Each winter marks the transition from program launch (Site Start Up) to full on implementation.  During the period between January and April, implementation leadership should be focused on fostering high levels of pair engagement and leveraging data to make informed decisions around classroom facilitation and pair support.  This article outlines discrete tasks associated with execution of winter leadership data-related initiatives which are critical ensuring a high quality pair experience across the organization.

Winter at a glance

Winter leadership checklist

At any given point in the winter, the bars in the graphic above show where data driven management focus should be placed.  In order to foster organizational effectiveness, the action items below should be regularly incorporated into management efforts.

Consistency is one of the most critical aspects of mentoring relationships and monitoring pair engagement is the most effective way to ensure mentees and mentors are regularly communicating.  By the winter of each program year, pair engagement trends will begin to emerge and it is important that implementation leaders are sharing best practices, challenges and strategies rooted in these trends to increase and/or maintain pair engagement.  It is equally important that implementation leaders are held accountable for for meeting benchmarks.

The winter of a student's senior year brings with it several important objectives in navigating the post-secondary process.  Implementation staff must diligently track individuals' progress through these steps to ensure their ultimate success on the path to college.  Implementation leads must be held accountable for staff tracking this data and share strategies for the most effective approaches to gathering information.  Collecting post-secondary process data for all programmed students allows the organization to meet required reporting guidelines and generate aggregated results to understand program effectiveness. 

Collection of pre-survey data contributes to the broad study of iMentor's effect on desired outcomes, but that is far from the only benefit of the practice.  Leadership should be committed to using data collected to inform discussion around overall program health and identify strong areas as well as areas where improvement might be necessary.  The Research and Evaluation team has the ability to provide survey data in user friendly visualizations and can accommodate requests for analyses to support leadership discussions.

The mid-year survey is a very short instrument administered to all mentees and mentors during the winter.  The data generated from this survey is primarily designed to inform the implementation team's pair support efforts during the spring and into the summer months.  However, the aggregate results provide a lens into program health, particularly around the strength of relationship and satisfaction with staff support.  This information can be used to inform leadership discussion around program improvement in real-time.  Details regarding content, survey length and completion rate targets can all be found in this article.

Still have questions? 

Reach out to [email protected].  The team is more than happy to address any questions, comments or concerns you may have!