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New Path Mentoring: a step toward better serving at-risk community college students
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New Path Mentoring: a step toward better serving at-risk community college students
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NEW PATH MENTORING 1
New Path Mentoring: A Step Toward Better Serving At-Risk Community College Students
Raqota Berger
Doctor of Social Work: Capstone Project
University of Southern California, School of Social Work
08/07/2020
NEW PATH MENTORING 2
I. Executive Summary
The United States of America has the most advanced and extensive college system in the
world. People from all around the globe come to America to receive the best possible educations
(Ballantine & Hammack, 2017). American colleges and universities provide the most leading
and cutting-edge educations in science, engineering, math, technology, and every other academic
field (Chao et al., 2017; Lund et al., 2019). The United States also leads in one other area:
college dropout rates (Hess, 2018; Rumberger, 2020). It has been estimated that around 2.5
million college students leave their respective programs every year across the nation
(Kantrowitz, 2018; Leonhardt, 2018). This national dropout crisis is the most pronounced
throughout the community college system.
Approximately 50% of all students that begin taking classes at the community college level
will dropout before completing their second year. By the end of year three, well over 50% will
have left college prior to earning a degree (Hess 2018; Leonhardt & Chinoy, 2019). In fact, a
sobering 2 out 3 community college students will never graduate (Community College Research
Center, 2020). This capstone paper will bring forth the extent and seriousness of the issue (i.e.,
dropping out), what the larger social consequences are, and what can be done to alleviate this
larger social and educational problem.
Proposed Project and Grand Challenges for Social Work
The proposed innovation involves the creation of a school-based mentoring program at the
community college level that will work specifically with students that come from backgrounds
that place them at an increased risk of not succeeding in their courses and respective programs.
Students of special interest involve those that come from troubled backgrounds that involved
dangerous, deviant, and/or criminal behaviors. Examples would include those that were once
NEW PATH MENTORING 3
involved with criminal groups (e.g., street gangs), that have been in trouble with the law, and/or
that have been incarcerated (e.g., juvenile detention center, county jail, prison). According to
Murillo (2017) and Ochoa et al. (2020), formerly incarcerated students are at the highest risk of
failing their classes and dropping out. The community college system is the most common
destination for those that are trying to receive valued training and skills, and that are trying to
turn their lives around after being incarcerated (Hope, 2018; Le, 2016).
School-based mentoring programs have been widely shown to improve the academic
performances and graduation rates of at-risk students (Capstick et al., 2019; Chan et al., 2018;
Williams et al., 2018). Mentoring programs help students to feel more connected, to be more
focused, and to have better classroom skills (National Mentoring Resource Center, 2020;
Rhodes, 2015). College mentoring programs also significantly improve the retention rates and
grade point averages of at-risk students that commit to the mentoring (Leidenfrost et al., 2011;
Project MALES, 2020).
The developing program will be called New Path Mentoring to denote its focus and
emphasis on turning lives around. The pilot will launch at Oxnard Community College in the
fall of 2020. Essential college leaders have already endorsed and provided assistance in
developing and launching the club (e.g., Dean of Student Services, Vice President of Student
Development, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Learning, Dean of Library and
Liberal Studies Division). These institutional leaders have expressed their understanding of the
need to better serve the college’s at-risk students, and they have all subsequently expressed their
support for implementing the new mentoring services at the college.
The American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare (AASWSW) created 12
Grand Challenges that were designed to address the most enduring and extensive problems
NEW PATH MENTORING 4
across the nation (Fong et al., 2018). The Grand Challenges, Ensuring Healthy Development for
All Youth, Advancing Long and Productive Lives, Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality, and
Build Financial Capability for All would all seem proper for a focus on the benefits and need for
higher education. The primary Grand Challenge of interest is Ensuring Healthy Development for
All Youth. A primary reason for this is because the bulk of students that attend community
colleges are under 25 years of age (Community College Research Center, 2020). Almost 75% of
the students at Oxnard Community College are 24 years of age and under (Oxnard Community
College, 2020a). This fits the framework of the primary Grand Challenge because the
developers conceived of any individual under the age of 25 as being a “youth” (Jensen &
Hawkins, 2018). The largest single age cluster at the community college level consists of
students between 18 and 21 years of age (Ventura County Community College District, 2020a).
With the current COVID-19 shutdown, it has become even more important to incorporate
modern technologies into the developing structure and plan. With this being the case, the Grand
Challenge that is focused on Harnessing Technology for Social Good has also become central.
The framers of this Grand Challenge noted that information and communication technology is
extremely transformational in its ability to inform, connect, and empower groups and individuals
(Berzin & Coulton, 2018).
Guiding Problem, Contextual Framework, and Methodology
According the Ventura County Community College District (2020b), 3 out 4 students
that enter Oxnard Community College are not academically prepared for college level studies.
According to the college, only 33% of the female students graduate. Even worse, a paltry 25%
of the male student population will ever graduate (Oxnard Community College, 2020b). The
health and development of the nation’s youth is directly connected to higher-level education.
NEW PATH MENTORING 5
Procuring a higher-level education has been shown to be the single best way to ensure stable
employment and lifelong financial success (Public Agenda, 2019; Wilk, 2018). The Latino
Educational Attainment Initiative put forth that the unemployment rate among those that only
have a high school diploma is nearly double that of college graduates (Weitstock et al., 2020).
The American Public Health Association (2018) is firm in its stance that formally
educating all of America’s youth produces both direct and indirect benefits across a broad range
of domains (e.g., economic, mental health, physical health). The association highlighted that
receiving a higher-level college education is the most powerful predictor of well-being and
longevity. The report by the association went even further by describing how all of the major
health problems currently facing the nation (e.g., cardiovascular disease, lung disease, diabetes)
are more prevalent among those that never graduate from college.
According to data presented by Weitstock et al. (2020), those with a graduate degree earn,
on average, around 2 to 2.5 times as much as those that only graduate from high school.
Pertinent data presented by Teachers College at Columbia University found that there are over 6
million students attending community colleges (Community College Research Center, 2020).
The university also found that the vast majority of these students will never graduate. These
individuals will earn, on average, approximately $5,500 less every year than those that continue
on to earn an associate’s degree. These graduates also had higher rates of stable employment
and were more likely to have health insurance (Community College Research Center, 2020).
Around 37% of high school dropouts and around 25% of high school graduates are uninsured.
For college graduates, the uninsured rate is significantly lower, hovering around 6% (American
Public Health Association, 2018).
Students drop out for many different reasons, including cost of tuition, lack of engagement,
NEW PATH MENTORING 6
poor classroom skills, personal issues, and lack of direction (Lynch, 2016; National Student
Clearinghouse, 2014; Sagenmuller, 2019). The primary purpose of New Path Mentoring will be
to try and offset, or at least minimize, the various reasons people drop out. The structure and
format will be detailed in subsequent sections of this paper. The core approach and methodology
will entail building close relationships that will be fostered through ongoing modes of
communication (e.g., face-to-face meetings, email, social media). Building rapport and authentic
relationships will be central to the process and success of the program. An emphasis will be
placed on developing classroom skills, interpersonal skills, and developing clear long-term
academic and professional plans. School-based mentoring programs have been shown to be one
of the best ways to get at-risk students more engaged, focused, and committed to their courses
(Irby, 2011; Levesque, 2018; Moschetti et al., 2018).
Aims, Implementation, and Innovation
New Path Mentoring will be specifically designed to work with at-risk students that come
from troubled backgrounds. The driving aim will be to help these students perform well in their
classes, commit to the work, and remain in their programs. The ultimate goal will be to ensure
that these students graduate with at least an associate’s degree and/or transfer to a university.
The program will be unique in the sense that no other known college mentoring program has
been designed to focus specially on formerly “troubled” populations. The program will also
eventually incorporate a community-based prosocial component to foster healthy development
and growth. This interactionist component will consist of developing an innovative school-based
mentoring approach, referred to here as transformation mentoring. This will be detailed in
subsequent sections of this work.
The first step is to continue to generate support from institutional leaders. As per the Dean
NEW PATH MENTORING 7
of Student Services and leader of Student Equity (O. Cobian, personal communication, May 15,
2020), the college is not currently funding any new programs due to the COVID-19 shutdown
and subsequent cuts to the 2020-2021 fiscal budget. Due to this unexpected pandemic, the
course and plan for the mentoring has had to adapt and change course. Due to the current
cultural, educational, and fiscal realities, the plan is now to create a self-sponsored club at the
college. The mentoring club will be run by the creator (director) for the pilot phase (academic
year 2020-2021), the second phase (academic year 2021-2022), and possibly the third phase of
development (academic year 2022-2023).
Near future action steps will also include reaching out to a broad population of students for
recruitment. This was initially planned on being done through classroom visits, placing posters
and flyers around campus, and through campus functions. Seeing employees and students are
not allowed to be physically on campus at this time, the primary methods will now consist of
mass emailing, developing website content, and use of social media. Students that express an
interest in joining the club will be given additional information (e.g., program handbook) and
will have an interview to clarify the goals and expectations. The long-term vision is to scale out
the program to the other two community college across the district. The county typically enrolls
close to 35,000 unduplicated students each academic year (Ventura County Community College
District, 2020c). A more expansive vision would be to eventually expand into Santa Barbara and
Los Angeles counties. The most capacious vision is for New Path Mentoring to be known as the
most respected archetypal program for serving students that come from troubled backgrounds.
II. Conceptual Framework
Community colleges are the destination for a large portion of the nation’s undergraduate
NEW PATH MENTORING 8
students. Nearly 45% of all undergraduate students in the United States are enrolled at
community colleges (American Association of Community Colleges, 2020). According to the
Center for Community College Student Engagement (2014), 50% of Hispanic students, 31% of
African-American students, and 28% of White students begin their higher-level educations at
community colleges. As per the work of Jenkins & Hawkins (2018) on the Grand Challenge
Ensuring Healthy Development for All Youth, anyone 24 years of age and under is conceived of
as being a part of the “youth” category. Over half of all community college students are under
the age of 22 (54%) and 29% are first-generation students (American Association of Community
Colleges, 2020). Approximately 7 million people enroll in community college classes for credit
each year, and only around 33% of them will ever earn an associate’s degree (Community
College Research Center, 2020; Kim, 2017; Levesque, 2018).
The majority of community college students will eventually dropout, and most of these
dropouts will leave with significant student loan debt (Carlson, 2016; Hess, 2018; Market Watch
2018). The nation’s student loan debt problem has now surpassed $1.6 trillion and can now be
regarded as a national crisis (Barshay, 2017; Freidman, 2019). Economic predictions find that
the debt will reach $2 trillion by 2021 and skyrocket to $3 trillion or more by 2030 (Johnson,
2019). Around $700 billion of this debt is currently held by those that have dropped out of
college (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2019). Leonhardt (2018) reasoned
that there is a new Americans dropout crisis – and it now exists primarily at the nation’s
community colleges.
A report by Market Watch (2018), showed that the student loan debt crisis skyrocketed
from approximately $600 billion to over $1.5 trillion in less than 10 years. This massive debt
problem has created extreme difficulties for these former students when it comes to managing
NEW PATH MENTORING 9
their monthly living expenses and being able to handle the monthly payment premiums on their
loans (Friedman, 2019; United States Department of Education, 2020; Weissmann, 2012). To
compound the problem, 1 out of every 6 of these individuals have loan debt that exceeds their
income (Hess & Christensen, 2018; Market Watch, 2018).
Problem in Context and the Grand Challenges
Over 6 million Americans begin taking classes at the community college level every year;
and every year around 2 million of these individuals will drop out of their classes and respective
programs (Barshay, 2017; Hess & Christensen, 2018; National Center for Education Statistics,
2019; National Student Clearinghouse, 2014). Out of all of the community college students that
begin their journey in higher-education, a meager 33% will ultimately earn a degree (Chen,
2018; Freidman, 2019). Making the decision to drop out before earning a degree has a lifelong
impact on one’s earnings. Those that are awarded associate’s degrees make around $18,700
more each year than those that never attained a high school diploma. Those with associate’s
degrees make, on average, around $10,000 more each year than those with high school diplomas
(American Association of Community Colleges, 2020).
Around 70% of the students that leave their programs prior to graduating will have student
loan debt. The average student loan debt amount (including students from 4-year universities)
now hovers around $40 thousand dollars (Market Watch, 2018; Sagenmuller, 2019). The
national average loan debt for community college graduates is nearing $14,000. Dropouts at this
level owe around $7,000 (Community College Review, 2020; Hechinger Report, 2017).
The mission of the proposed mentoring program is to connect with at-risk community
college students that come from troubled backgrounds and that are genuinely intent about
changing their lives. After identifying and clarifying the nation’s most pressing social issues, the
NEW PATH MENTORING 10
AASWSW established 12 Grand Challenges. The AASWSW has developed rigorous strategies
to wipe out these national social problems via extensive collaborations and thoughtfully
structured practices (Lubben et al., 2018). The most germane Grand Challenge for the purposes
of this innovation is Ensuring Healthy Development for All Youth. As defined, anyone under the
age of 25 is considered a “youth” (Jensen & Hawkins, 2018). Most of the students that attend
Oxnard Community College are under the age of 25 (Oxnard Community College, 2019a).
The framers that established the Grand Challenge of Ensure the Healthy Development for
All Youth paid close attention to the vital role that formal education plays in ensuring the healthy
development of youth. The developers also examined the critical nature and importance of early
intervention when it comes to preventing youth from engaging in harmful and delinquent
behaviors (Jensen & Hawkins, 2018). Additional Grand Challenges that are associated with the
problem and solution are Harnessing Technology for Social Good, Advance Long and
Productive Lives, Build Financial Capability for All, End Homelessness, and Reduce Extreme
Economic Inequality. Acquiring a formal higher-level college education has been found to be
directly associated with health and longevity, lower levels of poverty, lower rates of
unemployment, increased financial independence, and higher rates of owning property (Belfield
& Bailey, 2011; Heckman et al., 2018; Selingo, 2018; Wilk, 2018).
Independent research, as well as a study conducted at Columbia University, showed that
college graduates earn significantly more than high school graduates. Community college
graduates earn between 38% to 68% more each year than those with a high school diploma.
Individuals that have earned a bachelor’s degree average around 64% to 85% more in earnings
each year than high school graduates (Belfield & Bailey, 2011; Community College Research
Center, 2020). Those that drop out of college are 4 times more likely to default on their student
NEW PATH MENTORING 11
loans (Kim, 2017). At the core of this is money, which is directly connected to the nexus of the
aforementioned Grand Challenges.
Comparative Analysis, Practice Innovation, Environmental Context
One would be hard pressed to find any college or university that does not have at least one
or more mentoring programs that have been established to serve at-risk students. This is because
the effectiveness of mentoring programs has been widely demonstrated (Irby 2011: Ward et al.,
2010; Williams et al., 2018). The primary goals and targeted outcomes of student-centered
mentoring programs generally center around improving academic performance, attendance, and
class participation. Other targeted areas involve enhancing academic competence and
confidence, helping with accessing available school resources, improving relations with peers
and teachers, and improving study skills (National Mentoring Center, 2007; National Mentoring
Resource Center, 2020). Mentoring students in need has also been demonstrated to enhance
social skills, to foster commitment, and to improve mentee dispositions toward learning and
formal education (Capstick et al., 2019; Irby, 2011; Leidenfrost et al., 2011).
Innovative mentoring and tutoring programs are constantly being created at community
colleges across the nation. A modern innovative example would involve Cedar Valley
Community College. This Texas-based community college has created a dynamic learning
center where committed faculty meet with students outside of the classroom so the students can
receive less pressured guided assistance. The college has also created the Male Initiative
Program to help males at the college realize academic and personal success through close
mentoring. Nearly 95% of the mentored students believe that the mentoring helped them in their
academic and career goals (Cedar Valley College, 2020).
This innovative approach at Cedar Valley College was specifically structured in a way that
NEW PATH MENTORING 12
allows committed faculty to provide guidance to students that are not performing well in their
classes. The mentoring center has fast become one of the top three most utilized student services
on campus, whereby an impressive 25% of the entire student body makes use of the center’s
services each school year. Most of the students that capitalize on the services of this center
realize an improvement of a full letter grade across their individual classes (Burnett, 2016).
Arizona is the home of Estrella Mountain Community College. This community college
has created an extremely innovative and widely utilized learning center that provides needed
space and academic resources to assist students in enhancing their connection with the
institution, to improve their interpersonal speaking and communication skills, and to strengthen
their academic performance. In the college’s Academic Success Center, student learning
efficiency and effectiveness is enhanced through tutoring and peer mentoring services (Estrella
Mountain Community College, 2020). The effectiveness of Estrella Mountain’s learning studios
has been quantified through controlled outcome data (e.g., increased engagement with classes
and external college activities, improvements in grade point averages). Engagement appears to
help enhance the motivation of students and strengthen their overall commitment to their classes
and to the learning process (Burnett, 2016).
Big Brother Big Sisters of America (BBBS) is the largest mentoring organization in the
nation and has been serving young mentees for almost 115 years. BBBS establishes one-to-one
mentoring between “Bigs” (mentors) and “Littles” (Mentees) through site-based, community-
based, and workplace mentoring programs. BBBS is both effective and innovative in its
approach and structure that utilizes modern learning management systems (e.g., training, child
safety, compliance, development), wraparound services, and new technologies (e.g., parental
engagement, tracking outcomes, support services). The organization has also recently
NEW PATH MENTORING 13
established a new peer-to-peer mentoring program to assist affiliate leaders (Big Brothers Big
Sisters of America, 2020a).
BBBS has proven its mentoring effectiveness via outcome data that show that youngsters in
the program are 46% less likely to use illegal drugs and are 33% less likely to act violently
toward others. In relation to school, the mentees are 52% less likely to skip school and are 37%
less likely to skip a class (Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, 2020b). Students that regularly
attend classes perform better and are more likely to complete their classes and graduate (Ta, et
al., 2020). BBBS can serve as a useful model and guide for the developing intervention.
Project MALES is a very successful and popular mentoring program based at The
University of Texas ‒ Austin. As of 2020, Project MALES has assisted thousands of at-risk
students in realizing academic success at the university and beyond (Project MALES, 2019).
Project MALES was specifically designed to serve the most “at-risk student population” at the
university ‒ Latino males (Saenz et al., 2015). With the exception of Native American male
students, male Latinos have the second highest college dropout rates of any demographic group
(Bureau of Indian Education, 2019; National Center on Education Statistics, 2019). The
founders of Project MALES integrated approaches from a variety of proven mentoring styles so
they could best serve the mentees. The program takes an eclectic approach incorporating
methods such as instrumental mentoring, natural mentoring, cross-generational mentoring, and
intergenerational mentoring (Saenz et al., 2015).
The Project MALES pipeline begins before students even enroll in their first classes at the
university, and before they have a chance to fail and drop out. This is a more proactive approach
than what is normally seen with most mentoring programs that wait until students are already
struggling in their classes. Project MALES works with the mentees until they graduate from the
NEW PATH MENTORING 14
university. This “start-to-finish” structured approach has demonstrated effectiveness at
improving the academic performance of mentees and in increasing retention rates, particularly
during the first two years of college (Saenz et al., 2015). Following a more holistic and long-
term mentoring strategy has been shown to be more effective at improving the long-term goals
and successes of at-risk students (Chan, et al., 2018; Khan, 2013; Moschetti et al., 2018).
A significant portion of matriculating college students are unprepared for the commitment
and focus needed to succeed at the college level (Chan et al., 2018; Larose et al., 2010).
Outcome data from various school-based mentoring programs and institutions from around the
nation have demonstrated that unprepared and at-risk students that receive adequate support,
mentoring, and focused guidance are significantly less likely to drop out (Center for
Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, 2019; Leidenfrost et al., 2011; Moschetti et al., 2019).
Conceptual Framework, Logic Model, and Theory of Change
The United States has the worst dropout rates in the world, and it is estimated that there
are around 6 million 16 to 24-year-olds that have dropped out across the nation during any given
point in time (American Public Health Association, 2018; National Center on Education
Statistics, 2018; National Student Clearinghouse, 2014). In the city of Oxnard, California, it is
estimated that nearly 1 out of every 100 residents are active in street gangs. Many more across
the city are regularly involved in a range of illegal activities (e.g., drugs, firearms), which has
resulted in Oxnard having crime rates that exceed the national average (City-Data, 2019; Miller,
2014). The developing intervention is being designed specifically for those at-risk students that
come from destructive and troubled backgrounds
Logic models are created and utilized to assist in the planning and assessment of the
effectiveness of structured actions. Logic models are particularly useful as a tool for planning,
NEW PATH MENTORING 15
implementing, integrating, and evaluating an intervention’s impact (Chen et al., 2018). Properly
structured logic models should be composed of these four core components to build clarity and
serve as a basis for evaluation: inputs (e.g., program resources), activities (e.g., fulfillment of the
mission), outputs (e.g., the products of program activities), and outcomes (e.g., short and long-
term advantages to stakeholders; Centers for Disease Control, 2020; Chen et al., 2018). Properly
structured logic models should also advance the theory of change. The larger vision of any
program or organization should be steered by the elements contained in the logic model, with
astute attention given to ever-shifting conditions of change (Kotter, 2012).
The created model includes the essential features that highlight the process, plan, strategy,
and model of change (see Appendix A for the logic model diagram). The intrinsic theoretical
framework of interest is that of an interactionist approach. Within this framework, people learn
appropriate behaviors, norms, and attitudes from those in their immediate environments through
social learning and modeling (Feist & Rosenberg, 2019, Schaeffer, 2018). Proper guidance and
scaffolding from mentors will help the student mentees in their social and cognitive development
(Butler & McManus, 2014; Grison & Gazzaniga, 2019). The most important inputs for the
program will consist of leaders at the college, faculty, staff, and volunteers. As the program
grows over time it will be necessary to have committed volunteer mentors to be able to serve a
larger number of at-risk students. Utilizing the college’s resources will also be essential for the
success of the program. The college’s Learning Resource Center will be the central location for
one-to-one and group meetings. This center has private meeting rooms that are equipped with
modern technologies that are needed to optimize mentoring services (e.g., whiteboards,
projectors, computers). It will also be important to collaborate with the various programs under
Student Services that are serving the college’s at-risk students.
NEW PATH MENTORING 16
The mentor-mentee relationship will be the most important aspect to the program.
Building healthy and trusting relationships will be accomplished through ongoing and regular
communication and engagement between mentors and mentees (e.g., 2 to 3 hours of interaction
each week). Club mentors will help mentees develop an explicit path to success at the college.
They will also help mentees to develop important soft skills and classroom skills. Minor tutoring
services will also be provided. Progress will be tracked through regular face-to-face meetings,
emails, phone calls, and online technologies.
A core aspect of the mentoring relationship will be to help the mentees develop more
considerate and altruistic mentalities. A primary goal of the mentoring program is to take
formerly wayward youth and help them to develop and mature in ways that will enhance their
interpersonal relationships and professional success. This is the transformational feature of the
new intervention that will implemented after the mentoring program has established itself at the
college. Once the transformational component is enacted, mentees will be asked to volunteer at
an external program, clinic, or charity to foster their own personal growth. This is another aspect
of the intervention that differentiates it from other school-based mentoring.
Outputs will be measured and assessed in relation to how many students are active in the
club. Success will be indicated by increasing student and volunteer interest in being involved
with the club. It will be important to track the overall numbers to demonstrate the popularity and
success with the college’s students. Overall number of service hours will also be tracked and
assessed in relation to program outcomes. Student Services is the most important division at the
college to build relations with, and it would be a great resource for connecting with the college’s
at-risk students. Collaborations with external agencies, charities, and health centers will be
essential for the program’s transformational component.
NEW PATH MENTORING 17
Outcomes will be tracked and measured primarily in a controlled quantitative manner. This
would include assessing changes in grade point averages and hours spent studying each week.
This would also include paying close attention to retention and graduation rates. It will also be
important to track the transfer rates of club mentees. These quantifiable outcomes will enable
the program to produce concrete evidence about its overall impact and effectiveness at serving
at-risk students. Institutional impact will be assessed and measured through acquiring formal
institutional records and outcome data concerning any notable changes in dropout rates,
graduation rates, transfer rates, and changes in broader outcome college statistics.
III. Problems of Practice and Solutions/Innovations
The name of the developing intervention is New Path Mentoring. The target population for
the developing intervention will be at-risk community college students that come from troubled
backgrounds. This would include individuals that have a history of being involved in deviant,
criminal, and/or destructive behaviors. Examples would include students that have been
incarcerated, affiliated with street gangs, and/or that have histories of drug abuse. Almost all
existing school-based mentoring programs have been formulated to serve at-risk students that
come from low-income families, underrepresented groups, and/or that are first-generation
students (Capstick et al., 2019; Cholewa, & Ramaswami, 2015; Irby, 2011; Ward et al., 2010).
The specific focus on students that come from troubled backgrounds is one aspect of the
intervention that sets it apart from existing school-based mentoring programs.
The city of Oxnard has the highest overall crime rates and gang activity across the country
There is a clear need for more directed services to work with individuals that come from
backgrounds that have placed them at an increased risk of engaging in harmful and destructive
NEW PATH MENTORING 18
behaviors. The neighborhoods around Oxnard College are known for certain criminal and gang
activities (Miller, 2014). The majority of the individuals involved in these groups and harmful
behaviors are under the age of 24. Most of these individuals will eventually look to turn their
lives around ‒ they will seek a new path in life (Macfarlane, 2018).
Innovation and Grand Challenges
New Path Mentoring is being designed to serve a specific student population that come
from backgrounds that place them at an increased risk of dropping out. Outside of the unique
population that will served, the intervention will also be innovative in its approach to mentoring.
New Path Mentoring will be guided by what will be referred to as transformational mentoring.
The individuals that will be fitting for the program will often come from backgrounds that
involved destructive, deviant, self-harming, and/or criminal behaviors. As an example, gang
culture typically involves the cultivation of a self-serving, “dog-eat-dog” mentality whereby
people learn to manipulate, use, and even harm others. This realization has made it apparent that
the mentoring program cannot merely feed into narcissism. There must be a transformational
aspect to the program and mentoring.
When a person is transformed, they have changed. Transformational change can be
episodic and radical, or it can be a continuous and ongoing process (Dawson & Andriopoulos,
2017). A larger vision of New Path Mentoring is to transform the mentees into integrity-guided
individuals that treat others in a decent and humane manner. This will be accomplished largely
through the prosocial component of the program whereby mentees will volunteer to serve others
in the community (e.g., charities, hospitals). Mentees will be asked to volunteer some time each
week giving back to the community and helping to improve the lives of others. Transformational
mentoring will be a central feature of the innovation.
NEW PATH MENTORING 19
A long-term vision of the mentoring program is to “Ensure that Everyone Receives an
Education,” that is, ensure that everyone that is motivated to earn a college degree has the
opportunity to do so. In describing the Grand Challenge of Ensuring Healthy Development for
All Youth, Jensen and Hawkins (2018) identified dropping out of school as being one of the
major issues facing the nation. The framers looked at the interconnections between self-harming
behavior, substance abuse, violent behavior, and dropping out of school; which costs the nation
nearly $250 billion a year. The creators also put forth that to best ensure that the nation’s youth
engage in healthy behaviors, it is essential to establish effective prevention programs and
interventions within formal educational systems (Jensen & Hawkins, 2018).
Intervention Stakeholders
Stakeholders that are most directly connected to the problem and innovation include
impacted students, the Student Success Committee, the Vice President of Student Development,
and the Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Learning. Academic deans are also key
stakeholders in this innovation (e.g., Dean of Library and Liberal Studies Division). Each of
these groups and individuals, for different reasons, are important to the growth and sustainability
of the intervention. Without the support and involvement of these various leaders the
intervention would not be successful. Department chairs and faculty are also important
stakeholders that will play a vital role in the growth and success of the innovation.
College students are the most central stakeholders. The entire innovation is being
developed because of the poor performance and outcome rates of the college’s at-risk student
population. When new programs and services are offered at the college it is the students that
benefit the most. Creating an effective transformational mentoring program will help to improve
the lives of participating students more than any other group of stakeholders. The mentoring
NEW PATH MENTORING 20
club cannot exist without active student mentees. For the club to grow and become a staple at
the college (and across the district), it is essential that an adequate number of students commit to
the mentoring and to its mission. For the program to grow over time and to have a significant
impact, it will be necessary for an increasing number of students to become members of the club.
Building a reputation and positive word-of-mouth across students will be one of the most
important and effective ways to grow the program.
The Student Success Committee (SSC) is one of the most important stakeholders for the
intervention. SSC is charged with determining student needs at the college and what is necessary
to promote overall learning and success. A primary goal of SSC is to evaluate the data and
research when assessing outcomes, and to develop and refine college programs and activities to
best support student success (Oxnard Community College, 2020e). SSC is the authority of the
Student Equity Plan, the primary plan that funds programs at the college (e.g., Upward Bound,
First Year Experience, OMEGA Initiative). For New Path Mentoring to grow and receive proper
funding, it will be important to gain the support from this committee. Core metrics of concern to
SSC involve retention rates, completion rates, enrollment numbers, and transfer rates. These are
all central metrics to the innovation. If New Path Mentoring can improve these core metrics at
the college, then the purpose and goals of SSC will be supported.
The Vice President of Student Development is a central stakeholder in the innovation. This
institutional leader overseas the programs and areas that are dedicated to student success, student
services, student engagement, and the experience of students on campus. This vice president has
authority over the majority of programs and services at the college (e.g., Veteran’s Resource
Center, CalWORKs, Outreach and Recruitment, Extended Opportunity Programs and Services,
etc.). The vice president also oversees counseling services, student clubs, and student discipline.
NEW PATH MENTORING 21
Central to the purpose of the developing innovation, this institutional leader is also charged with
overseeing the Student Success and Support Program (SSSP). This program provides funding
for certain programs and services at the college (Oxnard Community College, 2020d). It is
clearly in the interest of the Vice President of Student Development to support any program that
will help to ensure the success of the college’s students.
The Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Learning is a key stakeholder, as are
the academic deans that act under this leader’s authority. The primary goal of this vice president
is to ensure that all programs, courses, and curriculum serves the needs of the college’s students.
This leader’s primary charge is to play a central role in ensuring that the students at the college
are successful. This is also the core official goal of the academic deans at the college. Gaining
the support from this vice president and the college’s academic deans will be imperative for the
success and growth of the intervention. The Dean of Library and Liberal Studies is the creator of
the OMEGA Initiative, a college-funded program designed to improve the graduation rates of
male students. This dean is very supportive about creating New Path Mentoring at the college
and has offered to collaborate or blend programs with the OMEGA Initiative.
Department chairs, faculty, and college staff are also stakeholders in this innovation.
Gaining the support from chairs, instructors, and staff will be critical to the success of the
program. As the program grows over time it will important to recruit volunteer faculty to serve
as club mentors. Having the support from faculty and staff will also help to spread the word
about the program. Part of the marketing and communication plan is to conduct ongoing
classroom visits. This will be central to creating and maintaining awareness about the program.
Staff will also play a vital role as they are often the individuals that are on the front lines with
students. Certain staff have already offered to help with the program by providing information to
NEW PATH MENTORING 22
students, answering phone calls, and by passing out flyers/pamphlets.
Each of the covered groups and individuals have a vested interest in the success of
students at the college. High dropout rates and low graduation rates have a major impact on
funding to the college, hiring, promotions, and retention. When funding gets reduced there are
fewer faculty, staff, support resources, student services, and course offerings at the college. Each
stakeholder addressed here has a clear interest in seeing to it that the students at the college are
successful.
On a macro level, high student dropout rates impact the larger economic system, the
federal government, and the banking system. Dropping out is directly connected to people
defaulting on their student loans, interest rates, and to larger national debt problems that are
affecting the nation (Barshay, 2017; Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, 2019;
Chen, 2018). Every person in this nation is a stakeholder in this problem in one way or another.
Student loan debt, low retention rates, and low academic performance, each have a major impact
on the nation as a whole. The wicked problem is also connected to other social issues associated
with crime, incarceration rates, and the overall health of the nation.
On a more abstract level, it could also be argued that local communities and families
have a stake in this ongoing problem. As previously addressed, educational success across a
community has a direct positive impact on employment rates, levels of poverty, and citywide
homelessness (Belfield & Bailey, 2011; Wilk, 2018). Larger communities would benefit in
multiple ways if the ongoing problem with poor school performance could be ameliorated.
When viewed in this manner, it could be positioned that all of the local businesses, residents, and
families are invested stakeholders in this ongoing wicked problem.
Landscape and Local Contextual Environment
NEW PATH MENTORING 23
As of this writing, most the nation is still under lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Due to the shutdown of all physical campuses it has been necessary to look further into online
technologies, social media technologies, and learning management platforms to be able to
mentor students “at a distance.” This will be important to better prepare for any future
shutdowns that may occur due to some unforeseen threat in the environment. This is where the
Grand Challenge Harness Technology for Social Good becomes more relevant. It is important
that mentoring programs learn to utilize online technologies so they can best serve students that
cannot be on campus.
Online education has become very popular and future generations will be even more used
to this mode of learning ‒ many will even prefer online over traditional classes. Many educators
and innovative program developers are now recognizing the importance and growing trend of
using online technologies and learning management platforms in higher education. Avondale
College of Higher Education (Coorangbong, New South Wales), has created a virtual mentoring
program for its online students (Williams et al., 2018). After analyzing the evidence-based data,
the program creators determined that online learners have additional stressors that residency-
based learners typically do not have (e.g., single parenting, working full-time), and that online
students are also at increased risk of feeling like they are not supported by the institution or by
faculty. This physical distance often makes these students feel almost completely disengaged
from the school and its social activities (Lawrence et al., 2019).
The Avondale College program creators constructed a virtual mentoring program designed
to monitor and analyze levels of student engagement (e.g., time spent in online classes, online
activity participation) and to provide any needed support services to better ensure student
success. Virtual mentoring was found to be effective at enhancing a sense of being connected
NEW PATH MENTORING 24
and engaged. Improved student outcomes were also associated with participating in the virtual
mentoring program. This was shown through improved grade point averages and lower dropout
rates among participating online students (Williams et al., 2018).
These improved academic successes appear to be directly connected to these programs
making the students feel more supported, connected, and committed to their studies (Chan et al.,
2018; Saenz et al., 2015; Larose et al., 2010; Rhodes, 2015). These creative mentoring programs
are directly relevant to the developing New Path Mentoring approach. They have demonstrated
academic potency and effectiveness when it comes to fostering overall student commitment and
engagement, which ultimately has a direct impact on decreasing the dropout rates of mentored
students (Burnett, 2016; Center for Interdisciplinary Research, 2019; Moschetti, 2018; Ward et
al., 2010).
Innovation Opportunities, Logic Model, and the Theory of Change
Outcome measurements and evaluations of school-based mentoring programs have
invariably shown that committed students have notably improved retention rates. Mentoring
programs have consistently demonstrated that they are effective at enhancing student
connectedness and alleviating feelings of isolation. Improvements in academic outcomes are
directly connected to significantly enhanced student support and social engagement (Khan, 2012;
Leidenfrost et al., 2011). Portland State University created a college-wide peer mentoring
program that was designed to provide academic and social support by assigning all incoming
students to qualified peer mentors. Via the interactionist framework, faculty involved in the
program model the proper communication styles and behaviors for the peer mentors. This
framework and modeling then get passed on from the peer mentors to the mentees (Center for
Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, 2019). New Path Mentoring will follow the interactionist
NEW PATH MENTORING 25
framework in regard to its mentoring approach and style.
Logic models are designed to provide cogent information on structure, flow, and process.
The New Path Mentoring logic model has been created to illuminate the vision, strategy, process,
predicted results, and proposed model of change. Rodrigues et al. (2011), conceptualized of
logic models as being visual tools that systematically pull together an entity’s understanding of
the interconnections among resources that are required to effectively produce the intended
changes. The New Path Mentoring logic model calls attention to the essential aspects required
for generating a well-founded intervention and highlights its general conceptual framework.
The logic model activities are directly aligned with the design and structure described in
this work. Core activities will involve weekly meetings and ongoing communication (e.g., 2 to 3
hours of direct interaction each week), tracking progress, matching mentors with mentees, and
marketing. Communicating the mission and purpose of the program will be key to generating
interest among the student body. This will be accomplished largely through classroom visits,
bulk email, placing flyers and posters across campus, and creating content on the college
website. Word-of-mouth is expected to also be a powerful force for generating interest. Outputs
will be directly connected to the model and core activities, which will involve such things as
collaborating with Student Services, enrollment of mentees, program service hours, and
volunteer hours.
Short-term outcomes of interest will revolve primarily around retention rates, average
hours spent studying each week, and overall classroom performance. Timelines for short-term
outcomes will begin the day that mentees join the club, all the way through the completion of the
first term that they are being mentored. The central goal of the intervention is to keep at-risk
students enrolled in their courses and respective programs. The immediate focus will be on
NEW PATH MENTORING 26
increasing engagement, focus, and commitment. The reason for this is to ensure that mentees
remain in their classes. The goal of the innovation is to have a retention rate of 75%. Retention
is easily measured and can be tracked for each mentee in the program.
Average number of hours spent studying each week will also be an important measure. It
is expected that students in the program will increase the number of hours that they spend
studying each week. This will be a short-term outcome that will be tracked and measured
through self-reporting by the mentees. Improvements in classroom performance will also be
tracked in the short-term. This will include measures on class attendance, homework
completion, and quiz and exam scores. Improvements across these measures will help to
demonstrate short-term positive outcomes and the effectiveness of the intervention.
Intermediate outcomes will include sustained retention, course completion rates,
improvements in grades, and improvements in overall grade point averages. The timeline for
intermediate outcomes will begin at the start of the mentees second academic term and will run
through the date of graduation. The central purpose of the innovation is to keep students in their
courses and programs so that they ultimately graduate. Keeping track of retention rates will be
essential for demonstrating program effectiveness. It is also the intermediate goal to maintain a
retention rate of 75%. Course completion rates will also be tracked and analyzed. It is the goal
to have every mentee complete all of their classes. There are, of course, going to be
circumstances that will arise that will require some mentees to drop some courses, but this is
expected as it happens to almost all students at some point. The goal is to see to it that mentees
remain enrolled and continue to successfully complete classes.
Improvements in grades and grade point averages will also be tracked throughout the
program. It is common for students in mentoring programs to realize a full letter grade
NEW PATH MENTORING 27
improvement across their courses (Chan et al., 2018; Ward et al., 2010). A database will be
maintained in SPSS to enable ongoing statistical analysis and assessment of the program’s
effectiveness. Design approaches will include an interrupted time series design, a quasi-
experimental non-equivalent groups design, and a before-after design. It will be relatively
simple to quantify changes in the grade point averages of mentees. Intermediate outcome
measures will involve varying levels of measurement (e.g., GPA’s, hours spent studying, grades,
retention), each serving to demonstrate the effectiveness of the intervention.
Long-term outcomes would include lower dropout rates at the college, increased graduation
rates, increased transfer rates, and increased funding to the college. Long-term outcomes for
student mentees would be measured from the time they complete their studies at the college and
move forward in their professional careers. The timeline for long-term outcomes to the college
would be ongoing. The retention rate at the college is around 33%. If the program has a dropout
rate of 25% or less, then it demonstrates its usefulness at the college. Having a significantly
higher mentee graduation rate would provide solid evidence for proof of concept. Having a
transfer rate of over 50% would also significantly exceed the college’s average. Staying in touch
with program alumni and following up on their success in employment would also be in the
long-term interests of the program.
An additional long-term outcome would be increased financial support to the college from
the state and district. Improved institutional statistics would result in the college getting a larger
portion of the district’s annual expenditures. At the present time, Oxnard College only receives
around 20% of the expenditures from the district’s annual budget. The other two community
college’s in the district receive around 30% and 37% of the expenditures from the annual budget.
New Path Mentoring could help the college to increase enrollment numbers, improve its overall
NEW PATH MENTORING 28
statistics (e.g., retention and graduation rates), and assist it in realizing parity when it comes to
resource allocation from the district’s general fund.
Projection of Success and Sustainability
The developing innovation is feasible. The plan, design, and approach have all been
thoughtfully constructed within the current environmental context and realities facing the college
at this time. The detailed model presents a structured framework that delineates a course of
action through which the proposed intervention can come to fruition. There is an
interdependence between capabilities, strategy and design. Implementation, strategy, and
innovation both limit and determine the feasibility of any proposed intervention (Teece, 2018).
The intervention put forth is both realistic and manageable. The college provides the needed
technologies and resources. This includes office space, classrooms, computers, meetings rooms,
whiteboards, Internet access, projectors, etc.
During phase one (academic year 2020 – 2021), the program will be small and will be
directed by its creator. Support and approval have already been given by the most important
leaders at the college (e.g., vice presidents and deans). Chairs, faculty, and staff have also
expressed support for the club and its mission. Division and programs leaders at the college
have also offered to collaborate and/or blend with the developing mentoring program (e.g.,
OMEGA Initiative, Upward Bound). There is a general optimistic response to the mentoring
club being established at the campus, and this seems to be driven by the widespread
understanding that major changes are needed at the college to help improve student engagement
and substandard student outcomes.
Sustainability and growth over time would require nominal funding. It is in the longer-
term vision to scale out the program to other colleges across the county. The wider district
NEW PATH MENTORING 29
serves around 35,000 unduplicated students each academic year (Ventura County Community
College District, 2020a). Being able to serve every at-risk student across the county that relates
to the goals and mission is in the long-term vision. Funding for programs at the college comes
from the Student Equity Plan, which is governed by the Student Success Committee (SSC). The
primary mission of this committee is to support activities and programs that are designed to
foster student success. The Student Equity Plan is allocated a budget each fiscal year from the
district’s Planning and Budget Council (Oxnard Community College, 2020e, 2020f). SSC has
the final authority at the college to determine which programs and proposals best serve its
commission to support student success.
IV. Communication Strategy, Structure, and Planned Action
The first planned step is the marketing strategy and communication plan. In July of 2020,
the initial steps will be taken to bring awareness to the new club and to draw in student interest.
The primary audience will be students that attend the college. Secondary audiences will consist
of students that attend other local colleges (that may be interested in signing up at Oxnard
College), institutional leaders, faculty, and staff. It will be important to bring awareness to as
many beneficiaries and stakeholders across the district as possible.
The most pressing goal is to bring awareness to the program and to establish the initial
cohort. Goal 1: Awareness. The most pressing objective is to make contact with as many
students as possible and make them aware of the new club. The initial goal is to bring awareness
to no less than 15% to 20% of the students by the end of 2020. By the end of the 2020‒2021
academic year, a more intermediate goal is to bring awareness to no less than 50% of the
students. The long-term communication goal is to bring awareness to 100% of the student
NEW PATH MENTORING 30
population. Objective 1: Establish top-of-mind awareness at the college through comprehensive
communication strategies. Objective 2: Create the first club cohort and commence the
intervention.
Goal 2: Brand Development and Growth. The overarching message of New Path
Mentoring will be that everyone, regardless of background, can be successful in education. A
primary goal will be to link New Path Mentoring with success. Objective 1: Success. Make
New Path Mentoring synonymous with success. Objective 2: Increase enrollment numbers by
10% to 15% each year over the first 5 years. Objective 3: Scale up the program by recruiting
additional mentors to join and volunteer in the program. Objective 4 (long-term): Scale out the
program to the other community colleges across the district.
Marketing strategies will involve the employment of various types of communication
methods that will help to disseminate information about the new innovation. The campaign will
make use of various technologies and techniques to bring awareness to as many individuals as
possible. Tactics will include: 1) using social media to promote awareness and interest, 2)
bringing visibility to the club by placing posters and flyers in classrooms, halls, the library, the
counseling center, and at Student Services, 3) airing video on closed-circuit televisions across the
campus, 4) sending bulk emails to as many students as possible and having them spread the word
to their peers, 5) creating content on the college website, and 6) building an independent website
that will provide interested students with more detailed club information, and 7) conducting
ongoing classroom visits each academic semester. YouTube videos will also be created to help
bring awareness to the intervention and to better promote the club.
Millennials often expect convenient and ongoing forms of communication. With this, it
would be valuable to the innovation to create a Twitter account where daily reminders and words
NEW PATH MENTORING 31
of encouragement could be sent out to mentees. For example, many students feel disconnected
and are not well-informed about school policies, deadlines, etc. Sending out regular tweets could
help to keep mentees engaged and informed. Examples would include sending out tweets about
financial aid deadlines, enrolling in courses, and completing homework assignments. Tweets
could also be used to provide daily guidance, motivation, and tips for success.
Marketing and communication effectiveness will be evaluated through a variety of metrics.
Core metrics will include: 1) email response rates, 2) contacts made to the club, 3) web hits, 4)
engagement on social media, and 5) club enrollment numbers. Awareness and communication
effectiveness will also be gauged via increasing Twitter followers and YouTube views.
Maintaining a highly visible presence on campus will also be critical to success of the
communication plan and strategy for growth. High visibility would help to ensure top-of-mind
awareness across the student population. Establishing a physical club location at the college
would help to bring awareness, to generate interest, and to bring visibility to the club.
The structure of the program will adhere to an egalitarian format. There will not be a
structured chain of command, as everyone participating in the program will be viewed as equals.
A director will be needed to run the program, but there will not be any official hierarchy.
Adhering to this approach will best serve the program’s mission to break down barriers and
avoid power relationships. This plan and structure will help to provide a grounded model that
promotes productive change by addressing the components of priorities, situation, existing
conditions, and context.
According to Galbraith, et al. (2002), effective organization change must rely on models
that take into account the components of reward systems, strategy, structure, people, and process.
Oxnard College is a bureaucracy that employs and enrolls thousands of people every year. It
NEW PATH MENTORING 32
will be necessary to pay attention to larger structural forces and realities (e.g., policies,
regulations, available resources) to best ensure the success of the innovation.
Program Development, Climate Analysis, & Demand
The mentoring format will consist of both structured and unstructured approaches. There
will be an established educational program created to ensure that certain things are addressed
with each mentee during their time in the program. Structured approaches would involve
adhering to a set educational plan to ensure that each mentee receives the necessary guidance and
scaffolding. Unstructured approaches would be more mentee-centered and adhere more to a
qualitative approach (e.g., building rapport, interpersonal development, interests and needs, and
individual areas of concern).
A prototype curriculum may be designed in the following manner: Module 1: Establishing
Goals. This would include helping mentees identify their educational and professional interests,
design course schedules and course loads, and identifying disciplines of interest. Module 2:
Building Study Habits. This would include helping mentees establish effective study habits to
improve their classroom performances (e.g., note-taking, organization, planning, environment,
learning, outlining, etc.). Module 3: Time management. Assisting students in better managing
their time and improve efficiency (e.g., workload management, task management, scheduling,
and prioritizing). Module 4: Classroom Skills. Assisting students in being more effective and
successful in their class environments (e.g., collaborating, oratory, social comfort, presentation,
test-taking, etc.). Module 5: Stress Management, Commitment, and Engagement. Helping
mentees to regulate emotions, pressures, and social relationships. Help mentees to stay focused
and committed to academic success. Keep mentees connected at the college and involved in
various activities and school functions.
NEW PATH MENTORING 33
There is significant need for improved student services and resources at the college.
According to district statistics, 3 out 4 incoming students at Oxnard College are not adequately
prepared for the academic rigor of higher-level education. This problem is a major contributing
factor as to why 67% of the students at Oxnard College never earn an associate’s degree or
transfer to a university (Ventura County Community College District, 2020b). The developing
innovation would be a welcomed addition to the college and its ongoing efforts to attenuate its
larger problems with substandard academic performance, retention, and graduation rates.
Leaders at the college readily acknowledge that major improvements are needed across
many spheres. The plan is to launch the pilot phase of New Path Mentoring in the fall of 2020.
This pilot phase will run for the entire academic year, at which time its effectiveness, demand,
and structure will be reevaluated. Due to the current COVID-19 shutdown, all classes and
activities will be required to take place online. This shutdown has required a complete overhaul
of the first year and a delaying of developing a college funded program by at least 1 to 2 years.
As of this writing, Student Equity has already been hit with a 14.5% cut to the 2020-2021
fiscal budget. Due to this, Student Services is already planning on cutting a major program (First
Year Experience) and a number of paid positions (e.g., counselors, student support services,
tutors). Per the dean of Student Services, the college is not starting or funding any new programs
at the college (O. Cobian, personal communication, May, 20, 2020). All of these cuts are going
to place an even higher demand for adequate student support for at-risk students. The proposed
mentoring club will not require funding by the college to implement, therefore it has been
supported and encouraged by the most important leaders at the college.
Implementation Strategy and Phases
Interested students will be interviewed to ensure that they are a good fit for the club and its
NEW PATH MENTORING 34
mission. Between 5 to 10 mentees will be recruited for the pilot phase. The mentoring sessions
will begin once the initial cohort is created. The basic approach will revolve around developing
rapport, trust, and authentic relationships between the club director (the core mentor) and the
student mentees. Curriculum and activities will revolve around career development,
professionalism, enhancing motivation and self-efficacy, establishing expectations, and setting
clear goals. Having regular meetings and communication is one of the most important aspects of
any mentoring relationship. Successful school-based mentoring requires ongoing and effective
communication (Leidenfrost et al., 2011; Moschetti et al., 2018; Rhodes, 2015).
During the pilot phase, the plan will be to hold virtual group meetings throughout each
week during the academic year (e.g., Zoom meetings). Regular meetings will be scheduled for
both one-to-one and group meetings. Ongoing communications will also take place individually
and collectively via social media, email, social media, and telephone calls. Online mentoring has
been shown to be effective at improving student performance and success (College Now, 2020;
National Mentoring Resource Center, 2019; Williams et al., 2018). One such example is the
College Now Mentoring Program, which has developed an online platform whereby mentors
commit to one mentee for a period of 4 years. During this time, both parties commit to a
curriculum and plan that involves communicating 2 times each month through email and having
3 face-to-face meetings each year. The goals are to increase persistence, motivation, and
graduation rates. The outcome data produced by this program reveals that 92% of mentees
return for their sophomore year and 72% graduate on time (College Now, 2020).
After the 2020-2021 pilot phase is completed, it will be necessary to recruit new mentors
to the program. Mentors will consist of interested faculty and students. Volunteer faculty
mentors and student peer mentors will not have to come from the same backgrounds that the club
NEW PATH MENTORING 35
mentees will come from. That is, mentors do not have to come from backgrounds where they
have been incarcerated, in gangs, etc. Mentors will need to identify with the purpose and goals
of the innovation. Criteria for mentor selection will include: 1) a commitment to serving the
college’s at-risk student population, 2) an understanding of the unique challenges and needs of
the mentee population being served, 3) a level of comfort working with individuals that have
been involved in certain types of harmful/dangerous behaviors, and 4) a willingness to commit
time and effort each week serving club mentees.
Properly matching mentors with mentees is an important part of any mentoring program.
The national leader in mentoring, Big Brother Big Sisters, adheres to a structured matching plan
whereby a Match Support Specialist ensures that the best possible match takes place between
“Bigs” (mentors) and “Littles” (mentees). One-to-one matching characteristics revolve around
safety, promoting positive impact, fostering constructive relationships, location, personality, and
preference. Matching also involves procuring mentors that will commit to 3 to 5 hours each
week for a period of one year (Big Brother Big Sisters, 2020c).
New Path Mentoring will also follow certain criteria for proper matching. Matching will
largely revolve around similar academic and professional interests. For example, if a mentee
plans on majoring in engineering an attempt will be made to find a suitable mentor that has a
similar academic interest (e.g., an instructor in engineering). As with Big Brothers Big Sisters,
personality styles and personal interests will also be factors taken into consideration. For
example, if a female mentee expresses that she would prefer a mature female mentor, then every
effort will be made to match that mentee with someone that best fits with her preferences.
Unlike Big Brothers Big Sisters, the New Path Mentoring approach will not be contained to only
one-to-one mentoring. As previously covered, group mentoring will also be central to the
NEW PATH MENTORING 36
approach and structure of the program.
Phase 2: Timeframe: 2021- 2022 academic year. Implement a more formal and structured
mentoring club that can serve a higher number of the college’s at-risk students. Train
experienced students at the college to serve as peer mentors in the program. Create a more
comprehensive communication campaign to recruit at-risk students that would benefit from
joining the club. Develop a more extensive plan and measurements to demonstrate effectiveness
and outcomes (e.g., data collection, pre-post testing). Petition to have an established club
location at the college.
Phase 3: Academic year 2022-2023. Further develop the mission and plan of the club.
Increase the number of peer-mentors and mentees. Look to recruit faculty that may be interested
in serving and improving the success of the college’s at-risk students that come from troubled
backgrounds. Implement the transformational feature of the club. This feature will be designed
to reshape the mentalities and perspectives of the mentees. The prosocial component will have
mentees volunteer a nominal amount of time each week serving their communities. Increased
comprehensive data collection techniques will be implemented to build on the database and to
further demonstrate general patterns of effectiveness and positive outcomes.
Innovation Financial Plan
Start-up costs for the new program will be extremely nominal. Relative to running other
types of school-based programs, mentoring programs are very inexpensive to operate (Larose et
al., 2010; National Mentoring Resource Center, 2019). It is expected to cost between $2,000 to
$3,000 to properly set up and launch the club. Start-up costs would include creating posters and
flyers, building a website, and designing and printing up t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats. Initial
costs will be paid for by the club creator and director. Other costs would include travel expenses
NEW PATH MENTORING 37
(e.g., gas for club visits to Homeboy Industry) and refreshments.
Phase 2 will begin during the 2021-2022 academic year. It is anticipated that the campus
will be open and the mentoring club will be holding meetings in the Learning Resource Center as
initially planned. During this phase it would be desirable to hire a part-time director to run the
program and to bring in part-time paid peer mentors. This will be contingent upon district
budgets and whether or not Student Equity and Student Services are open to funding new
programs. If New Path Mentoring is able to procure funding from Student Equity, then it will be
run and coordinated by a part-time lead director. The formal internal title would be Program
Coordinator II (295). The standard annual pay rate for part-time program directors at the college
is $31,476. With a standard benefit rate of 51% ($16,052), this would come to an annual total of
$47,528. Refer to Appendix B for more detailed line-item entries on the projected revenues,
expenses, and surpluses for the 2021-2022 academic fiscal year. Due to the current COVID-19
shutdown and cuts to the upcoming fiscal budget, these number are all contingent on larger
economic conditions, campus reopening dates, and the institution receiving adequate funding
from the district’s Planning and Budget Council.
As the program grows over time it would be conceivable to hire a full-time program
director at the district’s annual rate of $62,592; plus 51% benefits at $32,105 (total of $95,058).
If adequate funding cannot be procured during phase 2 or phase 3, a contingency plan will be in
place to allow the program creator to continue to serve as the volunteer lead director. Faculty
members that act in this type of capacity are allowed to do so at no pay. In return, the college
provides them release time from their regular professional responsibilities.
As the program grows over time it would be desirable to hire part-time peer mentors.
District policy requires that paid peer mentors receive $12 per hour, plus benefits at 2%. Peer
NEW PATH MENTORING 38
mentors would ideally work 10 hours each week. If funding cannot be procured for paid peer
mentors then there is an alternative course whereby the college would allow qualified students
under the Federal Work Study Program to mentor at no cost to the program. The Federal Work
Study Program provides funding for at-need students to help them pay for the costs of
postsecondary education through part-time employment at their respective institutions.
Participating colleges must allocate a minimum of 7% of the work-study funding to support
students working in recognized capacities, such as tutoring and mentoring (United States
Department of Education, 2019).
Assessment of Impact, Stakeholder Involvement, and Communication Strategies
Outputs and outcomes will be measured and assessed through several metrics and
activities. One metric will be Access, which will revolve around the number of mentees
participating in the program. A goal of the developing program is to increase its overall numbers
each academic year, which will be achieved through various activities such as program
marketing, holding campus-based workshops, classroom visits, and workshops at local high
schools. Getting the mentoring program on the college website, airing videos on campus
televisions, and placing posters and flyers across campus, will also be central to the
communication strategy. Another metric will be Academic Performance, which will revolve
around tracking improvements in grades, grade point averages, and classroom success.
Retention is critical metric. Proof of concept will largely revolve around the program’s ability to
keep students invested, involved, and enrolled. The goal is to have a retention rate of 75%,
which is far better than college’s overall retention rate of 33% (Oxnard Community College,
2020b).
Another core metric will revolve around Graduation. This will be a key outcome measure
NEW PATH MENTORING 39
and will be supported through core program curriculum and activities. Higher graduation rates
among New Path mentees will help to demonstrate proof of concept and the program’s overall
effectiveness. An additional program metric will be Transfer. A central goal of the mentoring
club will be to increase the overall transfer rates of students at the college; particularly transfers
to the California State University and University of California systems.
Each of these quantifiable metrics will help to demonstrate the intervention’s effectiveness
and overall value to the institution. The long-term academic and professional success of the
mentees will help to demonstrate the program’s larger impact. Impact and communication
strategies will also rely on, and revolve around, the Beneficiary Builder funding model. This
model is focused on promoting an important social good, building relationships over time, and
fostering loyalty in those that benefited from participating in the program (Foster et al., 2009).
Building a strong base of loyal alumni will help to ensure the reputation and standing of the
program, generate positive word-of-mouth, and create a strong network where successful
program alumni will give back in their own ways (e.g., fundraising, donations, volunteering).
Attention to Problem & Ethical Concerns
Potential ethical concerns involve the target population itself. The program is being
designed specifically for those individuals that have come from troubled backgrounds. This
could involve varying types of damaging and destructive behaviors (e.g., substance abuse,
violent, criminal). With this being the case, it will be particularly important to make sure that all
mentees understand that mentoring is not therapy. There needs to be clear lines drawn in regard
to which types of topics will be discussed and what type of language is appropriate. Making
these boundaries clear from the very beginning is essential to all mentoring relationships (Chan
et al., 2018; National Mentoring Center, 2007; Rhodes, 2015). It is anticipated that some of the
NEW PATH MENTORING 40
interested students will be dealing with some level of emotional, psychological, and/or
behavioral problems because of their histories involving incarceration, gang activity, illegal
behaviors, etc. (Macfarlane, 2018; Melde et al., 2009; Pyrooz & Sweeten, 2015; Taylor et al.,
2008). These early life experiences can exact a lifelong impact on their general functioning,
mental health, and how they deal with others (Berger et al., 2017; Pyrooz et al., 2017).
From an ethical standpoint, it will be critical to make sure that the differences between
mentoring and psychotherapy are well understood right from the start. This is because
relationships and goals are quite different between the two (Johnson et al., 2018; Keller et al.,
2019). All participating faculty and peer mentors will need to fully understand what their roles
are and what they are qualified to do.
It will also be important to make sure that there are no existing conflicts that may create
problems. Mentees may come from rival neighborhoods or groups. It will be important to make
sure that there will not be any type of physical confrontation during the group meetings.
Ensuring the physical safety and emotional comfort of all mentors and mentees will be an
ongoing priority. Any issues that may arise will be brought to the attention of relevant college
officials and employees (e.g., college counselors, campus police, deans).
V. Conclusion: Practice, Action, and Moving Forward
The primary goal of New Path Mentoring is to ensure the healthy development and success
of club mentees. The immediate goal is to launch the communication plan covered in section IV
of this work and bring awareness to as many students as possible. This launch will occur in July
of 2020. Recruiting the initial cohort before the start of the fall semester (August 17, 2020) is at
the top of the short-term agenda. Once the program is launched, the immediate goal of the
NEW PATH MENTORING 41
intervention is to ensure that participating mentees are successful in their respective courses (i.e.,
ensuring retention). The mid-term goal is to ensure that the mentees graduate from the college;
and transfer to a university if this is a part of their larger plan. The long-term goal is to ensure
the mentees are successful in their professional and personal lives.
A broader goal is to improve families and local communities. This project aims to inform
future decisions and actions by demonstrating to college leaders that structured and targeted
mentoring programs designed to assist at-risk students can be quite valuable when it comes to
serving the mission and larger vision of the institution. The effectiveness and value of targeted
mentoring programs will also be demonstrative to district leaders, which could serve as the basis
for future funding and expansion of these types of student-based programs.
Field of Practice, Implications, & Further Action
School-based mentoring programs have been shown to be one of the best ways to improve
student academic performance, engagement, motivation, and commitment (McNeven et al.,
2019; National Mentoring Resource Center, 2019; Williams et al., 2018). At-risk students that
commit to healthy mentoring relationships consistently demonstrate improvements in course
grades, grade point averages, and retention (Moschetti et al., 2018; Project MALES, 2020;
Schenk et al., 2019). Le (2016) and Murillo (2017) both found that at-risk students (e.g.,
formerly incarcerated) are most likely to be successful when they feel welcomed, engaged,
and have established trusting school-based relationships. At-risk students that are active in
mentoring programs also have significantly higher graduation rates than at-risk students that do
not participate in these types of programs (Irby, 2011; Ward et al., 2010).
It is anticipated that the establishment of New Path Mentoring at Oxnard Community
College will serve each of these benefits highlighted above. It is expected that at-risk students
NEW PATH MENTORING 42
that join the club and commit to the mentoring will see improvements in their course grades and
grade point averages, as well as increased levels of engagement, motivation, and commitment. It
is also being predicted that club mentees will demonstrate higher than average retention and
graduation rates. The college is currently facing a 67% dropout rate (Oxnard Community
College, 2020b). This rate is unacceptable, and it is the goal of the new intervention to
substantially decrease these dropout numbers.
Further action would involve procuring additional support from committees and leaders at
the college that fund programs (e.g., Student Equity, Student Success and Support Program).
Garnering this support would help to ensure future growth of the program (e.g., paid director,
paid peer mentees). Future action steps will also include collaborating with existing institutional
programs that could provide additional resources and access to at-risk students (e.g., OMEGA
Initiative, Upward Bound). Collaborations and potential blending of programs has already been
offered by the dean of the library and the creator of the OMEGA Initiative (a program designed
to help at-risk male students). Each potentially productive opportunity will be taken into
consideration when moving the developing intervention forward.
Limitations & Ethical Considerations
As described earlier, the state has already placed major cuts to the 2020-2021 academic
fiscal budget. Due to this reality, the college is not funding any new programs; in fact, the
college is enacting some major cuts to certain programs and services (e.g., Student Services, First
Year Experience, counseling and tutoring services). With this, the developing intervention has
had to change course and be restructured as a volunteer operated mentoring club. At the earliest,
and depending on state budgets and revenues, New Path Mentoring will not be able to procure
institutional funding until the 2021-2022 academic year. The national shutdown and massive
NEW PATH MENTORING 43
economic downturn due to COVID-19 has placed a number of significant limitations and
restrictions on available resources and potential growth.
The program will have to move forward as a college-approved club that will not be
dependent upon any institutional funding or campus-based resources. Faculty and students are
not allowed to be on campus, so the mentoring relationships and meetings will have to take place
virtually. This will pose some additional challenges to the mentoring relationships and
outcomes. Ethically, it will be important to ensure that privacy and confidentiality are being
adhered to in the virtual environment in the same manner as with face-to-face meetings. As the
club grows and recruits new mentors, each individual will be trained in matters pertaining to
ethical behavior (e.g., boundaries), privacy and confidentiality. This will apply to both on-
campus and virtual mentoring.
Relevant Stakeholders & Plan for Moving Forward
The plan for implementing New Path Mentoring is currently underway at the college.
Relevant stakeholders and leaders at the college have already given their support for the new
club. College leaders are currently providing guidance and offering resources to assist in moving
the innovation forward (e.g., vice presidents and deans). These leaders are being kept updated
on each phase moving forward. The most immediate next step is beginning the communication
campaign to reach as many students as possible. Due to the campus shutdown, this will need to
be accomplished primarily through bulk emailing, social media, and the college website. The
recruitment campaign will span across the entire 2020-2021 academic year. Interested students
that identify with the mission and goals of the club will contact the director. Potential mentees
will then be interviewed via telephone or live Zoom meetings. After this screening period is
completed, the initial cohort will be put together in August, 2020. The official start date of the
NEW PATH MENTORING 44
club will be set for August 17, 2020, the official beginning of the fall semester.
The grant proposal is ready to be sent to the Student Success Committee for initial review.
Although the director of the committee has stated that new programs are not being funded at this
time, it will be important to bring the plan to the committee’s attention for future consideration.
The marketing strategy and communication plan discussed in section IV of this work is ready to
be shared with the above-mentioned leaders at the college to enable collaboration and bring in
further support. The next steps moving forward in the communication plan also includes
bringing awareness to college chairs and faculty. The aim is to spread the word about the
innovation and to eventually recruit volunteers to serve as mentors. The marketing and
recruitment efforts will be an ongoing process. Educating and disseminating the effectiveness of
the intervention to all relevant stakeholders ‒ institutional leaders, faculty, staff, and students ‒
will also be an ongoing and concerted endeavor.
At-risk students that commit to mentoring relationships realize a range of positive
benefits and outcomes, such as improved grade point averages, higher graduation rates, and
higher transfer rates (Center for Interdisciplinary Mentoring Research, 2019; Chan et al., 2018;
Schenk et al., 2019). Central to the mission of the developing innovation, established mentoring
programs have consistently shown that they help to significantly reduce dropout rates among at-
risk students (Larose et al., 2010; Project MALES, 2020; Rodriquez et al., 2020; Ward et al.,
2010). New Path Mentoring is being created to help at-risk students realize these positive
outcomes. It is the aim of the New Path Mentoring intervention to see to it that everyone,
regardless of personal history, has the opportunity to realize academic, professional, and
interpersonal success.
NEW PATH MENTORING 45
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Appendix A
New Path Mentoring Logic Model
Club Mentors Transformational Mentoring Number of Mentees Served
Peer Volunteers Rapport Building Hours of Mentoring Provided
Learning Resource Center Regular Communication Hours Studying Increased
Student Services Developing Soft Skills Improved Time Management
Deans Minor Tutoring Improved Classroom Skills
Faculty/Staff Track Progress Engagement Strengthened
Campus Offices Time Management Commitment Strengthened
Student Equity Study Skills Development
Short-Term Long-Term Higher Employment Rates
Improved Retention Rates Lower Dropout Rates Safer Communities
Increased Hours Studying Higher Graduation Rates Healthier Families
Improved Classroom Performance Higher Transfer Rates Decreased Crime
Mid-Term College Statistics Improved Less Student Debt
Sustained Retention Rates
Successful Course Completion
Improved Grades
Improved Grade Point Averages
Inputs Activities Outputs
Outcomes Outcomes Impact
NEW PATH MENTORING 60
Appendix B
New Path Mentoring
First Full-Year of Operations: Academic/Fiscal Year July 1, 2021 ‒ June 30, 2022
______________________________________________________________________________
Category $ Comments
______________________________________________________________________________
REVENUE
Grant Funding 50,000 SSSP grant/Student Equity grant
In-Kind Donation 2,500 Donated by college
Donor/Contributions 1,000 Donations from stakeholders
Total Revenue 53,500
EXPENSES
Personnel Expenses
Wages/Salaries
Program Director 31,476 Part-time/Step I of Coordinator II
Sub-Total 31,476
Benefits ( @ 51%) 16,052 Program director initial benefits
Total Personnel Expenses 47,528
Other Operating Expenses
Facility Use 2,500 Offset by in-kind college donation
Materials/Tech/Computers 1,000
Printing/Posters/Flyers 500 In addition to free printing at college
Scholarships 500 Awarded to outstanding mentees
Soft Rewards 200 Rewards for program volunteers
Refreshments 200 Recruitment/Workshops/Meetings
Travel/Gas 200 Homeboy Ind./Local High Schools
Total Other Operating Expenses 5,100
Total Expenses 52,628
SURPLUS 872
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Millions of at-risk students drop out of school each year. Students drop of school for many different reasons, including feeling disconnected, not having a clear educational path, and feeling unsupported. Students that come from troubled backgrounds (e.g., formerly incarcerated, criminal histories, and gang involvement) are at an increased risk of not succeeding in their courses and programs. School-based mentoring is an effective way to help at-risk community college students succeed in their courses and graduate. This project has served to create a new school-based mentoring program specifically designed to work with community college students that come from arduous backgrounds. The program is New Path Mentoring and has been designed to transform the lives of these particular at-risk students, their families, and their communities. This project lays out the groundwork, design, and plan moving forward to better serve our nation's at-risk community college students.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Berger, Raqota
(author)
Core Title
New Path Mentoring: a step toward better serving at-risk community college students
School
Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Degree
Doctor of Social Work
Degree Program
Social Work
Publication Date
08/14/2020
Defense Date
08/07/2020
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
at-risk students,community college,formerly incarcerated,mentoring,OAI-PMH Harvest,troubled backgrounds
Language
English
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Electronically uploaded by the author
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Kay-Wicker, Robin (
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dukeofdrama@att.net,raqotabe@usc.edu
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https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-366975
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Tags
at-risk students
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formerly incarcerated
mentoring
troubled backgrounds