September LENS: Back to School Basics!

Published July 20, 2018

The Mentoring Partnership has partnered with the United Way and Focus on Attendance to bring you the latest information on Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy in order to support any organizational effort to promote academic success. You will also hear from fitUnited to learn strategies and resources for promoting healthier habits.

Mentoring is a proven tool to help keep students connected to school. Absences – excused and unexcused – add up, resulting in too much time lost in the classroom. Missing 10% of the school year, just two to three days per month, in the early grades can leave many students struggling throughout elementary school. By 6th grade, missing that much school is strongly linked to course failure and even eventual dropout. Every school day counts, and mentors can help make a difference. For example, studies of formal mentoring programs have shown:

Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 52% less likely than their peers to skip a day of school.
Students who meet regularly with their mentors are 37% less likely than their peers to skip a class.
Students at-risk for not graduating were 36% more likely to aspire to enroll in and graduate from college if they had a mentor