Cultivating Connection: How to Design and Implement School-Based Mentoring

In this guide, we describe a type of school-based mentoring we call Mentor Center. School-based adults form intentional mentor relationships with designated students for one or more years. The practice is based on research that mentoring can cultivate a protective and supportive relationship between a student and school adult. This trusted adult helps the student navigate the demands of school.

Mentoring provides three layers of support:

1. Goal-oriented: Schools select one or two annual goals for Mentor Center, like attendance or college and career readiness, which help organize mentoring activities for all students. Mentors can also collaborate with students on their own personal goals, like getting homework turned in on-time.

2. Relationship-building: Known as developmental mentoring, this occurs throughout the mentoring process as mentors and mentees build a trusting relationship.

3. Responsive: Mentors check in regularly with mentees using open-ended prompts. This way they can identify and address student challenges as they arise.

With Mentor Center, school staff meet with mentees weekly or biweekly. During the meetings, mentors and mentees work on relationship-building and goal-oriented activities. They celebrate student successes and address issues as they arise. In this way, mentoring can help cultivate a student’s sense of belonging while also addressing concrete issues, like attendance, that get in the way of student success.

A program that uses school staff has numerous benefits. School-based mentors are typically more aware of school services, so they can connect students to these services for immediate academic or mental health support. In addition, school leadership can hold mentors accountable and shift the focus of mentoring as needed in response to student data.

Download our guide to learn more about how to implement school-based mentoring in your school or district.