Cincinnati ACE : Achievement and Creation for Excellence

By: Chris McCullen, Megan Palmer, and Brittany Wanner

Stats

• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):

o one in 10 new mothers is a teenager o teen pregnancy rates in the United States are still

nine times higher than those in most other developed countries

Stats continued…

• The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and the CDC cite pregnancy as the No. 1 reason teen girls drop out of high school.

• Fewer than four in 10 (38%) teen girls who have a child before they turn 18 earn their high school diploma.

• Fewer than 2% of teens who have a baby before the age of 18 obtain a college degree by age 30.

Stats Continued…

Teen Mothers: Barriers and Needs Preventing High School Graduation

• Finding childcare• Medical Care – for child and mother, time and

access• Social/Emotional trauma• Loss/lack of support system• Lack of financial stability• Despair• Need parenting /life skills training• Potential Homelessness

Successful programs that support teen mothers in graduating from high school share

these common components:

• a small school setting dedicated to serving teen mothers

• collaboration with outside community organizations• on-site healthcare and childcare services• on-site individual counseling and mentoring• on- and off-site group therapy sessions• academic support services and career preparation• case management services.

School Program

• Four year high school for teen mothers• Normal HS curriculum, along with child

rearing/home economics class and budgeting/accounting class

• Partner with local college for child care• Nurse Practitioner once a week for pre/post

natal care • Flexibility with attendence• Extended school day 8 am – 4 pm

Corporation Work Study Model

• Based off of the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School- http://www.cristorey.net • Spend one day a week interning • Students matched with a business based on

interests • Corporations pay for tuition – help fund school

Small Groups1. Provide social/emotional support · Discuss parenting tips and strategies· Overcoming obstacles· Post-partum and Trauma 2. Career and College Preparation · Resumes· Interviewing Skills· College Applications· Financial Aid/FAFSA· Assessments

Small Groups Continued…

• O*NET Ability Profiler• Interest Determination, Exploration and

Assessment System (IDEAS)

Mentors

• “Mentoring is broadly defined as a process in which an experienced person conveys knowledge, skills, or emotional support to a mentee or protégé” (Blechman, 1992).

• Rhodes, Ebert, and Fischer (1992} surveyed 129 young African American mothers and found that those who had a natural mentor (defined as a supportive non-parent or non-peer/reported lower levels of depression than those who did not have a mentor. Though not focused specifically on mentors, several studies have reported that nonparent or non-peer supportive relationships may enhance psychosocial well-being among at-risk youth (Galbo, 1986; Garmezy, 1985; Rutter, 1987).

Mentors

• Each student will be paired with a woman who has a professionally established career.

• Guide them on career development, social-emotional needs, and others

• Stay in contact with small groups instructor • Formally ends at graduation, but hope they

continue the relationship

Literature – Case Study of a Mentor Program

• Aimed to increase education and career skills among those at risk – teen mothers

• 20 low income teen mothers• Assigned a professionally employed mentor

while in high school• Examined the educational and employment

outcomes• Participants were all volunteers

Interview

• Telephone interview approx. 30 minutes• Consisted of closed and open ended questions- Current income- Employment and education status- Relationship with mentor- Influence mentor had - Use of public assistance- Demographic characteristics

Findings• At the time of the interviews, 6 of the 20 were still in HS• Among the 14 out of HS, 12 were enrolled in some form of further

education • 4 who were enrolled in community colleges, had plans to transfer to a 4

year college • 5 of the 6 still in high school had goals of post-secondary education.• Too early to determine long-term employment outcomes• 6 out of 20 (30%) were working but averaged 5.56 an hour• 19 out of the 20 were positive in their comments about their mentor

experience• 17 out of 20 said their mentor had influenced their educational plans• 8 out of the 14 that were out of HS sad they are still in contact with their

mentors regularly, even though the program formally ends when they graduate.

Quotes from interviews

• “My mentor is my baby's godmother. She comes to lots of our family gatherings and she babysat so I could go to the prom.”

• “I am very close to my mentor--she even came to the hospital when I was in labor.”

• “I graduated from high school four years ago and I still see my mentor. She helps me solve problems and make decisions--I even got a free car from her once. I hope to be her friend for the rest of my life.”

Social Network Theory• Suggests that resource mobilization, upward mobility, and social adaptation

are correlated with social networks that are large and diverse as opposed to small and intimate

• Having a less intimate relationship with someone who has connections with different social environments may help gain access to resources they wouldn't have otherwise

• Those with more numerous and diverse acquaintances have been found to be more successful in securing a job.

• Social network analysts stress the value and function of multidimensional relationships and networks that include both close and distant ties

• So among the at-risk youth, mentors can serve as "bridging ties" that can offer information and social contacts in areas such as employment and education that may not be available otherwise, thus facilitating resource mobilization and upward mobility.

Gottfredson’s Career Theory

• AKA theory of social space, circumscription and compromise

• Describes how career choices are developed by individual’s views of the occupational choices available to them

• Self-concept is also a central themeo Influenced by socioeconomic background, values, place in

society and gendero Recognizes external barriers that limit access to certain goals

such as career aspirations

Career Theory continued…

• Social space – creating a list of acceptable career paths

• Circumscription – narrowing of these choices• Compromise – adjusting goals to fit external

circumstances

Goals of our program

1. Graduate High School2. Enter work force/further education within 6 months after graduation 3. Establish a support system – staying in contact with mentors long term4. Prepare them for real world challenges5. Final long term goal: Down the road, have them come back as mentors

Program Evaluation

• Numerous assessments to determine if our program is effective

• Conduct a longitudinal study tracking students six years after graduation

- Determine if they have been using the skills learned and know how to apply them

- Track GPA rate, graduation rate, and dropout rate

• Assessments will show the need, cost, and efficiency for the program

Evaluation continued…

• Main evaluation will be a formative assessment

o Monitors students learning and helps reveal strengths and weaknesses

o Lets faculty know what problems need to be addressed

• Summative assessment o Allows our program to evaluate student learningo Can be used as a reference to what to continue and what to

change

References• http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/why-it-matters/pdf

/Childbearing-Education-EconomicWellbeing.pdf• http://www.childtrends.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/

child_trends-2010_01_22_FS_diplomaattainment.pdf• http://www.socialworktoday.com/archive/031912p24.shtml

Prescod, D. J., & Daire, A. P. (2013). Career intervention considerations for unwed young black mothers in the United States. Adult Span Journal, 12(2) Zippay, A. (1995). Expanding employment skills and social networks among teen mothers: Case study of a mentor program. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 12(1)