The EPS Model: Building a Mentoring Program for Black Male Students

EPS

The EduPsychoSocial Mentoring Program Model

Black males enter college academically under-prepared, psychologically under-equipped, socially under-affirmed, and economically under-resourced. This rainbow of risk factors combine to produce a socially-engineered predisposition for academic failure. Although Black males come to college with the traditional student risk factors, their risk rate is multiplied by the addition of social barriers.

The EPS Mentoring Model focuses on providing Black male students with the information and motivation necessary for overcoming race-related and non-race-related academic barriers. The EPS Mentoring Model utilizes a guided curriculum, critical dialogue, and empowering relationships to transfer barrier-breaking levels of hope, wisdom, and inspiration to Black male students.

Since its inception in 2012, this EPS Mentoring Model has served 200 Black male students and has consistently achieved positive results. Both quantitative and qualitative data show that the EPS Mentoring Model has positively impacted Black male engagement, academic achievement, and life-skill development. The academic performance of this group indicates that the psychoeducational information and relational learning model utilized by the EPS Mentoring Model has a direct impact on not only academic performance but also student morale, motivation, focus, resilience, and optimism. This impact can be validated by data analysis which indicates that Black males who participate in this program have higher successful course completion rates and grade point averages than Black males who do not participate in the program.

The purpose of this manual is to provide the reader with the specific concrete steps necessary for replicating the EPS Mentoring Model at any institution or organization that serves Black males (e.g. K-12, community colleges, universities, HBCUs, church youth groups, halfway houses, juvenile detention centers, adult correctional facilities, etc.).

Andre R. Fields, Ph.D.