The Miracle of Mentoring: The Joy of Investing in Our Future

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Introduction One of the possible research topics I plan to undertake involves analyzing the impact that mentoring can have on the graduation success rate of African American males, particularly when the mentor is a Black male and the relationship takes place in the south. In my opinion, these relationships can have a profound impact on a student’s ability to persist towards graduating from college. Though my research, I want to hear the stories of Black males who have benefited from successful mentoring relationships with other Black men. I believe that establishing a strong mentoring relationship with Black males at a young age can greatly improve their chance of academic success. Furthermore, I believe that mentoring is a strong early intervention mechanism to prevent Black males from dropping out of high school and deterring them from pursuing degrees in higher education. At the same time, I would like my research interest to focus on African American males in the south, but I would like my scope to focus on mentoring relationships between black men; both structured and unstructured. The Schott Foundations Report (2008) on public education does a great job spelling out the educational inequities in graduation rates and achievement gaps impacting African American males in the United States, particularly in the south. The Schott Foundation on Public Education mission is to develop and strengthen a broad-based and representative movement to achieve fully resourced, quality pre K-12 public education (The Schott Foundation Report, 2010). The Schott Foundation has been proactive over the years by evaluating the success of national, state and local public systems in educating Black males (The Schott Foundation Report, 2010). One of ... ... middle of paper ... ...alient factors that foster academic success for academically unprepared Black males at a Black college. The Journal of College Student Retention, 10(4), 465-482. Scales, P. C., Foster, K. C., Mannes, M., Horst, M. A., Pinto, K. C., & Rutherford, A. (2005). School-business partnerships, developmental assets, and positive outcomes among urban high school students a mixed-methods study. Urban Education, 40(2), 144-189. Strayhorn, T. (2008). The role of supportive relationships in supporting African American males’ success in college. NASPA Journal, 45(1), 26-48. The Schott Report (2010). Yes we can: The 2010 Schott 50 state report on Black males and public dducation. Retrieved from: http://schottfoundation.org/publications/schott-2010-black-male-report.pdf Thomas W. Dortch, Jr. (2000). The miracle of mentoring: the joy of investing in our future, New York: Doubleday.

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