Addressing Opportunity Gaps: A Causal Comparative Examination of the Effects of an Urban School Mentoring Program

• In Event: 66.058 - Roundtable Session 28
  In Roundtable Session: 66.058-17 - Teaching and Learning in Urban Schools

Abstract

Student underachievement has brought decades of scrutinizing attention to urban schools. While efforts have been implemented to close opportunity gaps, the academic achievement of underserved students lag with great discrepancies behind their non-minority peers. This inquiry utilized a causal-comparative approach to examine the academic and social outcomes of secondary school students in the implementation of a school-based Closing the Achievement Gap Mentoring (CTAG) program in an urban district. Academic variables included math and reading passage on Ohio Graduation Test and GPA’s, and social performance variables included attendance, juvenile court involvement, emergency removals, suspensions, and expulsions. The findings show there are significant academic and social differences between the students who participated in the CTAG program and those who did not.

Authors

• Andrea D. Guice, Bowling Green State University

• Judy Jackson May, Bowling Green State University