What is the History & Purpose of the E-Mentoring Program?

The E-Mentoring Program began in 2004, as a jointly-sponsored program of the Dallas Bar Association (DBA) and the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers (DAYL), partnering with the Dallas Independent School District (Dallas ISD).  The objective of the program is to reach as many Dallas ISD students as possible by using the internet to mentor via e-mail.  Through this program, the DBA/DAYL recruits professionals in a variety of fields with the hope that our community can bond together in a common goal - to encourage students to stay in school.  In 2003, the Dallas ISD Superintendent cited that approximately 50% of 9th-graders do not graduate from high school.  According to the April 17, 2006 cover story for Time magazine, the national average for the high school drop-rate has risen to an alarming 30%!

Dallas ISD selects students to participate in the "Advancement Via Individual Determination" Program (AVID), through which the E-Mentoring Program conducts its e-mentor/student pairings.  AVID students plan on being the first in their families to graduate from college, and they are improving their TAKS test scores!  In 2004, the E-Mentoring Program began with 45 e-mentors e-mailing 9th-graders at W.W. Samuell High School.  The program doubled in 2005, to 93 e-mentors e-mailing 107 students.  In the 2006-2007 school year, the program expanded by recruiting almost 500 legal and business professionals who agreed to e-mentor over 800 students at 9 Dallas ISD middle and high schools.

What have DBA presidents said about the need?

2006 DBA President Mark Sales said in the April 2006 Headnotes:

"Nearly half of all students who enter ninth grade in the DISD either drop out or fail to graduate. This statistic is alarming, to say the least. … Such a significant dropout rate means that every year many thousands of our youth are no longer enrolled in school, never earn a high school diploma, and therefore have limited opportunity to obtain meaningful employment. Those consequences present a serious threat to the rule of law in our society, simply because the more educated and informed our citizens are, the better able they are to hold our government accountable (not to mention the great economic and moral loss - remember the old adage that 'a mind is a terrible thing to waste'?). Moreover, there is an undesirable correlation between lower education and higher crime rates and increased demands on our judicial system. … NONE OF THE NINTH-GRADERS WHO BEGAN THE E-MENTORING PROGRAM IN 2004 HAVE DROPPED OUT OF SCHOOL."

        See April 2006 DBA Headnotes.

 
What do students say about the program?

These quotes demonstrate the major impact mentors are having with their students:

  • "The mentors changed my opinion about college, they gave me so many details about their college experiences.  College sounded really fun but you still have to work hard which does make sense.  I am very grateful to be a part of this program and a part of AVID."  Cynthia
  •  "I am not sure what college I am going to attend, but I am going to begin to research different colleges.  Thanks to the mentors!"  Jose
  • "Before the mentors I really did not want to go to college.  I thought that I could not afford to go.  After hearing the mentors, I am going to college.  I am not sure where I will go, but I am going." Yakita
  • "I have always wanted to go to college, but I also had doubts.  People always told me that college was a difficult place to be, but I have set my goal to attend anyway.  Now, my main focus is to get through high school and to go to college.  Thanks to the mentors and AVID, to be successful is my goal."  Yolandia

 See Other Student Quotes Here.

What do mentors say about the program?

  • When I first volunteered to e-mentor Adrianna, my first thought was “what are we going to talk about for 9 months?”  Adrianna didn’t like high school, didn’t care about her grades, and had little ambition to improve.  However, Adrianna told me that she wanted to be a nurse.  I tried to explain how much school, hard work, and good grades  would be required,  and encouraged Adrianna that she could easily do it with a little effort.  We e mailed about classes, grades, cheerleading and football, about teachers and attending extra study sessions, about her birthday, and within 1 or 2 e-mails it was easy to see all I needed to do was encourage her to study and ask about her grades and classes.  Sometimes I felt that just having someone to “share” her grades with helped Adrianna care more about them.  Before I knew it, we were sitting together at the End-of-Year Banquet and Adrianna was presented with the Award for the Most Improved Student.  I was so excited for her, and I was proud to hear that she passed every area of her TAKS tests!   She had also improved her grades by over 20 points in some subjects!  It was one of the most rewarding experiences I had all year and it only took about one e-mail a month.

How do I sign-up to be an e-mentor?
 
Visit our "Volunteer" page.

How do I make a charitable contribution to the DBA for costs of the E-Mentoring Program?
 
Visit our "Donate" page.