Children Supported by Parents, Guardians or Caring Adult More Likely

New Gallup Student Poll Supports Importance of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Communities and Classrooms

Philadelphia, PA, May 7, 2009 -- A nationwide Gallup poll released this week finds children who have support from their parents, guardians or another caring adult are more likely to be hopeful, engaged and positive about their future well being educationally and socially.

The Gallup Student Poll, released by Gallup, America’s Promise Alliance, and the American Association of School Administrators, measures the hope, engagement and well-being of students in grades 5–12 through a new, groundbreaking survey administered anonymously in America’s schools. Gallup will conduct the poll twice annually, in March and October. The national results will be used by America’s Promise Alliance, and others in designing appropriate responses that support youth.

Half of the children surveyed indicated they are not hopeful, with one-third indicating that they are stuck and 17 percent reporting they feel discouraged. While 95 percent of the children believe they will finish high school, current graduation trends reveal that only one in three is likely to graduate on time. Those students surveyed who indicated they feel hopeful and believe they will graduate were also more likely to say they have caring parents or another supportive adult in their lives.

“This poll supports what independent research tells us about children who have Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors; that they are more likely than their peers to be successful students, to be close to their parents and guardians, and resist negative temptations, such as violence, crime and drugs. Long-term mentoring matches that are monitored and supported yield stronger results,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and Chief Executive Officer Judy Vredenburgh.
The nation’s largest donor supported volunteer mentoring network’s 255,000 community- and school-based mentoring matches are monitored and assisted by professionals who depend on donations to recruit, carefully match and screen volunteers and provide ongoing support to the mentors, children and their families.
“When more than 1.2 million young people drop out of high school every year, everyone needs to work together to address the crisis – educators, parents, business and community leaders,” said Alma Powell, chair of America’s Promise Alliance. “For too long the voice of youth has been missing from the national dialogue. This poll gives insights into the daily experiences, challenges and aspirations of our young people, so that we can better identify ways to meet their needs and help them be successful.”

“Research shows that the more support young people have, both inside and outside of the classroom, the more likely they are to stay in school and succeed in life,” said America’s Promise Alliance President and CEO Marguerite Kondracke.