It can be challenging to ensure that all your students are scheduled into iMentor class each school year, especially if you’re working in a cohort model (as opposed to a whole-school model). Here are some steps you can take to minimize student attrition in your program due to scheduling mistakes:

• Whenever possible, the program should be embedded into a class that students are required to take every year in order to graduate.  
• Remind your school partner liaison that the students you’re working with this year need to be scheduled for the program next year during your mid-year and end-of-year meetings.
• Request that the person in charge of scheduling (usually an Assistant Principal, dean, or scheduler) be included in end-of-year planning meetings for the following school year.
• Share a list of your students with your liaison and the person in charge of scheduling. Ask when they will be working on your students’ schedules, and offer to be present when they’re doing it.
• Follow up at every step of the scheduling process, and ask to see student rosters for your classes as soon as possible to make sure that all your students are scheduled. Do this before and after classes have started to make sure you’re aware of any last-minute changes.
• Invest in relationship-building with the people in charge of scheduling. Thank them for their work, bring them coffee, and offer to help them out when you can. This goes for all school staff – if you’re on people’s radars, they’ll be more likely to think of you and the program in their day-to-day work.
• When establishing a partnership with a new school, be very clear about the expectation that all students will be programmed together into iMentor over the following 4 years. Ask school administrators to share their plan for ensuring this is possible.