Sites interested in implementing the Achievement Mentoring Program purchase a package of services from the Princeton Center for Leadership Training (PCLT) that includes training, curriculum, ongoing technical support, and fidelity monitoring. Specifically, the following services are included:
- An initial, on-site meeting (3 hours) with administrators and other key stakeholders to prepare for program implementation
- Two days (10 hours), on-site implementation training (for up to 5 mentors)
- A follow-up, on-site meeting (3 hours) with administrators and other key stakeholders to assess program implementation progress and sustainability plan
- Certificate of Attendance for each training participant upon completion of the training
- Manuals (for up to 5 mentors)
- Weekly Reporting Forms (brief checklist to be completed by mentors and submitted to program developer/PCLT on a weekly basis)
- Electronic reminders to prompt mentors to complete and submit Weekly Reporting Forms
- Monthly Mentoring Summary Report (report on mentoring activities sent to building administrator and on-site mentoring coordinator)
- 30 hours of consultation/technical assistance to mentors (1 hour every other week, provided in a group setting via phone – consultation typically occurs on a bi-weekly basis and is scheduled at a mutually convenient time for the consultant, Program Coordinator, and mentors)
- End-of-year Certificate of Participation for each mentor who completes mentor training, participates in 70% of consultation/technical assistance meetings, provides mentoring to students, and submits 100% of Weekly Reporting Forms (Note: this does not mean that the mentor must meet with each mentee on a weekly basis, but he/she must submit the Weekly Reporting Form indicating that no meeting occurred)
- End-of-year letter from program developer that certifies the program was conducted with fidelity (Note: Letter will be provided if Weekly Reporting Forms are completed by mentors and indicate regular mentoring is provided to mentees.)
NOTE: Mentors must participate in the initial mentor implementation training in order to be eligible to provide mentoring to students.
The following includes a more detailed description of the training that is provided:
Stakeholder Meetings with District/Agency Administrators
Initial and follow-up (3-hour) stakeholder meetings with the district/agency administrators and site-based coordinator focus on planning and preparing for program implementation and ensuring that the necessary systems and processes are in place to ensure the mentors are able to participate in mentor training, have time in their schedule to meet with mentees, and are able to access student school records. Another focus of these meetings includes developing a plan to introduce the program to the school faculty and other student support personnel who will play a role in providing the mentors with information about the mentees. In addition, these stakeholder meetings focus on facilitating communication among district/agency administrators, the program/site-based coordinator, and the mentors, as well as assessing program progress, troubleshooting obstacles, and developing a program sustainability plan.
Training for Program Delivery Staff
An initial 2-day implementation training is for the program/site-based coordinator and the adult mentors and focuses on the specific components of the program model, its theoretical basis, and developing the skills and competencies needed to be an effective mentor. It is a program requirement that any individual who intends to mentor students participate in this initial training.
Location of Meetings/Training
The stakeholder meetings and initial implementation training take place at the implementation site or a nearby location. The program developer, Dr. Brenna Bry, or trainers from the Princeton Center for Leadership Training, Dr. Bry’s training arm, travel to the implementation site to provide the initial training.
The middle school program was evaluated with two sets of forty 7th graders, one from a low-income, inner-city school and one from a middle-class, suburban school, were matched (via yoked-control) into twenty pairs based on relevant school failure variables. Each pair member was then randomly assigned to the intervention or control group condition. The control group received no special program at all. For the one-year follow-up, biweekly booster sessions were available to the experimental group; however, fewer than 50% attended, the rest were mailed notes from the meeting. Because there were no race, age, sex, socioeconomic status, or initial achievement motivation differences between schools, data from the two samples was pooled for the one-year follow-up. Sixty-six 9th grade subjects (of a possible 80) were the target of the one-year follow-up. Sixty-three participated in the interview on employment, drug and alcohol use, and criminal behaviors. Court records were analyzed for a five-year follow-up.
Bry, B. H. (1982). Reducing the incidence of adolescent problems through preventive intervention: One- and five-year follow-up. American Journal of Community Psychology, 10, 265-276.
Bry, B. H. & George, F. E. (1979). Evaluating and improving prevention programs: A strategy from drug abuse. Evaluation and Program Planning, 2, 127-136.
Bry, B. H. & George, F. E. (1980). The preventive effects of early intervention on the attendance and grades of urban adolescents. Professional Psychology, 11, 252-260.
