Student Mentoring

001Lakota Cyber Security
Jennifer Circello (right), a teacher at Lakota West High School, and Andrew Wheatley, the Lakota district's director of career pathways and strategic partnerships, talk with a group of students during a Hacking Club meeting on Oct. 12, 2026, in West Chester Township, Ohio. The district built its cybersecurity program through industry partnerships.
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness 'Real Industry, Real Adults': 4 Ways to Build Career Partnerships for Students
Lessons from a school district that has forged strong ties with businesses that are battling online hackers.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 30, 2026
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3 min read
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
Elsy Prempeh, an employee of Fifth Third Bank, looks over a computer program while mentoring students at Lakota West High School in West Chester Township, Ohio, during Jennifer Circello’s class on Oct. 13, 2026. The district's Cyber Academy leans on industry partners to provide relevant experience for students interested in careers in cybersecurity.
Amanda Rossmann for Education Week
College & Workforce Readiness How One District Is Preparing Students for Careers Battling Online Hackers
This cybersecurity program offers students real-world experience and professional mentorship.
Jennifer Vilcarino, October 30, 2026
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9 min read
From left: Office of Candidate Services at University of Central Arkansas Director Gary Bunn; Arkansas Department of Education Secretary Jacob Oliva; LISA Academy North Middle-High School Principal Bilal Uygur; recipient Jaime Garcia (AR '25); LISA Academy North Middle-High School CEO/Superintendent Dr. Fatih Bogrek; and National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Chief Executive Officer Dr. Joshua Barnett.
Jaime Garcia, the dean of academics at LISA Academy North Middle-High School won a $25,000 award from the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, in part for the work he's done to build community and academic by having students help their classmates.
Milken Family Foundation
School & District Management How Two Award-Winning Educators Created Schoolwide Systems for Academic Support
Boosting student achievement should be a building-wide mission, they say.
Sarah Schwartz, February 9, 2026
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3 min read
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, the English Learner Lead for Galax City Public Schools, meets with the Student Assistance Team for Galax High School on Monday morning.
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, the English-learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, meets with colleagues at Galax High School in January 2026.
Kate Medley for Education Week
English Learners Q&A Mentors Can Prevent English Learners From Dropping Out. Here’s How
A mentorship program helps this rural district graduate more English learners and Hispanic students.
Lauraine Langreo, February 9, 2026
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4 min read
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, English Learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, works a jigsaw puzzle with students at Galax High School on Monday Jan. 12, 2026.
Elizabeth Stringer-Nunley, English-learner lead for Galax City Public Schools, works a jigsaw puzzle with students at Galax High School on Monday, Jan. 12, 2026.
Kate Medley for Education Week
English Learners Leader To Learn From How One Rural District Used College Students to Keep English Learners in School
This leader's mentorship program with a local university has helped rural English learners at risk of dropping out.
Lauraine Langreo, February 9, 2026
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13 min read
Cougar Mountain Middle School was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents. Pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025, in Issaquah, Wash.
Cougar Mountain Middle School in Issaquah, Wash., was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents, pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Download Want to Start an Intergenerational Partnership at Your School? Here's How
Partnerships that bring together students and older adults benefit both generations.
Elizabeth Heubeck, February 2, 2026
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1 min read
Cougar Mountain Middle School was built next door to Timber Ridge at Talus, a senior living community. It’s resulted in an intergenerational partnership between students and the senior residents. Pictured here on Oct. 30, 2025, in Issaquah, Wash.
Seventh grader Tori Thain, 12, talks about chess with Bob Fritz, a resident at the Timber Ridge senior living community and a VOICE mentor at Cougar Mountain Middle School in Issaquah, Wash., on Oct. 30, 2025. These intergenerational relationships have been found to boost students' social-emotional skills.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Well-Being & Movement Want to Improve Tweens' Social Skills? Enlist Older Adults' Help
When a middle school was built adjacent to a retirement community, unlikely friendships grew.
Elizabeth Heubeck, January 26, 2026
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9 min read
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 Representative Assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year.
Andy Markus, the head custodian at Draper Park Middle School, in Draper, Utah, sits for a portrait during the National Education Association's 2025 representative assembly in Portland, Ore., on July 3, 2025. Markus was named the 2025 NEA Education Support Professional of the Year for his mentorship of students.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
School & District Management In Their Own Words This Custodian Got Students to Stop Vandalizing and Take Pride in Their School
Andy Markus, the 2025 Education Support Professional of the Year, helped boost behavior and engagement in his Utah district.
Sarah D. Sparks, July 7, 2025
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5 min read
Candid photograph of a diverse group of adults working together on a project in the library. The people are sitting around a table in the library concentrating hard while looking down at their project work on the desk in front of them.
E+/Getty
School & District Management Download Downloadable: A Guide to Working With Community Educators
Bringing community members into school can build public support for learning, ignite student interest, and support teachers. Here's how.
Sarah D. Sparks, March 14, 2025
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1 min read
Image shows a multi-tailed arrow hitting the bullseye of a target.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Student Well-Being & Movement Opinion Can Athletic Coaches Help Students Learn More in the Classroom?
School sports can provide an opportunity for mentorship.
Rick Hess, October 22, 2024
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8 min read
President Joe Biden shakes hands with a student at Eliot-Hine Middle School on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in Washington as he and first lady Jill Biden visit the school, located east of the U.S. Capitol, to mark the District of Columbia's first day of school for the 2023-24 year.
President Joe Biden shakes hands with a student at Eliot-Hine Middle School on Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, in Washington as he and first lady Jill Biden visit the school, located east of the U.S. Capitol, to mark the District of Columbia's first day of school for the 2023-24 year.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Federal The White House Set Out to Recruit Thousands of Tutors. Did It Make a Difference?
Adults stepped up, but students' needs remain high just as interventions funded by federal relief money are at risk of ending.
Libby Stanford, October 10, 2024
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6 min read
Student in a school hall opening their locker.
E+
School Climate & Safety Q&A How Peer Mentors Can Ease the Transitions to Middle and High School
Advice on how to build peer mentor program.
Elizabeth Heubeck, September 4, 2024
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6 min read
Students leave Birney Elementary School at the start of their walking bus route on April 9, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash.
Students leave Birney Elementary School at the start of their walking bus route on April 9, 2024, in Tacoma, Wash. The district started the walking school bus in response to survey feedback from families that students didn't have a safe way to get to school.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Student Absenteeism 4 Case Studies: Schools Use Connections to Give Every Student a Reason to Attend
Schools turn to the principles of connectedness to guide their work on attendance and engagement.
Matthew Stone, April 14, 2024
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12 min read
Principal David Arencibia embraces a student as they make their way to their next class at Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, Texas on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Principal David Arencibia embraces a student as they make their way to their next class at Colleyville Middle School in Colleyville, Texas, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
Emil T. Lippe for Education Week
Student Absenteeism 'A Universal Prevention Measure' That Boosts Attendance and Improves Behavior
When students feel connected to school, attendance, behavior, and academic performance are better.
Matthew Stone, April 14, 2024
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9 min read