Abstract
This case study examined a uniquely designed university-based college outreach work-study mentoring program in practice that is rooted in university-school partnerships. The study focuses on the roles and perspectives of the college student mentors in the program, as such perspectives are limited in the literature. The mentors assist high school students, many from underserved backgrounds, as they navigate the pathways of college admission. Interviews with mentors, as well as mentor training documents and report data, revealed the overall positive role mentors believed they played in improving college access for their mentees. Findings also shed light on improvements for the university-based program and its school partners.
Highlights
Mentoring has become a valuable tool to increase college access and success, providing prospective and current college students the necessary support to achieve their goal of attending and graduating from an institution of higher education (Coles, 2011)
Hillside is situated within the larger community referred to here as Rolling Hills which is home to approximately 54 thousand residents, about 41% which identify as Hispanic, 50% White, 5% Black/African American, about 2% Asian, and 2% of residents are biracial or multiracial (U.S Census Bureau, 2015)
With Karcher et al.’s (2006) framework in mind, we determined that the goals and many structural aspects of the G-Force mentoring program at Hillside University were based on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)’s guidelines for the workstudy mentorship program
Summary
Mentoring has become a valuable tool to increase college access and success, providing prospective and current college students the necessary support to achieve their goal of attending and graduating from an institution of higher education (Coles, 2011). In the state of Texas, efforts to increase college participation and success among the state’s constituents have included the establishment of a distinct work-study mentorship program through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) called the Collegiate G-Force workstudy mentorship program. The mentorship program allocates funds to “pay wages to college students [who] are employed on a part-time basis...across the state serving as mentors in Go Centers [college-focused centers], community centers, high schools, and institutions of higher education” About 37% of residents live below the poverty line, and the median income for residents is $28,923 (U.S Census Bureau, 2015)
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