Abstract
The involvement of community business partners in helping to close the achievement gap for students is a novel idea examined via detailed study of relevant literature and the results of a pilot intervention program. While the achievement gap is a problem for all student groups, the difference tends to be greater for students born into disadvantaged settings such as minority, single parent, poverty level, and government-assisted living situations. A review of literature was conducted to gain a greater understanding of the academic achievement gap, its causes and effects, the region in which the study was conducted, and relevant aspects of a systems approach to mentoring and social learning theory as they may be applied to educational reform. The mentoring intervention under review was one that infused a strategy for adding community business partners to the list of educational stakeholders—a list traditionally considered exclusively representative of teachers, parents, administrators, and students.
A Mid-Atlantic School District found itself struggling to educate an increasingly diverse student body amidst a growing achievement gap, increasing dropout rates, and general dissatisfaction on the part of teachers, parents, and students. The conclusions concerning the struggles of this Mid-Atlantic high school and their origins led to the development of the pilot mentoring intervention program which sought to establish and strengthen connections and collaboration between stakeholder groups to foster student achievement. This research study analyzes the underlying conditions of the organization and the origins of its challenges. It then reviews the pilot mentoring intervention program’s effect on measures of academic achievement and proposes recommendations for full implementation designed to promote the stability and adaptability required to close the achievement gap and prepare students for matriculation through the acquisition of 21st Century Skills.