Bill Overview
Title: Transition-to-Success Mentoring Act
Description: This bill permanently reauthorizes educational programs that assist at-risk middle school students. It also establishes a transition-to-success mentoring program requiring the Department of Education to award grants to eligible entities (e.g., local educational agencies) to provide school-based mentoring programs to assist at-risk students in transitioning from middle to high school.
Sponsors: Rep. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7]
Target Audience
Population: At-risk middle school students transitioning to high school
Estimated Size: 2800000
- The mentoring program targets at-risk students in middle schools, who are in the transitional phase to high school, implying that primarily middle school students will be affected.
- The program involves local educational agencies, thus directly impacting educational institutions and their staff involved in these programs.
- The bill permanently reauthorizes educational programs for at-risk students, suggesting a nationwide scope as it affects all qualifying students across the U.S.
- Data must be gathered on the number of middle school students classified as 'at-risk' to estimate the impact accurately.
Reasoning
- The target population for the policy is approximately 2.8 million at-risk middle school students preparing to transition to high school in the U.S.
- The budget constraints suggest the policy aims to implement broad interventions, likely serving a significant portion but not all of the target population initially.
- The policy scope includes potentially affected educators and mentors who implement this program, adding additional perspectives to consider.
- By considering a mix of directly impacted students and others within their lives (such as parents and educators), we can gain a thorough understanding of the potential impacts.
Simulated Interviews
Student (Detroit, MI)
Age: 13 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm worried about high school because nobody at home knows how to help me with my school work.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 5 |
Student (Rural Alabama)
Age: 14 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I feel like there's no one to guide me about what comes next after middle school.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
High school student (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 16 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 1.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Having had a mentor helped me focus better in high school. It made a huge difference.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 7 |
Student (New York, NY)
Age: 12 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 3
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 14/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My teachers don't really have time to help me, and I don't know what I'll do in high school.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 3 |
Student (Chicago, IL)
Age: 14 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 2.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I can't always make school my priority because I need to help out at home.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 4 |
Middle school teacher (Houston, TX)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- These programs are crucial. With more support and structure, I can help more students succeed into high school.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
High school student (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 15 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 4.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- My younger brother could benefit a lot from a mentor. It was a challenge for me without one.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 6 |
Student (Seattle, WA)
Age: 13 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 3.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm excited at the thought of having someone guide me through this next big step.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
Guidance counselor (Miami, FL)
Age: 41 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I see a lot of potential in these students. Mentoring opens doors they never knew they had.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 20 | 9 | 7 |
Parent (Boston, MA)
Age: 45 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- The mentoring is a lifeline that changes the path of these kids. I hope it reaches even more families.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 8 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $500000000 (Low: $450000000, High: $550000000)
Year 2: $500000000 (Low: $450000000, High: $560000000)
Year 3: $510000000 (Low: $460000000, High: $570000000)
Year 5: $530000000 (Low: $480000000, High: $590000000)
Year 10: $570000000 (Low: $520000000, High: $630000000)
Year 100: $1000000000 (Low: $900000000, High: $1100000000)
Key Considerations
- The effectiveness of the mentoring programs in different regions and their scalability.
- Ongoing evaluation and feedback mechanisms are crucial to ensure the program's effectiveness and efficiency.
- The level of funding sufficiency to adequately cover the anticipated cost for each target student.