iMentor: Using Technology to Provide Personalized Support and Develop College Knowledge

"I wouldn't have gone to college and I wouldn't have gotten my first job without my mentor. Now I want to be a mentor and show someone the one thing that people can't take away from you, and that's an education. That's what my mentor taught me.“ Julia Blue, former mentee and current mentor; graduate, Howard University; deputy finance director, New York tri-state region, Obama for America

What We Do

• Build mentoring relationships to support college success • Match every student in a school with a mentor who is a college graduate • Implement research-based curriculum and data-driven case management to support the development of healthy pair relationships.

iMentor Program Model

iMentor’s program model builds strong mentoring relationships, embeds these relationships in schools, and significantly enhances the way schools prepare students for college.

Our Mentoring Relationships

1:1 mentor mentee matches Initial commitment of 3-4 years Option to re enroll through college completion Develops relationship through weekly email and monthly in person meetings Curriculum structures all email and in person meetings around research validated outcomes Full-time case managers responsible for the success of the relationship

Focus on College Success

Match every student in a school with a mentor Embed iMentor in weekly classes 1 case manager per grade. Trained as college counselor. Share information and coordinate support with school staff Mentors are included in all college initiatives at the school Aggregate and promote effective college resources and opportunities College transition and persistence support from a trusted advisor

Core Outcomes of iMentor Mentoring Relationships

All mentor-mentee relationships utilize iMentor’s curriculum and resources to focus on 4 core outcomes.

Core Outcomes 1

Develop a strong personal relationship

2

Grow and nurture a college aspiration

3

Develop non-cognitive skills critical for college success

4

Provide individualized support with the college process and connect mentees to college resources and opportunities

Technology-Enhanced Personal Support

• • • iMentor uses technology to enhance personalized support in a number of ways: The iMentor platform provides a space for differentiated curriculum and targeted case management A Resource Database includes college access information vetted by the MD of Program Design The recently launched Texts For College Success Campaign provided personalized texts to support students in their matriculation to college

Mission and Focus

The Citi Foundation supports the economic empowerment and financial inclusion of low- to moderate-income people in communities where Citi operates.

Neighborhood Revitalization Microfinance Enterprise Development College Completion Financial Capability & Asset Building

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Through a "More than Philanthropy" approach, we put the strength of Citi's business resources and people to work to enhance our philanthropic investments and help improve communities.

Microfinance

Investing in College Completion

The Citi Foundation supports programs that work to increase the number of low-income students who obtain a college degree

We invest in programs that:

• Assist students through the search, application and financial aid process • Empower them and their families with access to appropriate college saving tools 7

We work closely with our community partners to design and to test innovative and scalable solutions that work to increase the number of academically eligible students who not only get into college, but who can also persist, pay for, and complete a college degree

Partnership with iMentor

Investment

In 2013, the Citi Foundation supported iMentor to: • enhance their capacity to increase college matriculation, persistence and completion rates among 1,350 students • • • provide financial literacy curricula and support to 925 mentor-mentee pairs, ensure ensuring that 75% of the mentees complete the FAFSA and that 45 students have access to a college savings account increase pair interaction among students in their freshman year of college by engaging 50% of pairs in iMentor events and the text messaging campaign

More than Philanthropy

• Nearly 100 Citi employees are engaged in 3-4 year mentoring relationships • Hosted “Stemming the Summer Flood: Innovative Summer Strategies to Increase College Matriculation Rates.

Scale

• Over the next five years, iMentor will match more than 20,000 students with mentors

How can mentors support first generation college students?

In the US, approximately

4.5 million

freshmen in college are classified as first-generation, low income students. Of these students, 89% will leave college without a degree.

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How can mentors support first generation college students?

• • • • DuBois, Holloway, Valentine, and Cooper (2002) found that “discussing college with mentors, especially those who have attended themselves, can generate interest in going to college among students whose parents have not gone to college” ( http://www.ihep.org/assets/files/publications/m r/THE_ROLE_OF_MENTORING_IN_ACCESS_AND_SUCCESS_FINAL_Spring_2011.pdf

).

Mentors who worked with students in high school can provide intrusive support during their mentee’s transition into college and help their mentee identify on-campus resources. Mentors who are college graduates can provide the “inside knowledge” that it takes to apply, enroll, and persist in college.

Mentors can play an especially important role during the summer before college matriculation.

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iMentor’s Texts for College Success Campaign

• • Last spring, iMentor had 600 mentees who were scheduled to graduate high school in June and were planning on attending more than 80 different colleges. Challenge: How do we make matriculation steps visible to students and their mentors?

The summer melt problem

Even after being accepted to college and choosing where to attend, low income students face many hurdles to college enrollment… FAFSA verification Supplementary loan applications Tuition payment plan set-up Award letter review Unanticipated fees (orientation, housing, etc.) Orientation and placement test registration Health insurance applications and waivers Housing applications But typically have little access to professional help.

Slide provided by Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) & Lindsay Page (University of Pittsburgh).

Uncertainty about financial aid

Grant aid?

Applied to tuition bill?

Total cost of attendance?

Slide provided by Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) & Lindsay Page (University of Pittsburgh)

Uncertainty about the tuition bill

Financial gap of $2,400 or $600?

Slide provided by Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) & Lindsay Page (University of Pittsburgh)

The magnitude of the summer melt problem

Percentages indicate the share of college-intending students that do not enroll anywhere in the fall following high school graduation. Pittsburgh).

(Slide and stats provided by Ben Castleman (University of Virginia) & Lindsay Page (University of

Boston, MA 21% Providence, RI 33% Albuquerque, NM 29% Philadelphia, PA 32% Fort Worth, TX 44% Dallas, TX 28% Fulton County 22%

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iMentor’s Texts for College Success Campaign

• • • • • Step One: Determine What Students Need To Do To Matriculate Successfully Step Two: Analyze Where Students Access Information Step Three: Develop Enrollment Tip Sheets Step Four: Develop Text Message Campaign Step Five: Launch Text Message Campaign 16

Step 1:What do students need to do to matriculate successfully?

• Between acceptance and matriculation, students must complete a number of steps – many of which are unique to the college in which they are enrolling. Steps can include: • • Accepting financial aid award; Providing documentation for financial aid verification; • Taking placement exams; • Attending orientation; • Submitting transcripts; • Registering for classes; • Paying deposits; • Submitting housing forms; • Completing loan applications, etc.

Step 2: Where can students access information?

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Step 3: Develop Enrollment Tip Sheets

• • • iMentor partnered with community-based organizations and postsecondary partners to develop enrollment tip sheets for 55 colleges.

Tip sheets outline the sequence of matriculation steps relevant to each college with campus-specific resources.

Developed primarily from college websites and contact with individual offices.

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Step 4: iMentor Develops Text Messages Based on Tip Sheet Information

Enrollment Tip Sheets served as the foundation for texts on the following topics: 1. Welcome 2. FAFSA 3. College Email 4. Orientation 5. Confirming College Plans 6. Placement Exams 7. Immunization Records 8. Residency Forms 9. Transportation 10. Final Transcripts 11. First Day of Class 12. End of Campaign

Step 5: Launch Texts for College Success

• • Students and mentors were introduced to the text message campaign and asked to opt-in. Nearly everyone (93% of students & 89% of mentors) opted in to the text campaign. Of these… Participated (3+ texts) Unreachable numbers Opted Out

Mentees (n=579)

395 (68%) 157 (27%) 27 (5%)

Mentors (n=555)

472 (85%) 26 (5%) 57 (10%)

Texts for College Success

• • Each text message included a link to a college specific resource whenever possible.

Students and mentors received texts simultaneously.

Sample Mentee Text Sample Mentor Text

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Initial Results from Text Campaign

450

Replies from

250

Unique Participants

173

Requests for Help

Initial Results from Text Campaign

• 97% of mentors found the campaign useful.

At least one of the text messages…

...got me to reach out to my mentee or Program Coordinator.

85% ...got me to remind my mentee about a task that I had not previously asked about. …provided me with useful information about college matriculation.

69% 69%

Text Campaign and Quality of Matriculation

79% of mentees agreed or strongly agreed with the following statement: “The text message campaign helped make summer tasks to enroll in college clearer.” iMentor also piloted a Quality of Matriculation Survey to assess student preparation for college matriculation as well as completion of tasks associated with the text message campaign. Prior to the first day of class: • 83% of students reported that their financial aid process was complete.

• 95% of students had registered for all classes.

• 95% of students had attended orientation.

Lessons Learned

•

Both students and mentors need more information

“The texts were useful for sending quick updates sometimes I didn't know enough about the topic to feel like I knew what to talk to my mentee about. Add'l info via email may have been helpful as well -- of course I know I can always reach out to my iMentor counselor!” •

Students need texts to start earlier

Students need to receive texts before they graduate in order to reinforce that they can ask for help as well confirm that phone numbers are correct.

•

Both students and mentors need matriculation

steps to be made visible as soon as possible.

Roundtable Discussion Questions

1.

2.

3.

4.

What surprised you about this case study?

What information do mentors need to be able to support students in their transition to college? How can technology facilitate mentors getting this information?

How could a texting component strengthen your mentoring program? What are some potential drawbacks/concerns?

How can technology engage family members or other support systems in the college search, application, and matriculation process?