P-12 Mentoring Through Critical Transitions for At-Risk, Rising Secondary, and Newcomer ELL Students: SEL, Inclusivity, and Decreasing the Achievement Gap

Introduction

The return to a school environment post-pandemic was very daunting for both teachers and students. Virtual learning, after 18 months, became commonplace for students. “They” say it only takes 21 days to build a habit. If that is true then our students and teachers were far beyond creating a habit. Virtual learning became the new norm, which made the return to school and the acclimation to a structured environment very difficult, both academically and emotionally. Instructional leaders were challenged with the task to find solutions and practices for staff and students that would make this transition back to school effective for all stakeholders.

All stakeholders needed support. Some more than others. Instructional leaders recognized that they must provide and differentiate these supports for staff and students. One prominent practice that was introduced was various types of mentoring. Mentoring is not a new concept, but tailored programs had to be created to accommodate these needs. This chapter explores successfully implemented mentoring programs as solutions to the three types of transitions that students have endured: COVID-19 transitions back and forth to remote, hybrid and in person instruction; transition from primary to secondary school settings; and the transition of newcomer emergent bilingual learners. This chapter will look at three specific programs that address these transitions using the instructional principles included in social emotional learning (SEL), inclusivity and sense of belonging, and closing the achievement gap.

Each of these transitions not only affect marginalized students but all students, holistically. High achieving students as well as at-risk students struggled with returning to school post remote-learning. All transitioning students to high school deal with the same level of stress present with the move (don’t some students deal with higher levels of stress? In both cases student emotional health is compromised. For the foreseeable future, educators will have to grapple with a host of additional challenges that will complicate students’ abilities to learn, such as increased anxiety, substance abuse, and hyperactivity—all symptoms of the trauma many students have lived through this past year (Prothero, 2021).

All three types of transitions can cause stress for students and staff. Research shows that stress reactions will make it harder for children to learn (Pothero, 2021). It may not be obvious right away to parents and teachers but students may manifest the trauma experienced from the transitions through poor sleep habits or substance abuse. More than ever, throughout these transitions, educators need to be observant of students' behavior. These behaviors require immediate feedback and attention. Although teacher feedback is important, the most effective feedback can be attained when provided by trained teachers and peer mentors who students can relate to. In order for schools to create these mentoring opportunities, they must first understand why students struggle through transitions.