SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Mentoring to Succeed 
Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to make assistance avail-
able for school-based mentoring programs for at-risk stu-
dents in order to— 
(1) establish, expand, or support school-based 
mentoring programs; 
(2) assist at-risk students in middle school and 
high school in developing cognitive and social-emo-
tional skills; and 
(3) prepare such at-risk students for success in 
high school, postsecondary education, and the work-
force. 
SEC. 3. SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING PROGRAM. 
Part C of title I of the Carl D. Perkins Career and 
Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2351 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 136. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS FOR SCHOOL-BASED 
MENTORING PROGRAMS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) AT-RISK STUDENT.—The term ‘at-risk stu-
dent’ means a student who— 
‘‘(A) is failing academically or at risk of 
dropping out of school; 
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‘‘(B) is pregnant or a parent; 
‘‘(C) is a gang member; 
‘‘(D) is a child or youth in foster care or 
a youth who has been emancipated from foster 
care, but is still enrolled in high school; 
‘‘(E) is or has recently been a homeless 
child or youth; 
‘‘(F) is chronically absent; 
‘‘(G) has changed schools 3 or more times 
in the past 6 months; 
‘‘(H) has come in contact with the juvenile 
justice system in the past; 
‘‘(I) has a history of multiple suspensions 
or disciplinary actions; 
‘‘(J) is an English learner; 
‘‘(K) has one or both parents incarcerated; 
‘‘(L) has experienced one or more adverse 
childhood experiences, traumatic events, or 
toxic stressors, as assessed through an evi-
dence-based screening; 
‘‘(M) lives in a high-poverty area with a 
high rate of community violence; 
‘‘(N) has a disability; or 
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‘‘(O) shows signs of alcohol or drug misuse 
or abuse or has a parent or guardian who is 
struggling with substance abuse. 
‘‘(2) DISABILITY.—The term ‘disability’ has the 
meaning given the term for purposes of section 
602(3) of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1401(3)). 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’— 
‘‘(A) means a high-need local educational 
agency, high-need school, or local government 
entity; and 
‘‘(B) may include a partnership between 
an entity described in subparagraph (A) and a 
nonprofit, community-based, or faith-based or-
ganization, or institution of higher education. 
‘‘(4) ENGLISH LEARNER.—The term ‘English 
learner’ has the meaning given the term in section 
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
‘‘(5) FOSTER CARE.—The term ‘foster care’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 1355.20 of 
title 45, Code of Federal Regulations. 
‘‘(6) HIGH-NEED LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGEN-
CY.—The term ‘high-need local educational agency’ 
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means a local educational agency that serves at least 
one high-need school. 
‘‘(7) HIGH-NEED
SCHOOL.—The term ‘high- 
need school’ has the meaning given the term in sec-
tion 2211(b) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6631(b)). 
‘‘(8) HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTHS.—The 
term ‘homeless children and youths’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 725 of the McKinney- 
Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11434a). 
‘‘(9) SCHOOL-BASED
MENTORING.—The term 
‘school-based mentoring’ means a structured, man-
aged, evidenced-based program conducted in part-
nership with teachers, administrators, school psy-
chologists, school social workers or counselors, and 
other school staff, in which at-risk students are ap-
propriately matched with screened and trained pro-
fessional or volunteer mentors who provide guidance, 
support, and encouragement, involving meetings, 
group-based sessions, and educational and work-
force-related activities on a regular basis to prepare 
at-risk students for success in high school, postsec-
ondary education, and the workforce. 
‘‘(b) SCHOOL-BASED
MENTORING
COMPETITIVE 
GRANT PROGRAM.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall award 
grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities to 
establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring 
programs that— 
‘‘(A) are designed to assist at-risk students 
in high-need schools in developing cognitive 
skills and promoting social-emotional learning 
to prepare them for success in high school, 
postsecondary education, and the workforce by 
linking them with mentors who— 
‘‘(i) have received mentor training, in-
cluding 
on 
trauma-informed 
practices, 
youth engagement, cultural competency, 
and social-emotional learning; and 
‘‘(ii) have been screened using appro-
priate reference checks and criminal back-
ground checks; 
‘‘(B) provide coaching and technical assist-
ance to mentors in each such mentoring pro-
gram; 
‘‘(C) seek to— 
‘‘(i) improve the academic achieve-
ment of at-risk students; 
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‘‘(ii) reduce dropout rates and absen-
teeism and improve school engagement of 
at-risk students and their families; 
‘‘(iii) reduce juvenile justice involve-
ment of at-risk students; 
‘‘(iv) foster positive relationships be-
tween at-risk students and their peers, 
teachers, other adults, and family mem-
bers; 
‘‘(v) develop the workforce readiness 
skills of at-risk students by exploring paths 
to employment, including encouraging stu-
dents with disabilities to explore transition 
services; and 
‘‘(vi) increase the participation of at- 
risk students in community service activi-
ties; and 
‘‘(D) encourage at-risk students to set 
goals and plan for their futures, including mak-
ing plans and identifying goals for postsec-
ondary education and the workforce. 
‘‘(2) DURATION.—The Secretary shall award 
grants under this section for a period not to exceed 
5 years. 
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‘‘(3) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under 
this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
Secretary an application that includes— 
‘‘(A) a needs assessment that includes 
baseline data on the measures described in 
paragraph (6)(A)(ii); and 
‘‘(B) a plan to meet the requirements of 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(4) PRIORITY.—In selecting grant recipients, 
the Secretary shall give priority to applicants that— 
‘‘(A) serve children and youth with the 
greatest need living in high-poverty, high-crime 
areas, or rural areas, or who attend schools 
with high rates of community violence; 
‘‘(B) provide at-risk students with opportu-
nities for postsecondary education preparation 
and career development, including— 
‘‘(i) job training, professional develop-
ment, work shadowing, internships, net-
working, resume writing and review, inter-
view preparation, transition services for 
students with disabilities, application as-
sistance and visits to institutions of higher 
education, and leadership development 
through community service; and 
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‘‘(ii) partnerships with the private sec-
tor and local businesses to provide intern-
ship and career exploration activities and 
resources; and 
‘‘(C) seek to provide match lengths be-
tween at-risk students and mentors for at least 
1 academic year. 
‘‘(5) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that 
receives a grant under this section may use such 
funds to— 
‘‘(A) develop and carry out regular train-
ing for mentors, including on— 
‘‘(i) the impact of adverse childhood 
experiences; 
‘‘(ii) trauma-informed practices and 
interventions; 
‘‘(iii) supporting homeless children 
and youths; 
‘‘(iv) supporting children and youth in 
foster care or youth who have been emanci-
pated from foster care, but are still en-
rolled in high school; 
‘‘(v) cultural competency; 
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‘‘(vi) meeting all appropriate privacy 
and confidentiality requirements for stu-
dents, including students in foster care; 
‘‘(vii) working in coordination with a 
public school system; 
‘‘(viii) positive youth development and 
engagement practices; and 
‘‘(ix) disability inclusion practices to 
ensure access and participation by students 
with disabilities; 
‘‘(B) recruit, screen, match, and train 
mentors; 
‘‘(C) hire staff to perform or support the 
objectives of the school-based mentoring pro-
gram; 
‘‘(D) provide inclusive and accessible youth 
engagement activities, such as— 
‘‘(i) enrichment field trips to cultural 
destinations; 
‘‘(ii) career awareness activities, in-
cluding job site visits, informational inter-
views, resume writing, interview prepara-
tion, and networking; and 
‘‘(iii) academic or postsecondary edu-
cation preparation activities, including 
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trade or vocational school visits, visits to 
institutions of higher education, and assist-
ance in applying to institutions of higher 
education; and 
‘‘(E) conduct program evaluation, includ-
ing by acquiring and analyzing the data de-
scribed under paragraph (6). 
‘‘(6) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 6 
months after the end of each academic year 
during the grant period, an eligible entity re-
ceiving a grant under this section shall submit 
to the Secretary a report that includes— 
‘‘(i) the number of students who par-
ticipated in the school-based mentoring 
program that was funded in whole or in 
part with the grant funds; 
‘‘(ii) data on the academic achieve-
ment, dropout rates, truancy, absenteeism, 
outcomes of arrests for violent crime, sum-
mer employment, and postsecondary edu-
cation enrollment of students in the pro-
gram; 
‘‘(iii) the number of group sessions 
and number of one-to-one contacts between 
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students in the program and their men-
tors; 
‘‘(iv) the average attendance of stu-
dents enrolled in the program; 
‘‘(v) the number of students with dis-
abilities connected to transition services; 
‘‘(vi) data on social-emotional develop-
ment of students as assessed with a vali-
dated social-emotional assessment tool; and 
‘‘(vii) any other information that the 
Secretary may require to evaluate the suc-
cess of the school-based mentoring pro-
gram. 
‘‘(B) STUDENT PRIVACY.—An eligible enti-
ty shall ensure that the report submitted under 
subparagraph (A) is prepared in a manner that 
protects the privacy rights of each student in 
accordance with section 444 of the General 
Education Provisions Act (commonly referred 
to as the ‘Family Educational Rights and Pri-
vacy Act of 1974’) (20 U.S.C. 1232g). 
‘‘(7) MENTORING RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY 
SERVICE COORDINATION.— 
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‘‘(A) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Sec-
retary shall work with the Office of Juvenile 
Justice and Delinquency Prevention to— 
‘‘(i) refer grantees under this section 
to the National Mentoring Resource Center 
to obtain resources on best practices and 
research related to mentoring and to re-
quest no-cost training and technical assist-
ance; and 
‘‘(ii) provide grantees under this sec-
tion with information regarding transi-
tional services for at-risk students return-
ing from correctional facilities and transi-
tion services for students with disabilities. 
‘‘(B) 
COORDINATION.—The 
Secretary 
shall, to the extent possible, coordinate with the 
Corporation for National and Community Serv-
ice, including through entering into an inter-
agency agreement or a memorandum of under-
standing, to support mentoring and community 
service-related activities for at-risk students. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF FUNDS.—There are author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out this section such sums 
as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
2027.’’. 
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SEC. 4. INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION SCIENCES STUDY ON 
SCHOOL-BASED MENTORING PROGRAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education, act-
ing through the Director of the Institute of Education 
Sciences, shall conduct a study to— 
(1) identify successful school-based mentoring 
programs and effective strategies for administering 
and monitoring such programs; 
(2) evaluate the role of mentors in promoting 
cognitive development and social-emotional learning 
to enhance academic achievement and to improve 
workforce readiness; and 
(3) evaluate the effectiveness of the grant pro-
gram under section 136 of the Carl D. Perkins Ca-
reer and Technical Education Act of 2006, as added 
by section 3, on student academic outcomes and 
youth career development. 
(b) TIMING.—Not later than 3 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education, act-
ing through the Director of the Institute of Education 
Sciences, shall submit the results of the study to the ap-
propriate congressional committees. 
Æ 
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