Entries by Jean Rhodes

Half of College Graduates Have Jobs That Don’t Use Their Degrees

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From Strada Education Foundation College graduates who are underemployed in their first job are likely to still be underemployed up to 10 years later, and women are more likely to be caught in this trap than men, according to new research released today by Burning Glass Technologies and Strada Institute for the Future of Work, a new research […]

Flash mentoring: An innovative new approach to building social capital

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By Jean Rhodes Researchers have theorized about different types of social networks, and the need for a balance between so-called “bonding” and “bridging” social capital. Bonding capital involve relationships with close family and friends who are relatively similar in terms of race and social class, while bridging ties involve a broader network of relationships with […]

Coaching the coaches: Lessons learned from a new study on coach training

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In the article titled “Competencies of Coaches that Predict Client Behavior Change,” published in The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science in 2024, the authors, led by Richard Boyatzis, address the significant gap in coaching research and practice concerning the effectiveness of coaching competencies in fostering client behavior change. This study is particularly valuable as it […]

The “Take Two Aspirins” Problem in Mentoring

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By Jean Rhodes Imagine a medical practice in which every new patient who stepped through its doors was offered the same age-old prescription to “take two aspirins and call me in the morning.” This universal approach might actually work for patients who are suffering from minor aches or low-grade fevers, and the clinic could point […]

How Mentoring Can Shift from “Beating the Odds” to Changing the Odds

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By Jean Rhodes In an important new Annual Review of Clinical Psychology article, UVA Professor Noelle Hurd, describes how mentors can help ethnically marginalized youth can derive positive developmental outcomes while also working with their mentees to create a more just and equitable society. As Hurd notes, much of the theorizing and research on natural […]

When Rich Parents Act as College “Concierges,” Opportunity Gaps Widen

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By Jean Rhodes In the study “Providing a ‘‘Leg Up’’: Parental Involvement and Opportunity Hoarding in College,” researchers conducted interviews with parents of college students to explore the impact of parental involvement on their children’s college experiences. The study focused on families from a large public university in the Midwest, analyzing how affluent parents’ engagement […]

Teaching college students networking skills is an equity imperative

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Teaching college students networking skills is an equity imperative Inspiring college students to cultivate relationships with a networking curriculum can boost career confidence and level the playing field. 12 min read By Julia Freeland Fisher 09/29/23 Analysis Education Caiaimage/Sam Edwards/Getty Images The data is clear: College students want networks. According to a Gallup College Alumni poll, when asked […]

The surprising role of hobbies in boosting youth mental health: Implications for mentoring

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By Jean Rhodes A 2020 Young People’s Mental Health Report compiled by Mental Health America, sheds light onto the pressing mental health challenges faced by youth and young adults in the United States and the need to equip young people with the necessary tools and support to address mental health issues. Rates of mental health […]

Youth civic engagement can help uphold democracy…and mentors can help.

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By Elan C. Hope (Brennan Center post) Civic engagement is a key indicator of adulthood. Young adults respond to the social and political issues of the day in a variety of ways. After the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, young people demonstrated against racial injustice in more than 10,000 peaceful […]

“The mental-health crisis has changed academia forever.” Five ways peer mentors can help.

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By Jean Rhodes It is clear by now that the mental-health crisis has changed academia forever: its structures, its culture and the function it is expected to perform in American society. More than half of American college students now report depression, anxiety or seriously considering suicide. This is a problem that reaches across geography, race, […]