Mentoring Challenges

The overarching theme of the article is identifying the challenges that black students are faced with as they finish middle school and head into high school, as well as presenting programs and/or partnerships to make the transition to high school smoother.

Methodology (or approach to understanding the issue):
According to article, students who identify as black are at a greater risk than their peers of declining academically and socially as they transition into high school. Some of the factors that have proven to be stumbling blocks to their success include the following:
• Experiencing stereotyping from teachers, school administrators and other personnel, as well as their peers.
• Not having access to positive role models in their immediate school and community settings.
• Students of black families experience cultural schisms, with a lack of understanding in communicating pertinent information from the school.
• Students coming of age to explore their
For black students who experience various challenges such as experiencing stereotyping, lack of mentoring, and cultural misunderstanding it can be even more of a challenge. School counselors have an ethical and professional responsibility to ensure that all students have equitable opportunities to succeed in academically, socially, and for future career endeavors after graduating from college. Therefore, as an aspiring counselor, I have become more aware of the specific challenges that some of my students may face and ways that I can collaborate with other school personnel to provide support for those students and their families. A part of my school counseling program must include a ways to help all students in the transition to high school, with programming specific for those at risk for a successful