An Academic Mentoring Program that Works

The Community-School Partnership (CSP) program pairs trained community volunteer mentors with students who need help in one or more classes. The program is relationship-based and stresses the development of rapport between student and mentor.

Participation in the program is voluntary for students, who may self-refer or be referred by their teacher or counselor. Mentors work with each student’s teacher on how to best support them. All mentoring takes place on-site in the WHS library during the school day. In 2024-25, the third year of the program, approximately 50 students were mentored each semester.

Last school year, Washougal High School partnered with data science students at Portland State University (PSU) to conduct a rigorous evaluation of the program.

The PSU evaluation found that:

• The Community-School Partnership mentoring program works. It results in statistically significant improvements in students’ academic achievement in the courses in which they are being mentored. Over time, the typical student who is mentored will catch up to the class average in the targeted class. 
• Frequency and consistency of mentoring matters. Academic impacts are substantial when students attend most of their scheduled sessions. (Most students are scheduled for mentoring once a week.) Impacts are moderate when students attend less frequently.
• The program has spillover effects in other classes the student is taking, with performance in these classes trending up over time. This finding suggests that students who are being mentored experience growth and improvement — in their confidence, study skills, or attachment to school — that influences their schoolwork more generally.

The Community-School Partnership is a project of ECCA, working in cooperation with the Washougal School District.

What the teachers say about the program

I noticed better retention and comprehension. Also greater work completion. 

~ Scott Boothby, US history teacher

I had a student who doesn’t speak English fluently. Having a once-a-week time for him to work with a Spanish-language tutor was especially helpful for him to catch up on his assessment. The mentor gave me good feedback on how to make my class more accessible to this student.

~ Will Baur, biology teacher

Students’ work ethic and accountability both improved greatly.

~ David Hollingsworth, English teacher

Those students who were willing to receive the help might not have graduated if not for individualized assistance from their mentors.

~ Lukas Johnson, credit recovery teacher

I LOVED this program! I had two different tutors and both were fabulous to work with! Data alone shows the drastic improvement this program had on my students. It was as if a light was switched.

~ Nicole Simek, personal finances teacher

What students say about the program

In a June 2025 survey of mentored students, 79% said mentoring helped them understand class material better, and 78% said mentoring had a positive impact on their grades. 100% said they would recommend mentoring to a friend.

You Can Make a Critical Difference for a Young Person

Based on PSU evaluation and feedback from students and teachers, we know the CSP helps students improve their grades in not just a single class, but in all their classes.

So join us in this important work. To help more students, we need more volunteers, particularly in science and math. If you speak Spanish, that’s a plus! Most volunteers commit 1-3 hours a week, and the days and times are flexible.

Do you want to talk more about this program and how you could fit in? Email Barb Seaman at eastcountycitizens@gmail.com.

If you’re ready to apply now, please complete this form and we’ll contact you.