In 2009, the United States’ college-dropout rate exceeded that of high school. In 2013, there were 29.1 million college dropouts vs. 24.5 million from high school.
We must make sure students not only graduate from high school, but also have the tools and the support to succeed once they do. Programs that provide students with trusted adult relationships should consider extending virtual-mentoring support during the college transition.
According to a 2014 study by the nonprofit MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, one in three young people ages 18 to 21—an estimated 16 million youths—report that they have never had a mentor of any kind, whether a family member or another older adult. For at-risk youths, the numbers are even higher: An estimated 9 million students don’t have mentors.
As a nation, we can continue to argue over whether we should make school choice programs more available, to wring our hands over how to reinvigorate our public school system, or to blame teachers’ unions for the mess. Or we can expand mentoring programs for students that will have a lasting effect on their lives, well beyond their teenage years. The choice seems obvious.
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