Announcing a Peer Mentoring Project for Community Colleges

The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education has commissioned JBL Associates, Inc. to conduct a peer mentoring project to help community colleges improve the success of their students. The project is part of a broader effort entitled Community Colleges Can! directed toward supporting peer learning among community college practitioners.

This project provides a fast-track, collaborative learning experience in which mentee colleges will receive coaching, technical assistance and guidance from a mentor college team and a senior consultant/facilitator, to support the development of a program or initiative on their campus. Mentee colleges were matched with representatives from a mentor college who are experienced in the design, development and implementation of an effective strategy similar to that which the mentee would like to develop.

The project will operate from November 2008 to September 2010. During this time, mentee college team members will receive the benefits of a well-supported learning process. Each mentee college will receive $24,000 to support their participation. JBL Associates, Inc. will cover the cost for mentee college team members to visit the campus of their mentor college partner at the beginning and end of the project to observe their initiative in action and meet with key stakeholders. The facilitator will also visit the mentee college to discuss with staff, faculty and administrators strategies for strengthening their initiative. In addition, JBL Associates Inc. will help disseminate information about the college and its initiative, as well as project activities, to local and national news outlets to gain visibility for the college's successes.

We are very excited about the peer mentoring project and believe it offers a rich opportunity for colleges to develop learning-based, collegial partnerships that will enhance their ability to improve student achievement. If you have questions please contact Dr. William Munn, the Project Coordinator, at cccan@jblassoc.com.