Barnstable community mentor program grows; mentors report fewer conduct incidents and increased student reengagement

Leaders of the Barnstable Community Mentor Program presented the program’s expanded model to the school committee on March 19 and reported early results they say show reduced school conduct incidents, improved behavior for targeted students, and several reengagements for students at risk of leaving school.

The program — formed after a 2023 uptick in local youth violence and developed by community volunteers and mentors — uses a three‑tier model to identify and support students. Jason Gordeen (community mentor) told the committee the tiers are: informal hallway/support interventions (Tier 1), referral‑based supported mentoring with parental sign‑off (Tier 2), and outreach/drop‑off prevention work that includes home‑visits and family engagement (Tier 3).

Why it matters: Mentorship and community‑based interventions are central to the district’s strategy for reducing student disengagement and addressing behaviors that can lead to exclusion or the school‑to‑prison pipeline. The mentors said their approach is focused on prevention and relationship building.

Program leaders gave specific metrics and examples. Lee Docherty (program co‑founder) and Jason Gordeen said the program now involves roughly 70 student mentors and has worked in every district school. Gordeen presented data the mentors track: a reported drop of about 600 fewer conduct incidents at Barnstable High School compared with the previous year (district‑wide tracking attributed some of the change to broader efforts), a 63% improvement in targeted Tier‑2 students’ behavior so far this year (versus 43% last year), and a decline in absences measured in the presentation (mentors referenced “3,600 less” absences in comparisons displayed to the committee). The mentors also reported dozens of direct interventions and reengagements; last year they said 22 students were reengaged after outreach and 17 students have been reengaged this year so far.

Student perspective and pathway development: Tiffany Miranda, a high school student and mentor, described how participation changed her relationship to school: “Academics is not my thing, and I think finding the mentors…gave me a little bit of a purpose for school,” she said. Tiffany said she visits elementary and middle schools across the district to lead activities and build relationships with younger students.

Training and partnerships: Program leaders said mentors have completed restorative‑practice, bystander and cultural‑competency training, and have taken part in a Suffolk University training and a visit to MCI Norfolk to learn about the school‑to‑prison pipeline directly from formerly incarcerated adults. The program leaders told the committee they are pursuing external funding opportunities and exploring partnerships with state and local agencies to sustain and scale the work.

Committee response and next steps: Several school committee members praised the program for community engagement and for providing visible adult role models in schools. Committee member Jed (first name provided in transcript only) said the program “is saving lives.” Committee members asked the mentors about staffing and scale; program leaders said they intend to continue growing student mentor pathways and are investigating grant and legislative funding.

Ending: The school committee received the presentation; no formal budget or policy action was taken at the meeting. Program leaders asked the committee to consider the mentors as a district resource and to support efforts to identify sustainable funding.