Entries by Jean Rhodes

Mentoring: Unlocking Young People’s Potential

by Dan Cardinali, President, Communities in Schools, Inc. reprinted from Huffington Post What do you think about IQ? Is it something that’s essentially unchangeable, or something we can continue to grow and develop as time goes on? Recently, author Paul Tough asked that question during a keynote address at Communities In Schools’ 2014 Leadership Town […]

The Basics of Structural Equation Modeling

A Structural Equation Model (SEM) is a quantitative statistical analysis that examines causal relations between variables or between items. The nature of the relations is determined by theory or research design. There are two types of SEM models: 1) Measurement Model A measurement model investigates how certain survey questions (or scale items) tap into the […]

The importance of inspiring hope

This month, Amachi Vice President Muna Walker, has shared her own match story and the importance of inspiring “hope” when mentoring.  In December 2004 when Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County matched me with my 14 year-old Little Sister, Desiree, I had no idea it was the beginning of a lifetime friendship.    I had […]

Intensive Small-Group Tutoring and Counseling Helps Struggling Students

 Editors Note: This is a very encouraging study, summarized in the New York Times, about the power of tutors and mentors to help struggling students. CHICAGO — By the time they reach eighth grade, according to federal tests, half of all African-American schoolboys have not mastered the most basic math skills that educators consider essential […]

New research positions at Big Brother Big Sister of America

Director of Research & Evaluation: ·         Graduate degree in social science required; PhD preferred ·         Intermediate Statistical Analysis Software skills (SPSS preferred, SAS/STATA considered) ·         5+ years of research experience that involves a broad range of research and evaluation functions with emphasis on quantitative evaluation and analysis required. Experience managing research projects from conception to […]

New book on the science of selflessness has implications for mentoring

The Surprising Science of Selflessness by Elizabeth Svoboda Review by SID PERKINS Stories of heroes are all over the news: First responders and even concerned passersby put themselves in harm’s way to help others, going against every instinct for self-preservation. What could explain such selfless acts? Even Charles Darwin struggled to understand the evolutionary upside of […]

Meet Andrew Meltzoff

by Bruce Bower (Science News) Developmental psychologist Andrew Meltzoff codirects the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences at the University of Washington in Seattle. Meltzoff and his colleagues published a paper titled “Foundations for a New Science of Learning” in Science. Meltzoff recently spoke with Science News writer Bruce Bower. What does the science of […]

Important new report provides national overview of youth mentoring

As reported by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership. Download full report here.   The Mentoring Effect is a compelling new report informed by the first-ever nationally representative survey of young people on the topic of both informal and formal mentoring, as well as a literature and landscape review and insights from a variety of key leaders […]

2014 SAFE Training Certification

Friends for Youth has been the leader in the youth mentoring field in developing guidelines for programs to implement in order to select safe volunteer mentors. Based on research from our resource SAFE (Screening Applicants for Effectiveness): Guidelines to Prevent Child Molestation in Mentoring and Youth-Serving Organizations and more recently for our chapter, Mentor Screening […]

1/16 Webinar: New National Report on Young People’s Perspectives on Mentoring

Briefing: New National Report on Young People’s Perspectives on MentoringThursday, January 16, 2014 1:00 PM – 2:15 PM EDT This webinar will explore the insights gained from the first-ever nationally representative survey of young people on the topic of mentoring, which will be released on January 13, 2014. Commissioned by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, […]