Author: Meha Davé, Director of Program
Innovation for Spark
Middle school, as
most teachers and parents (and almost anyone!) would agree, can be a difficult
time for most students. The brain is in a constant state of development, which makes
social, personal and academic transitions challenging. Studies show that grappling
with these challenges during this critical time can lead to disengagement and
school drop-out during the transition to high school. Consider these
statistics:
- Between 60-70% of US students become chronically disengaged from school during 7th or 8th grade[1]
- 68% of students who drop out of school do so in 9th grade, or after repeating 9th grade[2]
I recently had the
chance to explain how Spark’s mentoring model is doing just this at the
National Mentoring Summit, an incredible opportunity to connect with mentoring
colleagues and share best practices! It was founded and convened by MENTOR:
The National Mentoring Partnership,
and is the signature event for the mentoring field that brings together
approximately 1,000 top researchers, policy makers, practitioners, the network
of affiliate Mentoring
Partnerships, corporate partners and many other national youth-serving
organizations.
Held in Washington,
D.C., the theme of this conference was “Connection, Growth, and Opportunity,” and
I was proud to demonstrate Spark’s commitment to these qualities. Through
one-to-one mentorships, which pair underserved students with industry
professionals, Spark provides a personal connection
with a mentor, a tailor-made space for personal and professional growth for students and mentors, and most importantly an opportunity for engagement in an area
of personal interest which may have previously seemed out of reach.
Take Andrew for
example, a current high school senior, who participated in Spark in
seventh
grade. Andrew expressed an interest in drawing, and was paired with a Spark
mentor at a Los Angeles architectural firm. Andrew honed his professional and
artistic skills in a real-world apprenticeship and felt more prepared for high
school as a result. He was just accepted early admission to Brown University and
hopes to become an architect. Andrew’s 10-week apprenticeship gave him skills
and confidence to better transition from middle school to high school, and his
connection with his mentor endures to this day.
seventh
grade. Andrew expressed an interest in drawing, and was paired with a Spark
mentor at a Los Angeles architectural firm. Andrew honed his professional and
artistic skills in a real-world apprenticeship and felt more prepared for high
school as a result. He was just accepted early admission to Brown University and
hopes to become an architect. Andrew’s 10-week apprenticeship gave him skills
and confidence to better transition from middle school to high school, and his
connection with his mentor endures to this day.
Through short and
long-term evaluation of Spark participants, we see that Spark students develop
the academic mindsets, social emotional and academic skills that lead to
improvements in their school performance. We’ve seen that more than 70% of our
students have improved their performance in school.
Here are some key
factors we attribute to our success, and suggestions for other mentoring
programs serving students in the middle grades:
- Listen to the mentee to gain an understanding of how to tailor their mentorship experience
- Apply mentee areas of interest to project-based, hands-on learning
- Educate mentors about the “middle school mind” and successful strategies for working with this age group
- Structure mentor and mentee meetings around skill-building activities
- Use the present to explore the future, including youth aspirations around future education and career goals
Join Spark as we
continue to make progress for middle school students and mentors. To become
involved as a mentor or supporter, apply here.
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