Term
Summer 2026
Capstone
Capstone Project
Degree Name
MAT
Facilitator(s)
Jana Lo Bello Miller
Content Expert
Fritz Ettl
Abstract
The purpose of this project was to examine the causes of the post-secondary enrollment gap between young men and women and create a curriculum that uses mentoring to help narrow the divide. The research question: How could mentoring for middle-school-aged males help narrow the post-secondary enrollment gap between boys and girls? was developed after self-reflection on my own middle school experiences, as well as reading well-documented support showing the need for male guidance, especially for young men. The literature reveals that school-based mentoring programs typically show limited success compared to community-based mentoring. However, some school-based mentoring focused on task-oriented goals and building intentional working relationships has produced meaningful outcomes. In response to this, I developed a five-week curriculum that provides students with the opportunity to complete a project with a one-on-one mentor. The project is based on an area of post-secondary interest to the student. To create the curriculum, I used the five competencies identified by The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as the outline for each section of the curriculum unit. I organized each lesson using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework. This curriculum provides an actionable, school-based model that teaches social-emotional growth, career exploration, and long-term goal setting for middle school boys.
Project Type
Curriculum
Keywords
Community Building, Curriculum, Grades/ Student Performance
Recommended Citation
Hinkley, Jared, "How Mentoring Can Close the Gender Gap in Post-Secondary Education" (2026). School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects. 1207.
https://digitalcommons.hamline.edu/hse_cp/1207
dc_type
text
dc_publisher
DigitalCommons@Hamline
dc_format
application/pdf
dc_source
School of Education Student Capstone Projects