CLOSING THE GAP

CLOSING THE GAP INTERVENTIONS :

Statement of Need: According to the principal and fourth grade teacher at St. Angela Elementary
School, boys seem to perform at a lower level than the girls during their 4th grade year. The
administration described 4th grade as the drop off point for boys. They have noticed that boys tend to
struggle both academically and socially during this time. Due to this information, the focus of the needs
assessment and interventions was solely on the 4th grade boys to better understand why this drop off
occurs. We believe that a male mentoring program will help the male students learn necessary life skills
to increase success in school. In a study performed by Kracher (2008), researchers found that among
both elementary and high school students, elementary school boys benefitted the most from a mentor
program. Elementary school boys in a mentor program reported higher social and cooperation skills,
hopefulness, and a sense of connectedness to their school and their peers.

Systems Concerns:

Target Population: 4th grade boys at St. Angela Elementary School.

Goal: The goal of this intervention is to get the male students to perform at the same levels of their
female peers.

Student Impact (ASCA Standards):

A:A1.2 Display a positive interest in learning
A:A1.3 Take pride in work and achievement
A:A1.5 Identify attitudes and behaviors that lead to successful learning
A:A2.2 Demonstrate how effort and persistence positively affect learning
A:A2.3 Use communications skills to know when and how to ask for help when needed
A:B1.1 Demonstrate the motivation to achieve individual potential
A:B1.4 Seek information and support from faculty, staff, family and peers
PS:A1.10 Identify personal strengths and assets

Intervention Recommendations:
1. Male mentors should be from the St. Angela community. They can be former St. Angela students,
from the Austin neighborhood, or grew up in a similar background. Ideally, the students should
have a mentor that can really relate to them.
2. Mentor and mentee pairs should be engaged in activities that touch on all three of the ASCA
domains (academic, social/emotional, career/college).
3. Mentor relationship should last a majority of the fourth grade year and into their fifth grade year. A
relationship beyond their fourth grade year should be strongly encouraged (but not mandatory).
4. Mentors should have regular interactions with mentees. They should do activities together at the
school at least twice a month and communicate regularly. Communication can be via letters to
the classroom or e-mails. Time should be implemented into the school day/after school for
communication with their mentors.
5. Activities should be culturally relevant and geared towards the interests of the students. All of the
4th grade boys at St. Angela are African American and will benefit the most from mentoring
interventions that are afro-centric and emphasize cultural strength and pride (Gordon, Iwamoto,
Ward, Potts, & Boyd, 2009).
6. Mentors should be willing to provide tutoring to students and teach them new study/academic
skills.
7. Faculty should be involved and well-versed on the activities and status of the mentoring
relationship in case any issues arise with the mentor or mentee.