PHILADELPHIA, May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- 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.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters helps vulnerable children beat the odds. The organization depends on donations to help recruit volunteers and reach more children. Funding is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety; and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven to improve children's odds for succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles. Headquartered in Philadelphia and with nearly 400 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves more than a quarter million children. Learn how you can change how children grow up in America by going to BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America

Big Brothers Big Sisters, BigBrothersBigSisters.org, is the largest youth mentoring organization in the United States. With nearly 400 affiliates across all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Guam, it served 255,000 children in 2007 - more than twice the number of five years ago. Independent research shows that its model of professionally supported one-to-one relationships between young people and their Big Brothers and Big Sisters has a measurable, positive impact. Children in the program are less likely to skip school, begin using alcohol and illegal drugs, and be involved in violence. Big Brothers Big Sisters works with policymakers and community leaders across the country to expand access to mentoring for children in need. The organization is currently focusing on recruiting Big Brothers, especially African-Americans and Hispanics.

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