2015 NPEA Conference Presentation

1. Peer Group Connection:
Transforming Schools Through Evidence-
Based Mentoring
Dr. Margo Ross
Senior Director of Development
Center for Supportive Schools
2015 NPEA Annual Conference
Philadelphia, PA
April 17, 2015

2. CENTER FOR SUPPORTIVE SCHOOLS Peer Group Connection2

3. Who are we?
Center for Supportive Schools (CSS)
 Partner with schools to help create safer and more
supportive, engaging, inspiring environments
 Has served hundreds of schools since 1979 and our work
touches tens of thousands of students, educators, and
parents annually
 Highly committed to implementing effective programs in
partnership with communities that have large numbers of
economically disadvantaged youth
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4. Who are you?
• District and School
Administrators
• Teachers
• Student Support Services
Professionals
• Elementary Educators
• Middle Grades Educators
• High School Educators
• Government Leaders
• Community-Based and
Nonprofit Leaders
• Business Leaders
• Funders
• Parents
• Students
• Who did we miss?
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5. Learning Objectives
As a result of participating in this workshop, learners will be
able to:
• appreciate the need to focus on key transition years in efforts
to improve students’ sense of school connectedness
• articulate why feeling connected to school leads to fewer
dropouts, higher grades, and reduced bullying
• understand the strategies and actions of an evidence-based
peer group mentoring model that enhances school
connectedness for students and eases the transition into
middle and high school for incoming students
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6. Importance of Transition Years
 Research consistently demonstrates that students are most
vulnerable for dropping out of school during and
immediately following their first year of high school.
 For most students, the process of dropping out begins in
middle school, when the habits that predict whether or not a
student graduates are formed, making it a critical “make or
break” period.
 Programs that support students throughout the transition
from elementary to middle and middle to high school and
extending throughout the transition year have the greatest
impact on keeping students engaged and in school.
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7. Transition & Challenges
From your experiences and observations,
what are the most significant challenges facing
students as they transition into middle school or
high school?
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8. Effective Transition Programs
• Have adequate support of school
leadership
• Develop individual social skills
• Are theory driven
• Involve interactive teaching
approaches (e.g. small group
activities and role plays)
• Use properly selected and trained
peer leaders to facilitate delivery
of the program
• Integrate other segments of the
community (e.g. family members)
• Are delivered over multiple
structured sessions over multiple
years
• Provide adequate training and
support to program facilitators
• Are culturally and developmentally
appropriate for the students they
serve
• Integrate into the regular school
day
• Reach all students transitioning
• Have adequate resources
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9. What is Peer Group Connection (PGC)?
A peer-to-peer group mentoring model that trains and
mobilizes older/more experienced students to help ease the
transition into school for incoming students and improve
school culture and climate.
• PGC for high schools: 11th and 12th graders support 9th
graders
• PGC for middle schools: 8th graders support 6th graders
• PGC for alternative schools: More experienced students
supporting incoming/newer students
Each of these programs uses a distinct and developmentally
appropriate curriculum.
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10. PGC: When and Why
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When • During the regular school day
• Daily leadership course for student leaders
• Weekly group mentoring sessions for younger/less
experienced students led by trained student leaders
• Throughout the entire year and beyond
Why To enhance school connectedness and build social,
emotional, leadership, and academic skills to support
educational outcomes such as remaining in school, student
achievement, increased attendance, lower suspension rates,
and, ultimately, graduation from high school ready for college.

11. Getting Grounded
School connectedness
- the belief by students that people in the school care
about their learning and about them as individuals –
is a powerful protective factor in the lives of young people
and an important prerequisite to reduced bullying, greater
academic achievement, lower dropout rates, improved
grades, fewer discipline referrals, and fewer high-risk
behaviors.
Blum & Libbey, 2004; http://www.casel.org/basics/climate.php
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12. My Teenage Self
Once upon a time, we were where our students are. Our
experiences may have looked different from theirs, or our
experiences may have looked similar. Almost across the
board, though, adolescence wasn’t—and isn’t—easy.
To help establish context for considering programming that
supports school connectedness and ensures that students
make an effective transition into high school, let’s begin with a
quick visit back to that time and place when we, too, were
teenagers…
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13. Directions
Working in groups of three, participants introduce themselves to
one another and take turns sharing responses to any one of the
following questions:
• What is one memory you have about a time in school when
you felt strongly connected to other students?
• What is one memory you have about a time in school when
you felt strongly disconnected from other students?
• Think back to one adult in your school experience who threw
you a lifeline – this adult knew you and cared about you,
and this person’s caring made a positive difference in your
life.
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14. Reflections
• What patterns did we see emerge in our memories of school
connectedness and disconnectedness?
• What might make it even harder for today’s students to
experience a sense of school connectedness?
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15. Our Strategy
Peer-to-peer group mentoring is a straightforward, cost-
effective, and evidence-based model for:
• Enhancing school connectedness for students through
caring relationships with adults and one another
• Easing the transition into middle and high school
• Training and mobilizing students to be lifelong leaders
who make schools better for themselves, their peers, and
younger students
• Helping students develop the leadership, academic, social,
and emotional skills that are proven to result in school and
life success
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16. PGC for High Schools
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Two faculty advisors team-teach the daily peer leadership course
Stakeholder Team
Coordinator
Stakeholder
Team
(8-10 administrators,
faculty, parents, students)
16-18 peer leaders co-facilitate weekly activities for freshmen in small groups
to discuss common issues facing high school students
10-14freshmen
10-14freshmen
10-14freshmen
10-14freshmen
10-14freshmen
10-14freshmen
10-14freshmen
0-14freshmen

17. PGC Curriculum
• Sense of School Belonging
• Competence in Interpersonal
Relationships
• Conflict Resolution, Anger
Management, & Violence
Prevention
• Bullying & Bystander Behavior
• Achievement Orientation &
Motivation
The PGC curriculum uses engaging, hands-on activities to address
issues that have been shown to help reduce risk behaviors and
produce positive student outcomes, including high school
completion. Curriculum topics include:
• Goal Setting
• Coping Skills
• Decision Making
• Peer Acceptance & Resisting
Peer Pressure
• Anger Management
• Stress Management
• Service Learning
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18. PGC for Middle Schools
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19. A Firsthand Look at PGC
et’s watch a brief video segment that highlights the
PGC-HS program in Union City, New Jersey, where
students are immersed in mentoring roles. What
resonates with you?
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20. Results: Graduation Rates
All Students
77%
68%
50%
60%
70 %
80 %
90%
Program Group Cont rol Group
Male Students
81%
63%
50%
60%
70 %
80 %
90%
Program Group Cont rol Group
% of Ninth Grade Students Who Graduated from High School
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Johnson, Simon, & Mun. (2013). The Journal of Educational Research.

21. Results: Graduation Rates
Male Students
91%
78%
50%
60%
70 %
80 %
90%
10 0%
Program Group Cont rol Group
% of Ninth Grade Males who Entered High School with High Probability of
Graduating who Graduated from High School
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Johnson, Simon, & Mun. (2013). The Journal of Educational Research.

22. Other Results
• Higher grades
• Higher on-time promotion rates
• Better attendance
• Fewer discipline referrals
• Fewer instances of fighting and
suspension
• Improved communication with
peers and others
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23. 1. Collaboration with School Leadership: CSS staff collaborates with
school leadership to assemble and train a school-based Stakeholder
Team.
2. Faculty Advisors: CSS staff collaborates with the school-based
Stakeholder Team to identify, select, train, and support Faculty
Advisors.
3. Peer Leaders: Faculty Advisors select and train Peer Leaders through
an out-of-school retreat and a daily, credit-bearing leadership class.
4. Weekly Outreach Sessions: Peer Leaders mentor and support
younger peers in curriculum-driven weekly sessions, carefully planned
special events, meaningful service learning projects and informally
throughout the school day and year.
5. Family Nights: Parents/caregivers participate in special family events.
6. 10th Grade Booster Sessions: Younger peers receive additional
support for a second year.
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24. Questions, Thoughts,
and Discussion
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25. Final Reflections
• What is something you’ve heard or thought about
today that will stay with you?
• What’s one next step you would like to take back
to your own school?
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26. For additional information about CSS or
Peer Group Connection, please contact:
Dr. Margo Ross
mross@supportiveschools.org
609.252.9300 x 113
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