Editors Blog

“I have seen the power of mentoring firsthand”: Hillary Clinton on the mentors who changed her life

by Jean Rhodes “At a time when there seems to be so little that people agree on, this is one mission worthy of bipartisan, broad-based support.” Hillary Clinton It’s hard to imagine that the political acrimony (and insanity) that has defined this year’s presidential election could get any worse. Understandably, there’s a strong urge to tune it […]

It’s not what you know….: The case for a networked approach to mentoring

by Jean Rhodes According to a recent Gallup poll  successful college students have one important thing in common–they all had one or more teachers who were mentors who took an interest in their hopes and dreams.  “We think it’s a big deal” where we go to college,” Gallup’s Brandon Busteed told the New York Times. But […]

“It was kind of like me sitting on a rainbow”: Reaching out to youth on the autism spectrum

By Jean Rhodes It was a simple act of kindness, caught in a photo. Travis Rudolph, a Florida State University star wide receiver, was visiting a nearby middle school last week with his teammates when he spotted a 6th grade boy sitting by himself in the cafeteria. “So I asked him, could I sit down and have lunch with […]

Other people’s children: The new reality show

by Jean E. Rhodes Imagine a reality television show in which privileged empty nesters competed to help less fortunate high school students gain entry into the nation’s highest ranked colleges and universities. The many parents who had successfully shepherded their children through the admissions process from the comfort of their homes from Greenwich to Palo […]

Older and (hopefully) wiser: A forthcoming book about youth mentoring

by Jean Rhodes I wrote Stand by Me: The risks and rewards of mentoring today’s youth fifteen years ago—my first, and what I assumed would be my final, book-length manuscript on the topic. As I write a second book on mentoring, I am struck by just how much has changed in the ensuing years. Although […]

Slow ideas and the power of mentoring

by Jean Rhodes In a recent New Yorker article, “Slow Ideas,” science writer Atul Gawande laments the resistance amongst medical professionals and others to adopt innovation. He describes how, despite evidence, physicians were slow to warm up to Joseph Lister’s simple methods of sterilization. And, in a recent visit to a hospital in northern India, Gawande described […]

A case for the embracing the science of mentoring

 by Jean Rhodes Despite significant strides in establishing the evidence base in the field of mental health, relatively few practitioners ground their work in clinically-proven strategies. Indeed ,there are now proven strategies for treating such problems as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and eating disorders, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) , dialectical behavior therapy, and family-based treatment programs–yet, few […]

Two new findings (and a surprise) about working with more challenging mentees

By Jean Rhodes and Elizabeth Raposa In case you missed it, the recent commencement address, delivered by student speaker Donovan Livingston, Ed.M. at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, is a tour de force. The speech is especially powerful when Donovan recognizes the important role of his mentor. “I was in the 7th grade when […]

“Grit” is not a panacea for the problems facing disadvantaged youth

By Jean Rhodes Grit is in the limelight. Schools are teaching and testing for grit, and mentoring programs are increasingly exploring ways to incorporate training in grit and other social and emotional skills into mentors’ toolkits. Professor Angela Duckworth’s excellent research and new bestseller on the topic have fueled both enthusiasm for such efforts as well as debate […]

There’s no substitute for someone who gets you

by Laura Yoviene and Jean Rhodes We like people who “get” us–those friends and family members who seem to understand who we are at an intuitive level and yet love and appreciate us all the same. Students gravitate toward teachers, guidance counselors, and other adults who get them, which creates opportunities for these caring adults to influence students’ career choices and […]