Age range

Website: www.philadelphiafutures.org

Mission/Goals: Philadelphia Futures prepares low-income students to enter and succeed in college by providing mentoring, academic enrichment, college guidance, and financial assistance.

Sources: www.philadelphiafutures.org; www.volunteersolutions.org/

volunteerway/org/215672.html; www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/projects/

afterschool/mott/sas.html

Notes: The program matches at-risk youth with mentors who provide one-on-one long-term mentoring for five years, beginning in the ninth grade. Participants must be economically disadvantaged, at a middle level of academic achievement, and exhibit motivation as well as have an interest in attending college. Mentors and students meet monthly. SAS is highlighted in a national publication, Contemporary Issues in Mentoring, as one of four models for mentoring for the 21st century.

Type of Evaluation: Quasi-Experimental (matched-group).
 

Objective: To assess whether the program influences the academic performance of students and whether participation has a greater influence on certain types of students or on students in certain types of mentoring relationships.

Impact/Outcome Findings: SAS participants had higher GPAs in 10th and 11th grade than the comparison group. Participants did not have significantly different 12th grade GPAs. Participants were more likely to attend college and were engaged in more college preparatory activities than the comparison group. Participants did not differ significantly from the comparison group on self confidence or self esteem.