At Cradlerock School in Columbia, fathers and other men who play significant roles in the lives of kindergartners eat lunch with the students during Meals With Magnificent Men. The event, which takes place near Thanksgiving each year, has been in existence for five years.
Grasmick also praised the efforts of the 100 Black Men of Maryland, which has provided mentoring in public schools and has been active across the state.
She said: "It's really a wonderful program."
Roughly three-fourths of the 1,100 schools that Epstein's center tracks are using some program that encourages greater male involvement in the school, she said. School officials have done everything from asking men to come in to build bookshelves for the library, to recruiting fathers to come to school and eat a doughnut with their child while completing an art project, according to Epstein.
"This is a definite press across the country in places that are trying to improve the participation overall and make it pertinent," Epstein said.
Epstein's center identifies Watch DOGS as an example of "best practices."
"We're not just talking about an activity out of the blue sky," Epstein said. "We're talking about a need to organize activities that will support student success."
The program, which was started in Arkansas during the late 1990s in response to a school shooting at a Jonesboro middle school, is intended to thwart violence by increasing the adult male presence in a traditionally female-dominated setting. However, educators in Howard are using the program more for its emphasis on increasing positive male role models in the schools.
Laurie Lerman, the PTA president at Bellows Spring Elementary School in Columbia, brought the Watch DOGS program to Howard last year after learning about it from a friend. The program has become so successful that it averages two male volunteers per day.
"Moms are always there. We always get their input. Men don't always have the same way of seeing and doing things. It sends a message to have them there. They haven't been in the elementary school since they were in elementary school themselves," she said.
At Talbott Springs, which has about two male participants a week, it immediately became apparent that Scott has spent a considerable amount of time in the school. As the 46-year-old father of three walked down the hall on his way to recess, he waved at teachers, gave students an occasional high-five and chatted with staff and students.
