News Update

Thurmond unveils mentoring program for students who need extra help

A new mentoring program in California will match adult volunteers with middle and high school students to provide basic tutoring, career coaching and guidance about life in general, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond announced Wednesday.

Organizations that provide mentoring to young people can join the initiative by emailing mentoring@cde.ca.gov.

The plan calls for mentors to pair with low-income students, students of color or any student who needs extra assistance.

“When I first started thinking about running to become State Superintendent, I always thought that in order to close opportunity and achievement gaps, there needed to be a program to make sure no student falls through the cracks—a way to put individual focus on students who need additional help,” Thurmond said. “I intended to pilot such a program when my term started, but that plan got pushed to the side when the pandemic began. I can see how a program like this is needed even more right now because of how the pandemic has impacted the learning and social-emotional needs of California students.”

–Carolyn Jones