The Harford County Public Schools Board of Education launched the Mentorship Alliance, a districtwide effort to showcase and elevate all mentorship programs throughout the county, during a meeting Monday.

The Mentorship Alliance provides community members a comprehensive platform for mentorship opportunities countywide. The alliance focuses on six key areas: engagement, support, accountability, consistency, partnership and resources, according to Eric Davis, HCPS deputy superintendent for operations.

The mission of the alliance is “to foster meaningful, safe and supportive relationships that empower students, enrich professional development for staff, and strengthen community involvement,” according to its webpage.

There are several options for members to get involved with the alliance, such as community organizations partnering with the school system or those interested in being a mentor.

The goal, Davis said, is to have an easily accessible database filled with hundreds of mentors to choose from.

To monitor the effectiveness of this initiative, a data dashboard will be created that provides access to all stakeholders, including mentees, to track key metrics such as attendance and student achievement.

Upon the school board’s request, the dashboard will allow Davis to provide quarterly updates to help assess best practices.

The alliance is looking to secure grant funding, said Paula Stanton, supervisor in the Office of Culture and Climate at the school system. So far, it has received some grant funding from the Harford County government, but is actively seeking additional funding.

She also said grant funding will assist with finding someone to handle some of the day-to-day operations, like visiting each program, talking to students, looking at their metrics and reporting back to her office.

“We know that it’s important that we meet our goals, that we align with our vision, and that we show and we prove that mentoring is important,” Stanton said. “We want to make sure we can do that.”

Some of the grant funding, Davis stated, will be set aside to assist individuals in becoming mentors, which was a barrier he said some mentors experienced.

For more information on the Mentorship Alliance and how to get involved, residents can visit the school system’s website at hcps.org.

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