Project TAPESTRY is a student-centered mentoring program aimed at increasing high school graduation rates and decreasing dropout rates. It provides individual student advocates who work with at-risk students to develop a success plan, provide various supports, and facilitate student ownership in the process. Student advocates identify at-risk students based on behavioral, academic, and cognitive indicators exhibited at school. They work closely with school staff to support students and help them create educational pathways to career and lifelong learning. The program focuses on building relationships through a positive student-centered approach.

1. Masters of
(positive) Manipulation
@asktapestry

2. Ma·nip·u·late
• to manage or influence skillfully, especially in an
unfair manner
• to adapt or change (accounts, figures, etc.) to
suit one's purpose or advantage.

3. Project TAPESTRY
A Student-centered approach to
mentoring, advocacy, and increased school
engagement facilitating increased highschool graduation rates and decreased dropout rates.

4. Program Objectives
• Increase high school graduation rates at participating
high schools
• Develop articulated support for students returning to
school after separation
(suspension, expulsion, alternative placement, etc.)
• Assist students in creating educational pathways for
career and life-long learning
• Implement a strength-based model developing youth
social-emotional competencies

5. Student-Centered Approach
• The “student-centered” approach
provides students a voice in how they are
supported and facilitates their ownership
in the process
• Student advocates provide a variety of
supports for students relative to the
alterable indicators of risk
• Data provided by schools and students
drive the decision making process
throughout program participation

6. B
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S
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Student-Centered Approach
Parent Involvement
& Collaboration
Post-Secondary
Career support
& guidance
TAPESTRY
Advocate
Mental /
Physical
Health Service
Referrals
At-Risk
Student
Individual
Student Success
Plan
Transition
support for
students
Credit
Recovery
Site-based
school
support and
advocacy

7. How do Project TAPESTRY teams
identify which students are at risk?
• The distinction must be made between status
(unalterable) and alterable risk factors.
• The following are alterable risk factors:
• Behavioral Indicators:
absenteeism, truancy, referrals, detentions, in or
out-of-school suspensions, limited extracurricular
engagement
• Academic Indicators: credit deficiency, class
failures, poor task completion, incomplete daily
work, below proficiency scores on standardized
assessments
• Cognitive Indicators: minimal interest in
school, resistance to learning, low sense of
self-efficacy, perceived lack of competence
• Affective Indicators: low expectations of
graduation, social isolation, sense of not belonging in
school community
• TAPESTRY advocates work closely with school
support staff and administrators to identify
students exhibiting some or all of the above risk
factors

8. What Makes Tapestry Run…
•
•
•
•
Teacher
Counselor
Social worker
Truancy officer

9. THE INTERFACE BETWEEN
PROGRAM AND SCHOOL
OR WHAT TO DO WITH THE
“ GROWN-UPS”

10. Challenges
• Who is the “hammer” in your district? Program?
• What causes a “tornado” in your district?
Program?
• Do you feel like you are constantly jumping
through hoops?
• Do you feel like a puppet?
• “Captain, oh, Captain” – Who’s in charge of your
raft, boat, yacht, ship….?

11. Opportunities
•
•
•
•
Opening a new door…..
Walking a tightrope……
Feeling like Sisyphus…….
One door leads to another and another and
another…..

13. Relationship Building
Positive Role Model
Expectations

14. What to do:
• Email the students
teachers, often.
• (ask permission) Go sit in
classes and watch how
your students interact in
the classroom (this will
take a few times, because
you are the new object in
the room for a while).
• Email updates (good and
bad) to
counselors, teachers, dean
s…anyone you think
would benefit from the
info.
• Call home for the
good, not just the bad

15. Positive Modeling
• Be consistent!
• Hold yourself and the
student accountable
• Value what you say

16. Expectations
• We look different to the
students, we are more
accessible and we play a
different role than others in
the building.
• We still maintain high
expectations of the
students, and sometimes that
is difficult, as we have such a
close relationship.
• Our students can sometimes
see us as friends, more so than
what we really are.

17. Behavior Modification and Decision Making
“The definition of insanity is to do
the exact same thing over and over
again, but expect different results.”

18. B. F. Skinner and Operant Conditioning
What happens right before (antecedents) and
what happens right after (consequences) a
behavior affects the likelihood of that
behavior happening again.

19. In Tapestry:
*Positive Reinforcements
*Small Goal Setting
*Behavior Interventions
*Listen to students
*What is their story?
*What could they have said
or done differently?

20. Positive Reinforcement vs. Negative Consequences
*If a behavior is positively reinforced, it is more likely to be repeated.
*If a behavior has a consequence or punisher, it is much less likely to be
repeated.
Examples:
Homework completion (positive)- if we gave our students $5 every time
they completed an assignment, they are much more likely to complete
more homework assignments.
Being late to class (negative)- if our students are late to our class, we
have them write a paragraph on why they were late and how they can
get to class in a more timely manner. They then need to read the
paragraph out loud to the class or at least to the teacher.

21. How does the need for recognition play a
role?
Do they get enough recognition at home from their family?
Are they seeking peer approval or acceptance?
The more trouble they get into, the more recognition they get, both
positive and negative.
Example: if we are working with a student who assumes the role
of leader among his friends and enjoys a little thrill seeking, we are
going to encourage that the student uses the positive qualities of
being a leader correctly, not negatively. We will encourage that
he/she gets involved in student council, sports or clubs in school,
or volunteers at a place of interest. We will also work with the
student to discover ways they can get the same rush from these thrill
seeking behaviors without compromising their self or others. We would encourage
intramural sports for healthy competition, workout, listen to music, learn a new hobby
such as skateboarding, face their fears, go to a rock climbing gym, etc...

22. Our Students
• A Work in Progress
• Almost to the Finish Line
• One Step Forward, Two
Steps Back

23. Contacts:
blewis@jsmorton.org – Ben
mfowler@jsmorton.org – Marilyn
ediebold@jsmorton.org – Emily
Jlevin@leyden212.org – Jackie
@asktapestry