The Academic Mentoring Program is designed to complement the role that parent or guardian(s) and teaching staff play in a student’s life by providing adult mentors to students in select schools within the Iowa City Community School District. Mentors are caring individuals who, along with parents or guardians, help to provide students with support, counsel, friendship, reinforcement and a constructive example ultimately building positive connections in the community for our students.

Description:
The Academic Mentoring Program (AMP) is a program in the Iowa City Community School District that is focused around helping students improve their academic and social skills through a combination of mentoring and case management services. Students in grades 7-12 at the following schools will be invited to participate in this program: Northwest Jr. High, South East Jr. High, North Central Jr. High, West Senior High and City Senior High schools.

Students in AMP will be matched one-on-one with a volunteer mentor who has been screened by Big Brothers Big Sisters. The mentor/student matches will have the opportunity to meet once a week at the student’s school, along with the option to do summer activities together in the community. All activities will be planned around helping students enjoy learning and achieve continued success in school!

Each mentor/student match will also be provided support from a Site Coordinator from either United Action for Youth (UAY) or MECCA who will be in charge of monitoring and supporting the match. The Site Coordinator will also be responsible for keeping parent/guardian(s) and teacher(s) actively involved in the student’s individual mentoring plan.

History:
The Iowa City Community School District is the 5th largest district in Iowa with an enrollment of approximately 11,000 students at 23 area schools. The Academic Mentoring Program was developed in 2005 under a grant the school district received from the U.S. Dept. of Education to provide an additional level of support to 4th-8th grade students in 7 of our highest need buildings. In 2006, the school district received an additional grant from the Iowa Dept. of Public Health to extend the Academic Mentoring Program into both of the area high schools. We are now able to serve eligible 4th-12th graders with consistency as they move through the difficult transitions from elementary school to junior high school and junior high school to high school. As AMP has developed, it has become clear that the highest need for mentors is at the junior high and high schools levels which is why our efforts have become focused on supporting 7th-12th graders in the ICCSD.

Contact people:

Coreen Frank, Program Director, (phone), (email) Joan Vanden Berg, Youth & Family Dev. Coordinator, (phone)

Address:

509 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City, IA 52240 (See a map)

Overall Experience   
This is my second year as an AMP volunteer. It is a rewarding way to volunteer with a student who needs academic and social support. This is a wonderful volunteer opportunity for a college student, a person with a flexible schedule, or retired individuals.

BB/BS of Johnson County did a great job matching my mentee and me. UAy provides caseworker support and lets me know pressures the student has outside of school. The ICSD provides great space and resources for the program participants. This program allows me to stay in touch with young people one child at a time. posted on November 6, 2006