Mentoring through Education Movement
At Collaborative Tutoring, we believe in working in collaboration with community partners to utilize resources to guide and support children and young individuals from all walks of life towards success; while fostering positive learning environments- through education, mentorship, community service, and volunteerism. The Mentoring through Education Movement (MEM) project is based on an innovative student-centered approach combined with mentoring and experiential learning to revolutionize traditional ways of learning. The MEM project will allow youth and young adults (in the 7th through 12th grades) coming from high-crime, high-poverty communities within Los Angeles County, to receive high-quality tutoring services in combination with real life experiential learning through volunteerism, community service, and restorative justice. Volunteerism will play a large role in the student’s education by promoting learning both inside and outside the classroom. Students will volunteer with non-profit organizations of their choice for a minimum of 21 hours over the course of the project. Types of volunteering opportunities will positively impact: the environment (i.e. conservation), community enhancement, education, the homeless, humanitarian efforts, etc. All volunteerism and community service activities will promote altruism for the greater good of humanity. Restorative justice will be carried out through the power of poetry, art, creative writing, and/or skits/plays created by the students, which will be showcased at Collaborative Tutoring’s Mentoring through Education Movement Celebration. Collaborative Tutoring focuses on the meaningful experiences young people encounter within their lives. Our “Educator/Mentors” will provide one-on-one and/or small group tutoring and mentorship, using the student’s Life Plan as a tool towards success. This movement will allow students to experience education with a whole new approach through relationship building. Our goal is transform our student’s way of learning through various avenues. Not only will students learn within the classroom setting, but they will continue their learning through experiences outside of the classroom. The Mentoring through Education Movement is expected to develop teaching communities in which teaching not only happens in the classroom, but within the communities in Los Angeles as well. Teaching communities will allow students at a middle school and high school level to teach both adults and children by using what they have learned within their experiences. For example, a high school student could adopt a “reading buddy” to improve literacy among elementary school aged children. These teaching communities could be modeled and replicated in all environments and among all ages (young and old). A harsh reality in Los Angeles is that our young individuals either are, or are at high-risk of dropping out of high school, being on probation/incarcerated, entering gangs, becoming homeless, etc. Due to the lack of access to resources, it is through the Mentoring through Education Movement that will continue to educate and guide young individuals towards success within their lives. In addition to tutoring services, Collaborative Tutoring’s Mentoring through Education Movement will provide Life Skills workshops, to enhance young people’s socio-emotional development and leadership skills. Workshops include, but are not limited to: using Microsoft Office, basic computer skills (i.e. typing, software), Internet use, E-mail, FAFSA, CAHSEE Prep, College Prep, parenting, job readiness, budgeting, forgiveness, leadership, health, college applications, communication, technology, etc. Successful completion of the program will allow students the chance to become part of the MEM Internship program. MEM Alumni will be able to apply to become an intern with one of our collaborating partners. Within this internship program, young individuals will have access to a business mentor/s in the workforce. Through Collaborative Tutoring’s Mentoring through Education Movement, we expect the project to impact education with: • 100% of our students will show improvement in their academics • An increase in High School Diploma attainment and Graduation rates • Increase in the passing of CAHSEE’s (California High School Exit Exams) • Increase in TABE (Test of Basic Adult Education) test scores • Increase in knowledge of college preparation (FAFSA, college applications, college navigation, etc.) • Increase in college going rates and/or the desire to attend college (community college, four year institution, trade school, etc.) • Increase in confidence levels within their education and personal development • Increase in knowledge and access to resources within their communities • Increase in knowledge of career exploration and goals • Increase in life skills and leadership development • Increase in the knowledge and use of skills and tools (i.e. communication, Microsoft Office,
What are some of your organization’s most important achievements to date?
Collaborative Tutoring is an organization driven by the ultimate goal of collaborating with businesses, organizations, agencies, the young people, and their families to promote teaching through mentoring. Collaborative Tutoring has been able to connect with community-based-organizations and other agencies to provide services and resources to not only students in the Collaborative Tutoring program, but to at-risk and high-risk youth and young adults in low-income communities. We have also implemented an informal mentoring model embedded within the organization’s structure to improve student educational success and their socio-emotional development as well.
We have also been able to connect with collaborative partners to provide internship opportunities within their businesses/organizations.
It is our goal to continue to develop and implement a structured Mentoring and Internship program for our students.
Please identify any partners or collaborators who will work with you on this project.
We will partner with post-secondary institutions including, but not limited to four year institutions and community colleges within the Los Angeles County (i.e., Rio Hondo College, East Los Angeles College, Citrus College, etc.), local artists, college students, teachers, charter schools, schools within LAUSD, community-based organizations, local businesses, agencies, etc. We also will reach out to business owners and entrepreneurs, parents, volunteers, and other community members in order to successfully implement the project.
Please explain how you will evaluate your project. How will you measure success?
Collaborative Tutoring will evaluate the Mentoring through Education Movement using several methods. We will create an evaluation plan, which states our objectives, desired results, our indicators and data to measure our results, and sources of data. In combination with the evaluation plan, we will conduct quarterly SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). This will allow our organization to evaluate the project to see if we met our objectives and deliverables and make adjustments as needed.
A student’s educational progress will be tracked using mid and post progress reports. In addition to this, data will be collected using Collaborative Tutoring’s pre and post assessment and educational data collection tools, TABE tests, standardized test scores, ASCA National Standards Developmental Competencies and leadership competencies tracking tools.
Collaborative Tutoring will evaluate the mid-progress and final delivery of the Mentoring through Education Movement project with stakeholders (i.e. Advisory Committee, educator/mentors, parents, community members, etc.) and student satisfaction; asking questions such as:
• Were you satisfied with the result?
• Did the delivery of the final result run smoothly?
• Was the scope and objectives of the project representative of project delivery?
• Was the plan for project resources adequate?
• What could have been improved to make the project successful?
In addition to this, we will use KPI (Key Performance Indicators) to help us measure progress and success toward our project objectives.
We anticipate that:
• Students under this project will show a 40-60%% increase in the subjects of Math or English Language Arts- as measured by Collaborative Tutoring’s pre and post assessment tools
• There will be a 75% increase in the knowledge of college navigation including, but not limited to: FAFSA, college applications, college choices and majors, etc.- as measured by Collaborative Tutoring’s pre and post assessment tools
• 25% of high school seniors under project will graduate and earn their high school diploma- as measured by Collaborative Tutoring’s educational data collection
• Increase the passing of CAHSEE’s (California High School Exit Exams) by 20%- as measured by Collaborative Tutoring’s educational data collection
• 100% increase in knowledge of college preparation (FAFSA, college applications, college navigation, etc.)- using Collaborative Tutoring’s pre and post-assessment tools
• 60% increase in college going rates and/or the desire to attend college (community college, four year institution, trade school, etc.)- using Collaborative Tutoring’s pre and post-assessment tools
• 85% increase in confidence levels within their education- using Collaborative Tutoring’s pre and post-assessment tools
• 100% increase in knowledge and access to resources
How will your project benefit Los Angeles?
Mentoring through Education will benefit LA by providing innovative, hands-on, and experiential educational services and workshops, with the development of Learning Communities. We expect over 300 students to be served throughout Los Angeles County in high-crime, high poverty communities over the course of the project. However, through the implementation of Learning Communities, the number of individuals served throughout Los Angeles will multiply drastically. Through these teaching communities, LA will benefit by creating more jobs, decreasing unemployment rates, improving the health of LA residents, creating safe environments for residents to live, and inspiring residents to educate their children at a very young age.
Mentoring has shown to positively impact the lives of youth all over the world. It has inspired young people to face and overcome obstacles within their lives. Through the Mentoring through Education Movement, this project will revolutionize the way of learning, allowing young people to have a support system as they progress through not only their educational goals, but their lives.
Through our embedded mentoring, community service, and restorative justice approach, we expect LA to benefit from our young leaders who are succeeding and giving back to their communities. By fostering young leaders to reach their goals and succeed in their lives, we expect the same individuals to model and inspire other young people to become future leaders.
Collaborative Tutoring envisions the increase in high school diploma attainment rates within the Los Angeles County. With this, we expect that college-going rates will increase. It is our goal to build up young leaders that will pave the way for their own children and embed education within their children’s lives.
What would success look like in the year 2050 regarding your indicator?
We expect success to look like “A Culturally Diverse and Educated LA,” while working together to positively impact and educate young individuals and communities through a mentoring movement. To succeed on one’s own may be difficult, but with the support and guidance of one or more mentors, success can be limitless. We envision collaboration among our young people, their families, and communities to promote, practice, and model the Mentoring through Education Movement throughout their lives and future generations.
Success in the year 2050, will be apparent through a significant rise in educational vitality and a major decrease in recidivism rates among our young people. This will be reflective when our young leaders are leading through modeling and actively creating positive impact within their communities. With mentoring embedded as a way of learning, success will demonstrate “the young teaching the young.”
Education will no longer be a significant impediment to human development, but be the pathway for our young adults of today to succeed and lead; as future educated business owners, teachers, parents, and collaborators. Education will also be the driving force that significantly positively affects all other indicators that impede human development, including: arts and cultural vitality, environmental quality, health, housing, income and employment, public safety, and social connectedness.
Race, income, and geography will no longer have to dictate how we live and experience Los Angeles. Through the Mentoring through Education Movement, the people that make up Los Angeles will be able to have a choice on their success and how they live their lives.
Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Education in 2050, will not only change the world, but will change lives. LA in 2050 is a story of HOPE.