Peer Group Connection: Transforming Schools Through Evidence-Based Mentoring

Peer Group Connection:Transforming Schools Through Evidence-

Based Mentoring

Dr. Margo RossSenior Director of Development

Center for Supportive Schools

2015 NPEA Annual Conference

Philadelphia, PA

April 17, 2015

CENTER FOR SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS Peer Group Connection2

Who are we?

Center for Supportive Schools (CSS)

Partner with schools to help create safer and more

supportive, engaging, inspiring environments

Has served hundreds of schools since 1979 and our work

touches tens of thousands of students, educators, and

parents annually

Highly committed to implementing effective programs in

partnership with communities that have large numbers of

economically disadvantaged youth


Who are you?

• District and School

Administrators

• Teachers

• Student Support Services

Professionals

• Elementary Educators

• Middle Grades Educators

• High School Educators

• Government Leaders

• Community-Based and

Nonprofit Leaders

• Business Leaders

• Funders

• Parents

• Students

• Who did we miss?


Learning Objectives

As a result of participating in this workshop, learners will be

able to:

• appreciate the need to focus on key transition years in efforts

to improve students’ sense of school connectedness

• articulate why feeling connected to school leads to fewer

dropouts, higher grades, and reduced bullying

• understand the strategies and actions of an evidence-based

peer group mentoring model that enhances school

connectedness for students and eases the transition into

middle and high school for incoming students


Importance of Transition Years

Research consistently demonstrates that students are most

vulnerable for dropping out of school during and

immediately following their first year of high school.

For most students, the process of dropping out begins in

middle school, when the habits that predict whether or not a

student graduates are formed, making it a critical “make or

break” period.

Programs that support students throughout the transition

from elementary to middle and middle to high school and

extending throughout the transition year have the greatest

impact on keeping students engaged and in school.


Transition & ChallengesFrom your experiences and observations,

what are the most significant challenges facing

students as they transition into middle school or

high school?


Effective Transition Programs

• Have adequate support of school

leadership

• Develop individual social skills

• Are theory driven

• Involve interactive teaching

approaches (e.g. small group

activities and role plays)

• Use properly selected and trained

peer leaders to facilitate delivery

of the program

• Integrate other segments of the

community (e.g. family members)

• Are delivered over multiple

structured sessions over multiple

years

• Provide adequate training and

support to program facilitators

• Are culturally and developmentally

appropriate for the students they

serve

• Integrate into the regular school

day

• Reach all students transitioning

• Have adequate resources


What is Peer Group Connection (PGC)?

A peer-to-peer group mentoring model that trains and

mobilizes older/more experienced students to help ease the

transition into school for incoming students and improve

school culture and climate.

• PGC for high schools: 11th and 12th graders support 9th

graders

• PGC for middle schools: 8th graders support 6th graders

• PGC for alternative schools: More experienced students

supporting incoming/newer students

Each of these programs uses a distinct and developmentally

appropriate curriculum.


PGC: When and Why


When • During the regular school day

• Daily leadership course for student leaders

• Weekly group mentoring sessions for younger/less

experienced students led by trained student leaders

• Throughout the entire year and beyond

Why To enhance school connectedness and build social,

emotional, leadership, and academic skills to support

educational outcomes such as remaining in school, student

achievement, increased attendance, lower suspension rates,

and, ultimately, graduation from high school ready for college.

Getting Grounded

School connectedness

- the belief by students that people in the school care

about their learning and about them as individuals –

is a powerful protective factor in the lives of young people

and an important prerequisite to reduced bullying, greater

academic achievement, lower dropout rates, improved

grades, fewer discipline referrals, and fewer high-risk

behaviors.

Blum & Libbey, 2004; http://www.casel.org/basics/climate.php


http://www.casel.org/basics/climate.php

My Teenage Self

Once upon a time, we were where our students are. Our

experiences may have looked different from theirs, or our

experiences may have looked similar. Almost across the

board, though, adolescence wasn’t—and isn’t—easy.

To help establish context for considering programming that

supports school connectedness and ensures that students

make an effective transition into high school, let’s begin with a

quick visit back to that time and place when we, too, were

teenagers…


Directions

Working in groups of three, participants introduce themselves to

one another and take turns sharing responses to any one of the

following questions:

• What is one memory you have about a time in school when

you felt strongly connected to other students?

• What is one memory you have about a time in school when

you felt strongly disconnected from other students?

• Think back to one adult in your school experience who threw

you a lifeline – this adult knew you and cared about you,

and this person’s caring made a positive difference in your

life.


Reflections

• What patterns did we see emerge in our memories of school

connectedness and disconnectedness?

• What might make it even harder for today’s students to

experience a sense of school connectedness?


Our Strategy

Peer-to-peer group mentoring is a straightforward, cost-

effective, and evidence-based model for:

• Enhancing school connectedness for students through

caring relationships with adults and one another

• Easing the transition into middle and high school

• Training and mobilizing students to be lifelong leaders

who make schools better for themselves, their peers, and

younger students

• Helping students develop the leadership, academic, social,

and emotional skills that are proven to result in school and

life success


PGC for High Schools


Two faculty advisors team-teach the daily peer leadership course

Stakeholder Team

Coordinator

Stakeholder

Team

(8-10 administrators,

faculty, parents, students)

16-18 peer leaders co-facilitate weekly activities for freshmen in small groups

to discuss common issues facing high school students

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PGC Curriculum

• Sense of School Belonging

• Competence in Interpersonal

Relationships

• Conflict Resolution, Anger

Management, & Violence

Prevention

• Bullying & Bystander Behavior

• Achievement Orientation &

Motivation

The PGC curriculum uses engaging, hands-on activities to address

issues that have been shown to help reduce risk behaviors and

produce positive student outcomes, including high school

completion. Curriculum topics include:

• Goal Setting

• Coping Skills

• Decision Making

• Peer Acceptance & Resisting

Peer Pressure

• Anger Management

• Stress Management

• Service Learning


PGC for Middle Schools


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A Firsthand Look at PGC et’s watch a brief video segment that highlights the

PGC-HS program in Union City, New Jersey, where

students are immersed in mentoring roles. What

resonates with you?


Results: Graduation Rates

All Students

77%

68%

50 %

60 %

70 %

80 %

90 %

Program Group Cont ro l Group

Male Students

81%

63%

50 %

60 %

70 %

80 %

90 %


% of Ninth Grade Students Who Graduated from High School


Johnson, Simon, & Mun. (2013). The Journal of Educational Research.

Results: Graduation Rates

Male Students

91%

78%

50 %

60 %

70 %

80 %

90 %

10 0 %


% of Ninth Grade Males who Entered High School with High Probability of

Graduating who Graduated from High School


Johnson, Simon, & Mun. (2013). The Journal of Educational Research.

Other Results

• Higher grades

• Higher on-time promotion rates

• Better attendance

• Fewer discipline referrals

• Fewer instances of fighting and

suspension

• Improved communication with

peers and others


1. Collaboration with School Leadership: CSS staff collaborates with

school leadership to assemble and train a school-based Stakeholder

Team.

2. Faculty Advisors: CSS staff collaborates with the school-based

Stakeholder Team to identify, select, train, and support Faculty

Advisors.

3. Peer Leaders: Faculty Advisors select and train Peer Leaders through

an out-of-school retreat and a daily, credit-bearing leadership class.

4. Weekly Outreach Sessions: Peer Leaders mentor and support

younger peers in curriculum-driven weekly sessions, carefully planned

special events, meaningful service learning projects and informally

throughout the school day and year.

5. Family Nights: Parents/caregivers participate in special family events.

6. 10th Grade Booster Sessions: Younger peers receive additional

support for a second year.


Questions, Thoughts,

and Discussion


Final Reflections• What is something you’ve heard or thought about

today that will stay with you?

• What’s one next step you would like to take back

to your own school?


For additional information about CSS or

Peer Group Connection, please contact:

Dr. Margo Ross

[email protected]

609.252.9300 x 113


mailto:[email protected]