The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Gwinnett mentoring programs expanded
Popular courses enjoy a high rate of success in engaging, elevating kids.
Such programs for Hispanic and Black students went virtual but are growing despite pandemic — or perhaps because of it.
Maria Reyes’ son was in the sixth grade at Moore Middle School outside Lawrenceville, earning grades she described as “a little low,” when he brought home an invitation to Gwinnett County Public Schools’ mentoring program for Hispanic students in spring 2019.
Reyes, who immigrated 14 years ago from Mexico, signed her son up. He began participating in the program’s science camps, reading sessions and Saturday life lessons. The program gave tips to parents too. Reyes’ son started getting better grades.
“I’m also learning how to motivate him to make an effort and study,” Reyes said in Spanish.
Mentoring programs for African American and Hispanic students, each making up one third of the Gwinnett school district, have gone virtual but are still growing in spite of the pandemic — or perhaps because of it.
“It’s exploding because of word of mouth,” said Nury Crawford, director of Gwinnett schools’ Hispanic Mentoring Priority. “The need became higher.”
The school district began the programs to help close achievement gaps between Black and Hispanic students and their peers, by providing resources and connecting students with mentors who serve as role models.
The Hispanic student program began in the middle schools that feed into Meadowcreek and Berkmar high schools, but it has expanded to serve about 200 middle schoolers in 15 high school feeder patterns. Schools invite students who need academic or social support into the program, but as word spreads, parents are calling Crawford directly for help.
In addition to the program’s events and monthly activities, volunteers from across metro Atlanta mentor the students one- on- one or in small groups. Through community donations, the program gives out school supplies, and during t he pandemic the program helped families get computers for at-home digital learning.
In Gwinnett, Hispanic students have the lowest high school graduation rate of any racial or ethnic subgroup, at 72%, according to state data. Hispanic students also graduate at below- average rates nationally, according to federal statistics
This year, 33% of Gwinnett students are Hispanic, 32% are Black ,20% are white ,11% are Asian or Pacific Islander sand 4% are multiracial, according to the school district.
Many Hispanic families in G win nett are first-or second-generation immigrants adjusting to a new language and a public education system very different from those in other countries. Many work long hours for low pay and don’t have the time or resources to find help for their children.
Crawford, who immigrated from Peru with her family when she was 10, can relate.
“I am the kids that I serve,” she said. “I have extra love for the parents because those are my parents.”
The Hispanic mentoring program begins in middle school, laying the foundation for high school. It’s an age when students develop an aversion to seeking help, for reasons Crawford remembers from her childhood.
“You become very cognizant of the struggles your family is having and you don’t want to add to it ,” she said.
Crawford and two other workers setup a table Wednesday at lunchtime in the central court of Plaza Las Americas near Berkmar High. They gave out materials for science experiments to complete at home, snacks and Christmas presents, including stuffed animals from the Atlanta Gladiators minor league hockey team. The program has also given away food vouchers and Walmart gift cards to help with holiday dinners.
Eloisa Garcia was one of the first to arrive. She picked up a bag for her daughter, an eighth grader who had not been much interested in school but is now participating in a coding boot camp. The mentoring program signed up to offer the program through Nickelodeon and the Hispanic Heritage Foundation.
“She love sit, she loves it,” Garcia said in Spanish. “Thank God for this.”
The Gwinnett school district’ s Community-Based Mentoring Program began in 2009 with an initiative for 57 African American boys. Now more than 600 African American boys are in the program, its director James Rayford told the school board in an October presentation. The district has also added a program for African American girls.
In the 2018- 2019 school year, 94% of the students in the African American Boys Priority were promoted to the next grade level and 65% had two or fewer disciplinary incidents. The program i s conducting many of the same virtual activities as the Hispanic Priority, and its students this year will research Black history leaders, Rayford said.
Both programs are in need of more volunteer mentors.
“Our mentoring program is changing the direction of many of our students’ lives and we’re real proud of that,” Rayford said. “We still have some ways to go. We know how large our district is.”