The Seedling Mentor Program

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.

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.

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

*

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;

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.”


“You[theSeedlingMentorprogram]provideourstudentswithrelationshipstheyNEEDinpromotingahealthyandpositivedevelopment.”


“Ithasbeenamazingtoseetheprogressofmanyofourstudentswithmentorsandhowimportanttheybecometothesestudents.”


Seedlingmentorsprovidedconsistentandstablerelationshipsforthechildrenandwerepositiverolemodelsforchildrenexperiencingdifficultiesanduncertaintyintheirpersonallives.

Seedlingmentorscontributedtothedevelopmentofemotionalandmentalwellbeingforthechildren.

TheSeedlingmentoringexperiencecontributedtotheimprovementofstudentacademicandsocialskills.

SchoolContactReflections

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.


“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

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


…………………………………………………………………..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.

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


Mostoften,mentorsspenttheirtimetalkingandlistening,playinggames,ordoingartsandcraftswiththeirmentees(Figure8).Approximately35%ofmentorsmettheirmentees’caregiveratthe

schooloraSeedlingevent.

Figure10Mostoften,mentorsspenttheirtimetalkingandlisteningtotheirmentees.


Reasons

Consistentwithyearspast,mentorshighlyratedtheirexperiencewiththeSeedlingMentorProgram.Seventy-eightpercentofmentorswereplanningtocontinuethecurrentrelationship.Ofthosenotabletocontinueintheircurrentmentoringrelationship,33%ofthemindicatedtheywouldbeinterestedinmentoringanotherchildinthenextschoolyear.

Figure9Mentorsthoughtthementoringwashelpfultomenteesandhighlyratedtheirmentoringexperiences.


……………………………………………..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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.


Figure18Mostteachersstronglyagreedoragreedmenteeswererespectfulofothersandofschoolrules,andsignificantlyfewerteachersdisagreed.


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

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

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


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.

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

………………………………………………………………….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.

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.

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

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.

APPENDICES

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.


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


Stronglyagreeoragree,60%

Stronglydisagreeordisagree,21% Notsure,19%

34%

30%

36%

51%

25%

36%

33%

22%

32%

28%

27%

23%

Workswithoutdisturbingothers

Respectsschoolpersonnel

Respectsothers’rightsandproperty

Followsschoolandclassrules


4. Asaresultofthechild’sparticipationinthementoringprogram,his/herclassroombehaviorhasimprovedthroughouttheschoolyear.


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.


Stronglyagreeoragree59%

Strongly

disagreeor

disagree

17%

Notsure24%

7.inmyclass,thechildlooksforwardtomeetingwithhis/hermentoreachweek.

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.

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

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

71%

68%

25%

25%

3%

7%

2015-2016

2014-2015


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.

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.

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


Reasons

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

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.

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%

Iwillgotocollegeafterhighschool. 2015 2016PercentagesofmenteeswhoansweredYes ElementarySchool 79% 79%MiddleSchool 67% 87%*HighSchool 62% 73%*All 74% 80%

Source.SeedlingMenteeSurvey,Spring2016.Notes.*Statisticallysignificantatp<.05

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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: [email protected]

Web: www.seedlingfoundation.org

mailto:[email protected]

The Seedling Mentor Program

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