhelpthementeesdevelopormaintainpositiveattitudestowardsandconnectionstoschool?
In2015-2016,thereweresignificantlyhigherpercentagesofmenteeswhohighlyratedsurveyitemspertainingtohopeandacademicself-confidencecomparedwithmenteesintheprioryear.Ahighpercentageofmentees(73%)hadpositiveratingsofsocialacceptance.Mostmenteesreportedpositivechangesintheirinterestinactivities,relationshipswithothersandtheabilitytotalkabouttheirfeelings,asaresultofthementoringexperience.Caregiversalsoreportedthathavingamentorpositivelyaffectedtheirchildren’sattitudestowardsschool.
In2015-2016,significantlygreaterpercentagesofSeedlingmenteesinmiddleandhighschoolwereplanningtoenrollincollegecomparedtomenteestheprioryear.EightypercentofallSeedlingstudentsresponded“yes”tothisquestion,comparedwith74%ofallSeedlingmenteesin2014-2015and75%ofallstudentsinAustinISDin2015-2016(Lamb,2016). Chanetal.(2013)foundmentoringrelationshipquality,measuredbyyouthcenterednessandemotionalengagement,tobesignificantlyassociatedwithpositivechangesinyouths'relationshipswiththeirteachers.Inturn,improvedteacherandstudentrelationshipswerepredictiveofstudentmotivation,academicachievement,schoolengagement,andbehavioraloutcomes.
SecondaryProgramOutcomes
Theemphasisoftheprogramisplacedondevelopinglong-term,positivementoringrelationshipsforchildrenofincarceratedparentswhomaybeexperiencingongoingtraumainthehomeenvironment.Menteeattendance,discipline,andassessmentoutcomesalsowereexaminedtobetterunderstandthesupportstudentsmayneed.
DidSeedlingmenteesexperienceimprovedattendance,discipline,andacademicoutcomes?
WhilecomparisongroupstudentshadsignificantlyhigherattendanceratesthanSeedlingmenteesoverall,menteeattendanceratesweresignificantlyhigherformenteesintheprogramlongerthan3monthscomparedtothoseintheprogram3orfewermonths.Additionally,Seedlingmiddleandhighschoolmentees,37%ofallmentees,hadsimilarattendanceratestocomparisongroupstudentsatmiddleandhighschoollevels.Thiswasaconsiderableachievementforthisagelevel,asthementeeswereahighlymobilepopulationandhaveexperiencedcircumstancesthatcouldnegativelyinfluenceregularschoolattendance.
Sinceschoolattendanceisawidelyrecognizedpredictorofacademicsuccessanddroppingoutofschool,theregularschoolattendanceofmostmenteesisanimportantfactorinoverallschoolsuccess.Researchsuggeststhatstudentsaremorelikelytoattendschoolwhentheyfeelconnectedtocaring
Page26
adultswhonoticewhethertheyshowupandcanhelpthemovercomechallengestoattendance.
Whilethematchedcomparisongrouphadsignificantlylowerratesofdisciplinaryoffensesandsuspensions,manySeedlingmenteesexperiencedpositivedisciplinaryoutcomes.Inthe2015-2016schoolyear,60%ofelementarylevelteacherscontinuedtoreportpositivechangesintheirstudents’dispositionsandbehaviorscomparedwith56%intheprioryear.Often,teachersmaynothaveobservedpositivechangesintheirstudents’behavior,buttheyunderstoodthechildren’sextenuatingcircumstancespreventingbehavioralimprovement.Asinprioryears,Seedlingmenteesandthematchedcomparisonstudentshadsimilartypesofdisciplinaryoffensesandmostinfractionsdidnotrequireremovalfromtheclassroom.WhiledisciplinaryoffensespeakedatthemiddleschoollevelforbothSeedlingmenteesandthecomparisongroup,theydeclinedatthehighschoollevel,andtherewerenosignificantdifferencesbetweenSeedlingmenteesandcomparisongroupstudentsinhighschool.
Thesefindingsarepromising,aschildrenofincarceratedparentsaremorelikelytohavebehavioralproblemsthanchildrenwhodonothaveincarceratedparents.Mentoringcanbecomeasupportiveexperienceforchildrenwhohavehaddisappointingorunsatisfactoryrelationshipswithparentsorothercaregivers(Grossmanetal,2011).Mentorsprovideopportunitiesforchildrentoexpresstheirthoughtsandmodelappropriatebehaviorandcommunicationenablingtheirmenteestobetterunderstand,express,andregulatetheiremotions.Notably,childrenwithsevererelationaldifficulties,suchasaggressiveandantisocialbehaviors,mayneedmorecomprehensiveinterventionsthanvolunteermentorscanprovideinashortvisitonceaweek(Schwartz,Rhodes,andChan,2011).
ManySeedlingmenteesexperiencedpositiveacademicoutcomes.Mostteachersandmenteesreportedpositiveacademicoutcomesontheirrespectiveprogramsurveys.Approximately60%ofteachersreportedtheirstudents’academiceffortsimprovedasaresultoftheSeedlingprogramparticipation.About92%ofallmenteesreportedtheytriedtodotheirbestonschoolwork,and87%ofthemfeltsuccessfulintheirschoolwork.SeedlingmenteeshadcomparableSTAARtestoutcomescomparedwithamatchedcomparisongroup.AsignificantlylowerpercentageofmenteesparticipatingforlessthanthreemonthsmettheSTAARpassingstandardinreadingthandidthosementoredformorethanthreemonths.
Researchershavefoundmixedacademicresultsformentoredyouthindicatingthereweremanytypesofinfluencesonstudents’academicoutcomes,andimprovedacademicoutcomesmightnotbeanexpectedoutcomeofthementoringexperience(Chanetal.,2013).Whileanationalevaluationofschool-basedmentoring(SBM)providedthroughBigBrothersBigSistersrevealedsignificantimprovementsinmentoredstudents'academicoutcomes,theeffectswerenotlastingwhenstudentswerere-assessedafewmonthsintothefollowingschoolyear.InanevaluationofaCommunitiesInSchoolsSBMprogramandanevaluationofawide-rangeofotherSBMprograms,nosignificantacademiceffectswereidentifiedformentoredyouth.
DidtheSeedlingMentorProgramaddressarealneedinthecommunity?
Seedlingmenteeswereprovidedwithlong-term,positivementoringrelationships.Theseenduringmentoringrelationshipsareimportantastheymaybelinkedtosignificantimprovementsinchildren’srelationshipswiththeirpeers,familymembers,andotheradults.Itisexpectedthathealthierrelationshipsandimprovedself-esteemorself-confidencemaytranslatetoadditionalacademicbenefitsforthechildandfuturesuccessovertime.
Page28
AppendixA:DescriptionofStatisticalAnalyses
Avarietyofqualitativeandquantitativedatawereusedinthisevaluationstudy.SchoolContacts,
teachers,mentors,andmenteescompletedprogramsurveysdesignedtodeterminethequalityof
programimplementation,describementoringrelationships,andidentifymenteeoutcomes.Student
attendance,discipline,andstateassessmentdatawereprovidedbyAustinIndependentSchoolDistrict
(AISD)andDelValleIndependentSchoolDistricttodetermineoutcomesforprogramparticipants.
Duetoavailability,onlyacademicdataforSeedlingmenteesenrolledinAustinandDelValleISDsand
amatchedcomparisongroupwhowereenrolledinAISDandDelValleduringthe2015-2016school
yearwereexaminedinthisreport.MenteesattendingschoolsoutsideofAISDandDelVallewerenot
includedintheanalysesduetodataavailability.Of623Seedlingmentees,academicrecordswere
obtainedfor495AustinISDand66DelVallementees.Academicrecordsalsowereobtainedfora
matchedcomparisongroupfromAustin(n=495)andDelValle(n=66).Surveydatapresentedinthis
reportedincludedastratifiedrandomsampleofallSeedlingmenteesattendingSeedlingsupported
andsatelliteschools.
Inpastevaluations,resultsforchildrenontheprogramwaitlistalsowereusedforcomparison.
However,thewaitlistin2015-2016wasdeemedtoosmallandnotrepresentativeoftheSeedling
menteesoverallforcomparison.
Avarietyofdataanalyseswereemployedinthisevaluationandaredescribedbelow.
Descriptivestatistics.Descriptivestatisticsisthetermgiventotheanalysisofdatathathelpsdescribe
orsummarizedatainameaningfulwaythatenablepatternsinthedatatoemerge.Descriptivestatistics
areveryimportantinprovidingavisualpictureandinterpretationofthedata.Somedescriptive
measuresthatarecommonlyusedtodescribeadatasetarefrequencies,percentages,means,medians,
modes,minimumormaximumvaluesofthevariables,andeffectsizes.Descriptivestatisticsdonot,
however,allowustomakeconclusionsbeyondthedatawehaveanalyzedorreachconclusions
regardinganyhypotheseswemighthavemade.
Inferentialstatistics.Inferentialstatisticsareconcernedwithmakingpredictionsorinferencesabouta
populationfromobservationsandanalysesofasample.Inferentialstatisticsenableustoreach
conclusionsthatextendbeyondtheimmediatedataalone.Thefollowinganalyseswereutilizedinthis
study:
T-tests.Thet-testisastatisticaltestthatisusedtodetermineifthereisasignificantdifference
betweenthemeanoraveragescoresoftwogroups.At-testaskswhetherobserveddifferences
betweentheoutcomesofinterestforthestudentgroupsweregreaterorlesserthanwouldbe
expectedonlybychance.�
Analysisofvariance(ANOVA).ANOVAalsoreferstostatisticaltestsusedtoanalyzethedifferencesbetweengroupmeans.Doingmultipletwo-samplet-testswouldresultinan
increasedchanceofcommittingatypeIerror.AtypeIerrorleadsonetoconcludethata
supposedeffectorrelationshipexistswheninfactitdoesn't.Forthisreason,ANOVAsareused
incomparingthreeormoremeans(groupsorvariables)forstatisticalsignificance.�
Z-Testsforthedifferencebetweenproportions.Thez-testtestisusedwhenthevariableiscategorical(e.g.Seedlingornon-Seedling)toanswerthequestionofwhetherthegroupsin
Page29
questiondiffersignificantlybasedonasinglecharacteristic(e.g.attendance,discipline).�
Multi-levelmodeling.Multi-levelmodelingisatypeofregressionanalysisdesignedtohandledatanestedwithinhierarchicalstructures.Forexample,studentprogramparticipantsarenestedwithindifferentschools,andthestatisticaltestingshouldaddressboththecharacteristicsofthestudentandoftheschool.Thepurposeofthistypeofanalysisistoexplainorpredicttherelationshipsamongmultiplevariables,oftenofdifferenttypes.Inthisevaluationstudy,predictororexplanatoryvariablesusedintheanalysesincludedstudentdemographicvariables(e.g.,race/ethnicity,economicstatus,Englishlanguagelearning,etc.),levelsofprogramparticipation(e.g.participationornon-participation,lengthofmentoringrelationship),andschoolcharacteristics(e.g.,schoollevelandpercentageofstudentseligibleforfreeorreduced-pricedlunch).Achartdepictingthemulti-levelmodelsexploredinthisstudyisprovidedbelow.
Table.Summaryofmulti-levelmodelsusedintheSeedlingMentorProgramevaluation,2015-2016
Outcome
AttendanceRate
DisciplineOffenses
STAAR:Metstandard
Lengthofmentoringmatch
Race/ethnicity x x x x
Economicdisadvantagestatus x x x x
Gender x x x x
Englishlanguagelearner x x x x
SpecialEducation x x x x
Programparticipation x x x
Lengthofoverallprogramparticipation x x x
Lengthofcurrentmentoringmatch x x x
Studentsurveyresponses x x x x
SchoolPredictors(Level2)
%Free/reducedpricedlunchprogramparticipants
x x x
Schoollevel x x x
Page30
AppendixB:SeedlingSchoolContactSurvey,Spring2016
Toelicitfeedbackonprogramimplementationandoutcomesforthe2015-2016schoolyear,theSchool
ContactateachSeedlingsupportedschoolwasaskedtocompleteaprogramsurvey.Eighty-fourpercent
oftheSchoolContacts(N=45)completedasurvey.Thisresponseratewasdeterminedtobe
representativeofthegroupata95%confidencelevel.
SurveyResults
1. Consistentwithresultsfrompriorprogramyears,mostSchoolContactswereverysatisfiedwiththeircommunicationwiththeirSeedlingMentorDirectors.
2015 2016Verysatisfied 87.2% 92.1%Somewhatsatisfied 10.3% 7.9%Notsatisfied 2.6% 0.0%
2. Comparedwithsurveyresultsfromtheprioryear,significantlymoreSchoolContactsreportedtheSeedlingSchoolContactGuidesupportedtheireffortsinimplementingtheSeedlingMentorProgramontheircampuses,and100%saidtherolesoutlinedintheguideweremanageable.
2015 2016
Yes 71.8% 84.2%*
Somewhat 17.9% 5.3%No 2.6% 0.%Unsure,Ididnotuseit. 7.7% 10.5%
3. SchoolContactsprovidedinformationaboutthemethodsandsourcesofinformationthey
usedinidentifyingprospectivementees.
a. Asinyearspast,SchoolContacts(81%)reportedtheyidentifiedeligibleparticipantsmostoftenthroughreferralsfromteachersandotherschoolstaff.Consistentwithpracticesinpastyears,studentreferralsgenerallyoccurredafterprograminformationwaspresentedtogroupsordistributedinprint(e.g.emails,flyers,letters,etc.).
b. Studentsorparentsalsomayhaveself-identifiedasbeingeligibleforprogramparticipation.
4. SchoolContactsdescribedhowtheyintroducedtheprogramtocaregivers.SchoolContacts
introducedtheprogramusingacoupleofapproaches.Mostoften,theypersonallycontactedcaregiverstotellthemabouttheprogram(e.g.,parentconferencesandphonecalls).Thesecondmostprevalentpracticewastodistributeprograminformationinwritingthroughletters,emails,orflyers.
Page31
5. SomeSchoolContacts(17%)reportedthatallcaregiverschosetohavetheirchildparticipateintheprogramandanother17%ofSchoolContactswerenotsurewhycaregiversdeclinedtheprogram.Othersexplainedifacaregiverdeclinedtheprogram,theirreasonswereoftenrelatedtothedifficultnatureofincarceration.
Ifcaregiversdeclinedtheprogram,whatwerethemostcommonreasons?
6. MostSchoolContacts(90%)prepared their mentees for the mentoring experience by meeting with them personallytotalkaboutwhatmentorswereandthebenefitsofhavingamentor.
7. Mostoften,SchoolContactsusedtheirpersonalknowledgeofthechildwhenmatchingthemwithanewmentor.
2015 2016
Informationfromstudent'steacher 54.1% 57.1%Personalknowledgeofthestudent 94.6% 88.6%Studentinterestsurvey,SeedlingSchoolContactGuide 32.4% 34.3%Otherstudentinterestsurvey 8.1% 14.3%
8. AsSchoolContactsmonitoredSeedlingmentoringrelationships,they…
7.7%
7.7%
34.6%
50.0%
Fearofschoolinterference
MistrustoftheSeedlingprogramoridea
Reluctancetotellthechildoftheparent’sincarceration
Fearofothersfindingout,stigmatizingthechild
25.0%
58.3%
63.9%
63.9%
69.4%
69.4%
77.8%
94.4%
Talkedwithwithmentee'scaregiver
CommunicatedwithMentorDirectors
Observedmentorsandmentees
Obtainedfeedbackfromteachers
Conductedregularcheck-inswithmentors
Talkedwithmenteeswhentheyhadaproblem
Conductedregularcheck-inswithmentees
Talkedwithmentorswhentheyhadaproblem
Page32
9. 100%ofSchoolContactsweresatisfiedwiththequalityofmentorsrecruitedbytheSeedlingMentorProgram.Schoolcontactsdescribedmentorsasbeingwell-trained,caring,dependableandgreatrolemodels.
10. AlmostallSchoolContactswereverysatisfiedwiththeirSeedlingexperiencein2015-2016.
11. SchoolContactsdescribedthevaluablecontributionsoftheSeedlingprogramontheir
respectivecampuses.
12. Whenaskedforprogramimprovementrecommendations,mostSchoolContactsrequestedadditionalmentorstoserveeligiblestudentscurrentlyontheirwaitinglists;othersneededadditionalassistanceinidentifyingeligibleparticipants.
82.1%*15.4%*
2.5%
97.1%*
2.9%*
Verysatisfied
Somewhatsatisfied
Notsatisfied 2015
2016
Seedlingmentorsprovidedconsistentandstablerelationshipsforthechildrenandwerepositiverolemodelsforchildrenexperiencingdifficultiesanduncertaintyintheirpersonallives.
Seedlingmentorscontributedtothedevelopmentofemotionalandmentalwellbeingforthechildren.
TheSeedlingmentoringexperiencecontributedtotheimprovementofstudentacademicandsocialskills.
Page33
AppendixC:SeedlingTeacherSurvey,Spring2016
Consideringschool-levelstructuresandresultingteacher-studentrelationships,onlyelementarylevel,homeroomteacherswereaskedtocompleteasurveyforSeedlingparticipants.Sixty-threepercentoftheteachersresponded.Thisresponseratemeta95%confidencelevelwithamarginoferrorof5.9%.Overall,teacherresponseswerehighlypositiveandwereconsistentwithsurveyresultsfrompreviousyears(Looby,2009-2015).Resultsfromthesurveyfollow.
1. Inmyclass,thechild…
2. Asaresultofthechild’sparticipationinthementoringprogram,his/heracademiceffortsimprovedthroughouttheschoolyear.
3. Inmyclass,thechild…
19%
32%
35%
13%
24%
21%
37%
36%
29%
34%
37%
30%
34%
26%
30%
49%
30%
40%
10%
Refusestoputforthacademiceffort
Worksonlyashardasnecessarytogetby
Doesmorethanisrequired ofhim/her
Participates constructively inclass
Isopenandreceptive tolearning
Doesthebesthe/shecan
Almostalways Often Sometimes Almostnever
Stronglyagreeoragree,60%
Stronglydisagreeordisagree,21% Notsure,19%
34%
30%
36%
51%
25%
36%
33%
22%
32%
28%
27%
23%
Workswithoutdisturbingothers
Respectsschoolpersonnel
Respectsothers’rightsandproperty
Followsschoolandclassrules
Almostalways Often Sometimes Almostnever
Page34
4. Asaresultofthechild’sparticipationinthementoringprogram,his/herclassroombehaviorhasimprovedthroughouttheschoolyear.
5. Inmyclass,thechild…
6. Asaresultofthechild’smentoringparticipation,his/herclassroominterpersonalrelationshipsimprovedduringtheschoolyear.
13%
16%
21%
25%
10%
35%
38%
40%
42%
24%
42%
39%
34%
23%
62%
11%
8%
10%
Findsithard tomakefriends.
Hasalotoffriends.
Ispopular withothershis/her age.
Isconfident incommunicating withothers.
Trustsandbuildsrelationships withothers.
Almostalways Often Sometimes Almostnever
Stronglyagreeoragree59%
Strongly
disagreeor
disagree
17%
Notsure24%
7.inmyclass,thechildlooksforwardtomeetingwithhis/hermentoreachweek.
Page35
8. As a result of the child’s participation in Seedling'sMentorProgram,his/heroveralldispositionimprovedthroughouttheschoolyear.
10. Open-endedcommentsprovidedbyteacherswerepositiveoverall,andtheyreportedthe
SeedlingMentorProgramtobea“verygoodprogram”.Theircommentswerecategorizedintofourmajorthemes.
a. MentorQuality:Teachersdescribedtheimportanceofhavingconsistent,positiverolemodelswhowerecaringandsupportiveofthechildren.
b. OutcomesforMentees:Teachersreportedthechildrenexperiencedimprovementinattitude,self-confidence,classroomandsocialbehaviors,andacademicskillsasaresultofthementoringrelationship.
c. GeneralProgramAppreciation:Teachersweregratefulforthesupportprovidedfortheirstudents.Theywerecomplimentaryofthehardworkcompletedbyprogramstaffandthementors.Theyenjoyedhavingthementorsengagewiththestudentsandtheirclassroomsingeneral.
d. ProgramImprovement:Afewteachersexpressedconcernabouttheconsistencyofthementorvisits,astheydidnotalwaysvisitweekly.
Stronglyagreeor
agree,66%
Stronglydisagreeordisagree,19%
Notsure,15%
9.IwouldrecommendthatthechildorchildreninmyclasscontinueparticipatingintheSeedlingMentorProgram.
Page36
Extremelyhelpful,22%
Mostlyhelpful,51%
Somewhathelpful,27%
AppendixD:SeedlingMentorSurvey,Spring2016
Seedlingmentorscompletedacomprehensivesurveytoprovidefeedbackonprogramimplementationandmenteeoutcomesforthe2015-2016schoolyear.Surveyquestionsfocusedonprogramimplementation,mentorprogramsatisfaction,andtheirperceivedstudentoutcomesaresummarized.
Aweb-linktothesurveywasemailedto595mentorswithverifiedemailaddressesinMay2016,and57%responded.Thisresponseratewasdeterminedtoberepresentativeofthegroupata95%confidencelevel.Ofthoseresponding,34%werementorswhojustcompletedtheirfirstyearinthementoringprogramand66%mentoredinpreviousyears.
NewMentors
1. NewMentorOrientationManual.Fortypercentofnewmentorsreportedtheyreferredtotheirmentoringmanualforongoingsupport.Thirtypercentofthenewmentorsdidnotrefertotheirmanuals,becausetheyfelttotallyproficient.Othersreportedtheydidnotrefertothemanualbecausetheyweretoobusy(17%),hadmisplacedit(21%),or“other”reasons(38%).
2. MentoringArticles.Seedlingstaffemailedarticlestonewmentorstosupporttheirmentoringexperiences.Halfofthenewmentorsreportedtheyreceivedandreadallofthearticles,and46%reportedthereceivedthearticlesandreadmostofthem.Twopercentofthenewmentorsdidnotreadthearticles,and2%didnotrecallreceivingthearticles.
Mostnewmentorsreportedthearticlestobehelpfulastheybeganthementoringmatch.
3. NewMentorSatisfaction.Mostnewmentorswereextremelyormostlysatisfiedwiththesupporttheyreceivedastheybeganthementoringprocess,and90%reportedtheirmentoringexperiencesmettheirexpectations.Pleaseindicatehowsatisfiedyouwerewiththefollowingactivities:
62%
75%
63%
34%
21%
33%
2%
4%
4%
Newmentorrecruitment
Newmentororientation
SupportfromyourMentorDirectorinthefirstfewweeksofyourmatch
ExtremelysatisfiedMostlysatisfied
Sometimessatisfied
Page37
2years,26.5%
3-4years,37.2%
5-6years,17.7%
7-9years,18.6%
ReturningMentors
4. Howmanyyearshaveyoumentored?
SeedlingSupport
5. In2015-2016,alowerpercentageofmentors(49%)contactedtheirSeedlingMentorDirectorforassistancethandidmentors(54%)inthepriorschoolyear.However,morementorscontactedtheirSchoolContactforassistancein2015-2016thandidthoseinthepriorschoolyear.
6. Consistentwithreportsinthepriorschoolyear,mostmentorsreportedtheirMentorDirectorand/ortheirSchoolContacttobehelpful.
54%61%
49%
66%
MentorDirector SchoolContact
2014-2015
2015-2016
54%
57%
57%
58%
29%
27%
32%
33%
12%
11%
9%
9%
SchoolContact,2015-2016
SchoolContact,2014-2015
MentorDirector,2015-2016
MentorDirector,2014-2015
Extremelyhelpful Mostlyhelpful Sometimeshelpful Notatallhelpful
Page38
71%
68%
25%
25%
3%
7%
2015-2016
2014-2015
Extremelyhelpful Mostlyhelpful Sometimeshelpful Notatallhelpful
31%30%
2014-2015 2015-2016
6.0%
16.8%
19.0%
19.8%
34.1%
45.7%
Idonotthinkthetopicsarerelevanttomysituation.
Ipreferonlinetraining.
Ifeelwell-preparedanddonotrequireadditional
training.
Ipreferreadingtheelectronicnewsletter.
Icannotattendsessionsduringthelunchhour.
Ican'tbeawayfromworktwiceinoneweek.
62% 37%
Yes,definitely Somewhat No,definitelynot
7. Mostmentorsdescribedtheircampusesas"friendlytomentors”.
8. About30%ofmentorsattendmonthlytrainingsessionseachyear.
9. Mostoften,mentorsin2015-2016couldnotattendtrainingbecausetheycouldnottakethetimefromworktomentorandtoparticipateintraining.
10. AsaresultofthemonthlytrainingsessionsmentorsattendedwithSeedlingFoundationin2015-2016,mostmentorsreportedtheyfeltmoreconfidentinthementoringexperience.
Page39
10.2%
12.3%
15.8%
19.3%
20.8%
21.6%
heldonaweekdayevening
relevanttomysituation
online
heldonSaturdaymorning
Other
closertotheworkplace
51%
50%
43%
44%
5%
6%
2014-2015
2015-2016
Excellent Good Fair Poor
11. Mentorswouldbemorelikelytoattendatrainingeventiftrainingsessionswere…
12. Mentorsidentifiedtopicsforwhichtheywouldliketoreceiveadditionaltraining,haverepeated,ortakentoadeeperlevel.
Top5TrainingSuggestionsfromMentors
• Howtobettercommunicatewithmenteestodevelopdeeperrelationshipsoraddressdifficulttopics
• Needadditionalactivitiesdesignedtohelpdeveloprelationships• Howtoaddressbullying• Howtoaddresstransitions(e.g.,whenincarceratedparentreturns,childmovestonew
schoolorschoollevel,etc.)• Howtosupportstudentswithspecialneeds(e.g.,attentiondeficit/hyperactivity,learning
disabilities,emotionaldisturbance,etc.)
TheMentoringExperience
13. About35%ofmentorsreportedmeetingtheirmentee’scaregiver.Mostoftentheymetattheschoolduringlunchtime(17%)orataschoolsponsoredevent(12%).About3%ofthementorsmetcaregiversataSeedlingsponsoredevent.
14. Mentorsratedtheirrelationshipswiththeirmenteesas…
23%ofmentorsreportedtheyfeltwellpreparedandwerenotlikelytoattendadditionaltrainingeventsduringtheyear.
Page40
7%
15%
20%
22%
41%
74%
89%
Tryingout suggestedactivities
Engaginginoutdoor activities
Reading
Supporting academicwork
Discussingproblems
Playinggames/artsandcrafts
Talking/listening
15. 89%ofmentorsreportedtheymetwiththeirmenteeweekly,comparedwith88%ofmentorsinthepriorschoolyear.
16. Ofthe11%ofmentorswhomettheirmenteeslessthanonceaweek…
31%metthreetimesamonth Workcommitments
54%mettwiceamonth Menteemobility
11%metonceamonth Menteedisinterestorabsence
3%metlessthanonceamonth Schoolschedulingconflicts
20. Whenmentorsspenttimewiththeirmentees,theymostoftenengagedinthefollowing:
21. Mentorsbelievedthetimewiththeirmenteeswas…
36%
34%
49%
49%
15%
14%
2015-2016
2014-2015
Extremelyhelpful Mostlyhelpful Sometimeshelpful Notatallhelpful
Reasons
Page41
71%
73%
27%
25%
2015-2016
2014-2015
Excellent Good Fair Poor
78%*
12%
85%
8%
Yes Undecided
2015-2016 2014-2015
22. MentorsratedtheiroverallexperiencewiththeSeedlingMentorProgramas…
23. Asintheprioryear,mostmentorsplannedtocontinuetheirmentoringrelationshipsinthenextschoolyear.However,thepercentageplanningtoreturninthenextschoolyearwassignificantlylowerthaninthepriorschoolyear.
24. Ofthe12%ofmentorsin2015-2016whowerenotplanningtomentorinthenextschoolyear,asignificantlygreaterpercentagehadnotclosedtherelationshipbytheendoftheschoolyear.
25. Asignificantlygreaterpercentageofmentorsin2015-2016whocouldnotcontinuearelationshipwiththeirmenteeinthenextschoolyear(33%)indicatedtheywouldbeinterestedinmentoringanotherchild,comparedwith26%ofmentorsin2014-2015whocouldnotcontinuetherelationshipwiththeirmentee.
13%
22%*
66%*
9%
13%
78%
Sentaletter
Ididnotclosetherelationship.
Withavisit
2014-2015 2015-2016
Page42
AppendixE:SeedlingStudentSurvey,Spring2016
Toensurethesurveyswouldbecompletedbyarepresentativegroupofprogramparticipants,stratifiedrandomsamplingwasusedtoselectsurveyparticipants.OftheSeedlingmenteeswhowerein3rdthrough12thgrades,250wereaskedtocompleteasurvey.Overall,therewasa87%responserate.Surveyrespondentswererepresentativeofthepopulationwith54%oftherespondentsinelementaryschool,38%inmiddleschool,and8%inhighschool.Theoverallresponseratewasrepresentativeofthegroupata95%confidencelevel.
Thestudentsurveyhadmultipleparts.Part1ofthesurveyusedquestionsfromtheMeasuringtheQualityofMentor-YouthRelationshipsSurvey,originallydevelopedfortheevaluationofBigBrothersBigSistersagencies.Thequestionsaddressedyouth-centeredness,emotionalengagement,andsatisfactionintherelationship.Part2ofthesurveycontainedquestionsfromAustinISD’sStudentClimateSurvey(2015),Snyder’sChildren’sHopeScale(1997),andtheBigBrothersBigSistersYouthOutcomesSurveytodescribementeeperceptionsoftheirsenseofhope,socialengagement,andacademicself-confidence.
Part1:MentoringRelationshipQuality 2015 2016Percentagesreflectcombinedratingsofveryorsortoftrue % Avg. % Avg.Mymentorhelpsmetakemymindoffthingsbydoingsomethingwithme. 95% 3.6 97% 3.7
Sometimesmymentorpromiseswewilldosomething,thenwedon'tdoit.+ 15% 3.5 15% 3.5
MymentorisalwaysinterestedinwhatIwanttodo. 95% 3.8 98% 3.9WhenIamwithmymentor,Ifeelmad.+ 5% 3.8 4% 3.9MymentorandIliketodoalotofthesamethings. 90% 3.3 90% 3.3Ithelpsmewhenmymentorgivesmeadvice. 92% 3.6 99%* 3.8*Iwishmymentorspentmoretimewithme. 73% 3.1 80% 3.3WhenIamwithmymentor,Ifeelimportant. 92% 3.6 93% 3.6Idonottellmymentorsomethings,becausemymentormighttellsomeoneelse.+ 16% 3.4 21% 3.3
WhenIamwithmymentor,Ifeelhappy. 97% 3.8 99% 3.9WhenIamwithmymentor,Ifeeldisappointed.+ 6% 3.8 2% 3.9Mymentorcomestoseemewhenheorsheissupposedto. 93% 3.6 89% 3.5
WhenIamwithmymentor,Ifeelbored.+ 9% 3.7 10% 3.7Whensomethingisbuggingme,mymentorlistenswhileItalkaboutit. 95% 3.8 96% 3.8
MymentorandIareprettyclose. 93% 3.6 95% 3.6
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016Notes.*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05.+Itemwasreversecodedforsurveyreliabilitypurposes.Theaverageratingreportedwasnormalizedtoensureconsistentinterpretationofresults.Itisdesirabletohaveanaverageresponseratingofatleast3.0.
Page43
Part2:Menteehope 2015 2016PercentagesreflectcombinedratingsofmostormuchofthetimeIthinkIamdoingprettywell. 92% 90%Icanthinkofmanywaystogetthethingsinlifethataremostimportanttome. 85% 92%*Iamdoingjustaswellasotherkidsmyage. 83% 81%WhenIhaveaproblem,Icancomeupwithalotofwaystosolveit. 78% 76%IthinkthethingsIhavedoneinthepastwillhelpmeinthefuture. 81% 84%Evenwhenotherswanttoquit,IknowIcanfindwaystosolvetheproblem. 86% 87%
Part2:Menteesocialacceptance 2015 2016 Iamalwaysdoingthingswithalotofkids. 89%Iwishthatmorepeoplemyagelikedme. 52%Ifindithardtomakefriends. 34%Iwouldliketohavemorefriends. 54%Iampopularwithothersmyage. 64%Ihavealotoffriends. 82%
Part2:Menteeacademicself-confidence 2015 2016Percentagesreflectcombinedratingsofmostormuchofthetime
IcandoeventhehardestschoolworkifItry. 87% 87%Iam/waswellpreparedtotaketheSTAARtest. 91% 92%Itryhardtodomybestwork. 94% 92%Ifeelsuccessfulinmyschoolwork. 84% 87%IcanreachthegoalsIsetformyself. 90% 91%
Sinceyouhavestartedmeetingwithyourmentor,havetherebeen
anychangesinyour...
Verypositivechanges
Somepositivechanges
Somenegativechanges
Verynegativechanges
Idon'tknow.
Interestindoingthings 64% 25% 1% 0% 11%Relationshipswithothers 43% 32% 7% 2% 17%Abilitytotalkaboutyourfeelings 53% 26% 5% 4% 12%
Page44
Iwillgotocollegeafterhighschool. 2015 2016PercentagesofmenteeswhoansweredYes ElementarySchool 79% 79%MiddleSchool 67% 87%*HighSchool 62% 73%*All 74% 80%
Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016.Notes.*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05
Page45
ReferencesBayer,A.,Grossman,J.B.,&DuBois,D.L.(2015).Usingvolunteermentorstoimprovetheacademic
outcomesofunderservedstudents:theroleofrelationships.JournalofCommunityPsychology,43(4),408-429.
CenteronEducationandtheWorkforce(2013).Recovery:Jobgrowthandeducationrequirementsthrough2020.https://cew.georgetown.edu/wpcontent/uploads/2014/11/Recovery2020.ES_.Web_.pdf
Chan,C.,Rhodes,j.,Howard,W.,Lowe,S.,Schwartz,S.&Herrera,C.(2013).Pathwaysofinfluenceinschool-basedmentoring:Themediatingroleofparentandteacherrelationships.JournalofSchoolPsychology51(2013)129–142.
DuboisandKarcher(2013).HandbookofYouthMentoring.SagePublications.Accessedonlineathttp://books.google.com/books?id=Ust1AwAAQBAJ&dq=karcher+mentee-mentor+closeness&source=gbs_navlinks_s
DuBois,D.,Portillo,N.,Rhodes,J.,Silverthorn,N.,&Valentine,J.(2011).Howeffectivearementoringprogramsforyouth?Asystematicassessmentoftheevidence.PsychologicalScienceinthe�PublicInterest�12(2)57–91.
Eddy,J.&Poehlmann,J.(2010).Childrenofincarceratedparents.WashingtonD.C.:UrbanInstitutePress.
Grossman,J.,&Rhodes,J.(2002).Testoftime:PredictorsandeffectsofdurationinYouthmentoringrelationships.AmericanJournalofCommunityPsychology,Vol.30,No.2.
Habecker,P.(2013).Sinsofourfathers(andmothers):Impactofparentalincarcerationuponeducationoutcomes.SociologyTheses,Dissertations,&StudentResearch.Paper25.Accessedathttp://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1025&context=sociologydiss
Herrera,C.,Dubois,D.,&Grossman,J.(2013).Theroleofrisk:Mentoringexperiencesandoutcomesforyouthwithvaryingriskprofiles.NewYork,NY:APublic/PrivateVenturesprojectfromMDRC.
Lamb,Lindsay(2015).Studentscontinuetoreportapositiveschoolclimate,StudentClimateSurveyresultsSpring2013throughSpring2015.Accessedonlineathttp://www.austinisd.org/sites/default/files/dre-surveys/14.70RBa_Student_Climate_Survey_Results_Summary_for_Spring_2013_Through_Spring_2015.pdf
MENTOR:TheNationalMentoringPartnership(2015).ElementsofEffectivePracticeforMentoring,4thEdition.Accessedathttp://www.mentoring.org/images/uploads/Final_Elements_Publication_Fourth.pdf.
Millea,S.(2016).SeedlingFoundationcaregiversurvey,Asummaryofresults.AstudyconductedbyChildren'sOptimalHealthonbehalfoftheSeedlingFoundation,Spring2016.Austin,Texas.http://www.cohtx.org
Page46
Murphey,D.,&Cooper,P.M.(2015).Parentsbehindbars,Whathappenstotheirchildren?.Accessedathttp://www.childtrends.org
NationalResourceCenteronChildrenandFamiliesoftheIncarcerated(2016).FactSheets.Accessedathttps://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu
NorthwestRegionalLaboratory(2002).MeasuringtheQualityofMentor-YouthRelationships.Accessedonlineathttp://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/packeight.pdf
Radford,A.,&Ifill,N.(2010).Earlycollegecounselingakeytofulfillingstudents’collegeaspirations.Accessedonlineathttp://www.nacacnet.org/research/research-data/nacac-research/Documents/Preparing%20Students%20for%20College_12-18-12.pdf
Rhodes,J.E.,(2005).AmodelofyouthmentoringinD.L.DuBoisandM.J.Karcher(eds.).HandbookofYouthMentoring.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage,30–43.syy
Rhodes,J.,Schwartz,S.,Willis,M.,&Wu,M.(2014).Validatingamentoringrelationshipqualityscale:Doesmatchstrengthpredictmatchlength?YouthSocietypublishedonline22April2014.http://yas.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/04/18/0044118X14531604
Sparks,S.(2015).Parents'incarcerationtakestollonchildren,studiessay.EducationWeek.PublishedOnline:February24,2015.Accessedathttp://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/02/25/parents-incarceration-takes-toll-on-children-studies.html
Turney,K.(2014).Stressproliferationacrossgenerations?Examiningtherelationshipbetweenparentalincarcerationandchildhoodhealth.JournalofHealthandSocialBehavior201455:302
Turney,K.&Haskins,A.(2014).Fallingbehind?Children’searlygraderetentionafterpaternalincarceration.SociologyofEducationOctober201487:241-258
Wakefield,S.&Wilderman,C.(2013).ChildrenofthePrisonBoom:MassIncarcerationandtheFutureof
AmericanInequality.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress
For more information, or to obtain
additional copies of this report, contact:
Seedling Foundation
8001 Centre Park Drive, Suite 140
Austin, Texas 78754
Phone: 512.323.6371
Email: info@seedlingfoundation.org
Web: www.seedlingfoundation.org