Experience Corps - Academic Mentoring Program

This program supports the enhancement or expansion of initiatives that will help communities develop or improve mentoring programs for at-risk or high-risk populations that are underserved due to location, shortage of mentors, special physical or mental challenges of the targeted population, or other analogous situations that the community identifies.

Experience Corps Academic Mentoring Program is a long-term, effective approach to reducing delinquency accomplished by providing high-risk children in grades K-3 with a caring, older adult academic mentor to support them in achieving reading proficiency. The goals of the program are to: 1. Reduce incidents of "high-risk behavior" in school, including withdrawal from peer groups and instructors, aggression, and inattention to teacher instruction; 2. Increase academic outcomes among participating mentees; and
3. Expand and enhance current mentoring programs through mentor training and support. The mentoring sessions focus on building vocabulary, increasing reading comprehension and increasing each child's motivation to both read and succeed in school. Founded in 1995, the Experience Corps program has been rigorously evaluated and effectively implemented in 19 communities across the country. Experience Corps Academic Mentoring Program will be implemented in 11 sites in 11 states: Arizona, California, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. The program will serve 3,990 students over the project period.
CA/NCF