Practitioner Perspective: Bringing Effective Mentoring Practices to Scale

• In Event: Digital College Access and Success Tools: Scholarly and Practitioner Perspectives on What's Working for Generation Z

Abstract

[Name of non-profit removed for blind submission]’s approach is to connect aspiring college students with free, one-on-one, online mentoring through the entire college admissions and financial aid application processes. They serve over 10,000 students a year across all fifty states. Their program helps students discover the best-fit institution for their specific circumstances, both academically and financially which in turn leads to strong postsecondary outcomes. Quality, one-on-one mentoring is the core of their method. Students connect with trained volunteer mentors who guides them through a rich college guidance curriculum. Over 90% of their users go on to four-year institutions, usually with low or no debt. Their executive director will join the symposium to discuss the complexity of bringing high quality mentoring practices to scale and the intricacies of the digital tools utilized by the mentors and students (i.e. video chat, document sharing, text and instant messaging, mentors). 

Author

• Michael Carter, Strive for College