Criminal Justice Statistical Analysis Center

While mentoring programs are generally well received interventions, research indicates mixed results in terms of their impact. Nearly everyone is familiar with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America organization and likely has positive attitudes toward their programs which started forming as early as 1904. Success of mentoring programs is, however, often contingent upon the program design and implementation. Those programs that have had proven impacts on relationships, attitudes, school attendance and performance, and antisocial behaviors are well designed and follow strict implementation models. Little is also known about whether these impacts, when found, can last over time. Follow-ups, when available, are generally short term and not all that favorable. This report illustrates the results of an impact study of the HOPE (Helping Others Pursue Excellence) Community Development Corporation's mentoring program. The program is a faith-based initiative designed to improve academic performance and behavior of at-risk youth by providing mentors in typically under performing schools. The mentors or Youth Development Specialists, seek to develop positive relationships with the youth by engaging in various activities mainly at the school. Academic tutoring and lessons related to moral development are also provided to encourage the youth to become better students and citizens and ultimately prevent delinquency. In a prior study (Haas and Turley, 2008), characteristics of the design and implementation of the HOPE CDC's mentoring program were measured against those of programs that have proven successful in the past. The goal of that study was to determine if the program contained elements that would suggest the potential for the positive impacts they envisioned. While the HOPE CDC's program was generally well received by those involved, the study found problems with its design and implementation strategy that could hinder its ability to produce positive impacts. Like other newly developed prevention and intervention programs, HOPE CDC experienced common implementation issues at the beginning of the school year. In addition, the study found that the model chosen as a basis for the HOPE CDC mentoring program was not evidence-based and that they departed from this curriculum in several important ways. For example, the mentors were found to be managing large caseloads rather than developing close personal relationships. Both program and school staff indicated that there was a heavy focus on academic performance and tutoring rather than mentoring. Other weaknesses of the program included little or no evidence of formal performance monitoring and an inadequate use of …