On a Friday morning in a Title 1 school somewhere in DFW, the hallways shift. The usual classroom chatter is replaced by something lighter, anticipation. Fourth graders, who normally slouch through math or rush to recess, sit up a little straighter. They know what day it is.
Mentor Day.
And for thousands of students across 26 local schools, Mentor Day is the day someone shows up just for them.
Academy 4 works exclusively with Title 1 campuses, schools where challenges are real, and resources are often stretched thin. Yet for 90 minutes once a month, each of the 4,700 fourth graders in the program meets with their own personal mentor, one adult, focused entirely on building a positive, encouraging relationship. Special education students are included too. No exceptions. Every child is seen.
Grounded in Research, Designed for Real Connection
At the heart of every mentor-student relationship is the Search Institute’s Developmental Relationships Framework, the research-backed engine of Academy 4’s curriculum. The framework outlines five essentials for meaningful developmental relationships:
- Express Care
- Challenge Growth
- Expand Horizons
- Share Power
- Provide Support
These aren’t abstract principles; they’re built directly into the monthly activities, conversations, and leadership traits mentors guide students through. And the outcomes are striking.
In a 2025 survey of 1,747 fourth graders, Academy 4 saw 90–99% positive responses across all five measures. Students overwhelmingly felt cared for, supported, challenged, and empowered — and that’s not just data. It’s a transformation you can see.
As one fourth-grade teacher put it,
“It’s just teaching them to love and respect, and they’re feeling that from their mentors and they’re showing their mentors that. And I just think it’s the relationships that are so special.”
These mentors come from every corner of the community: businesses, churches, universities, retirees, and working professionals who carve out time because they believe in showing up. There are roughly 6,000 of them, ordinary people making an extraordinary imprint.
What they give is time.
What students gain is confidence, connection, and a sense that they matter.
Why Fourth Grade?
Research is clear: fourth grade is one of the most pivotal transitions in a young person’s development. It’s the year kids begin shaping their values, experimenting with independence, and forming ideas about who they can become. They’re old enough to engage deeply but young enough to still listen. They absorb what adults model.
And that’s exactly why Academy 4 was built around them.
Back in 2012, members of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Worth were looking for a meaningful way to support Daggett Elementary. Working alongside the school’s educators, they designed a program that reached every fourth grader, not just the “at-risk” students, not just the ones who signed up, but the entire grade. They believed, correctly, that mentoring is one of the most powerful tools for increasing a child’s sense of worth, future vision, engagement in school, and academic achievement.
Today, Academy 4 has grown into a 103-person organization, most are part-time, with a site coordinator at every campus and a leadership curriculum that’s research-based and easy to follow. Every session focuses on one leadership trait: Listen, Encourage, Attitude, Develop, Example, Respect, Serve. Mentors are trained, equipped with materials, and supported so they can focus on what matters most: the relationship.
And the impact is measurable:
- Attendance goes up.
- Disciplinary actions go down.
- Teachers report students carrying leadership skills into the classroom.
- Kids begin to see themselves differently and act differently.
One FWISD principal shared,
“The research says that it takes two to three years for a school to ‘turn around.’ But last year alone, we had an overall 10-point increase in our school’s rating. That’s because of people like you guys [Academy 4], coming into our building and being there for our students.”
To read the rest of the story, click on the cover of the December 2025 issue.
