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St. Paul school mentors look to close learning gap
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
October 27, 2003

John Harrison, a seventh grade student at Cleveland Middle School, gets mentoring help from Victor Patterson. (MPR Photo/Tim Pugmire)

The St. Paul school district has launched a new effort to try to close the achievement gap between students of color and their white classmates. A mentoring project, called Chosen to Achieve, will connect African American adults with struggling black students in three East Side middle schools. Each participating student will have two mentors helping them overcome academic and social challenges.

St. Paul, Minn. — The St. Paul school district recruited 130 African American men and women for the Chosen to Achieve project. Victor Patterson, a Twin Cities-based sales representative for the pharmaceutical company Merck, says despite humble beginnings, he found success in education and business. Patterson says he now wants to share those lessons as a mentor to John Harrison, a seventh grade student at Cleveland Middle School.

Patterson is part of a mentoring team. He works with another adult volunteer, Jarvis Archibald, to help Harrison improve his grades and behavior.

"It kind of falls into the old adage two heads are better than one," Patterson said. "And together with myself and Jarvis we feel confident that what we'll be able offer John and the direction we'll be able to provide for him will help in go in the direction that he has set for himself."

After three meetings with his mentors, John Harrison says he thinks they're already having a positive impact. He says he appreciates the chance to talk to someone during the school day.

"Sometimes I really don't get a chance to talk to other people about what I think about school and at home and all that," Harrison said. "I don't feel comfortable talking to people about that. But they make me feel like they're my brothers or something. So I just say it to them."

	Pat Harvey

Parents, teachers and principals helped select 60 African American students for the program from three middle schools: Battle Creek, Cleveland and Hazel Park. Superintendent Pat Harvey says participating students have potential but need an extra boost.

"Every year teachers see kids that they know should be doing much better than they currently are," Harvey said. "They're bright young people. They have the makings of being some outstanding students. But for whatever the reasons are, and there are as many reasons as there are kids, they need some additional help."

State and local education officials are struggling to close the achievement gap between white and black students. A recent national study found Minnesota's 45 percentage point gap on the Basic Skills Test in math was the largest of any state. Harvey says mentoring is just one piece of the solution. She says the caring adults will show students that academic success is within their reach.

"It's important in their lives that they have a successful person who is willing to work with them and that they can identify with, Harvey said.

Harvey says a sustained relationship is the key. Research appears to support that point. Child Trends, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., recently reviewed studies of ten mentoring programs. The analysis found youth involved in a mentoring relationship for more than 12 months had increased confidence, higher grades, better attendance and were less likely to use alcohol or drugs. Those in short-term relationships showed no significant improvements or actually felt less confident about school.

Local organizars are optimistic.

"It's going to have a huge impact," said Anna Young, program coordinator.

Young is running the district's Chosen to Achieve program on a minimal budget. She personally recruited each of the mentors. The volunteers include business owners, church leaders, police officers, teachers and retirees. They'll all get special training. Young says she found people were eager to help kids.

"People said you know you're going to have a hard time," Young said. "And I thought I would, but when I started asking people it was incredible because it was almost like they were waiting for something. They're like, this makes sense. This is what we need to be doing."

Young says discussions are already underway to expand the mentoring program to three more St. Paul middle schools next year.

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