Posts

Boosting the grade for school-based mentoring: Training and focus are key

Written by Marisa Ramirez Mentoring programs for school-aged children have grown in the past two decades, but their effectiveness has not kept pace with their popularity. A study from the University of Houston College of Education finds school-based mentoring programs fail because they lack sufficient time, mentor training and a research foundation. “While community-based mentoring […]

Mentoring program found to boost academic and mental health outcomes for urban minority youth

Montanez, E., Berger-Jenkins, E., Rodriguez, J., McCord, M., & Meyer, D. (2015). Turn 2 Us: Outcomes of an urban elementary school-based mental health promotion and prevention program serving ethnic minority youths. Children & Schools, 37(2), 100-107. Summarized by Jessica Cunningham   Background: Many school age children suffer from undiagnosed mental health problems, and this problem […]

A conversation with Jefferson Singer: The Posse Scholar campus mentoring program

By Justin Preston This week we sat down with Jefferson Singer, Faulk Foundation Professor of Psychology and Dean of the College at Connecticut College. Dean Singer has been serving as a faculty mentor and now director of the Connecticut College chapter of the Posse Scholar program for several years. Since 1989, the nationwide Posse Foundation […]

A calm port in the storm: Mentors serve as reliable support for youth in the foster care system

Greeson, J.K., Thompson, A.E., Ali, S., & Wenger, R.S. (2015). It’s good to know that you got somebody that’s not going anywhere: Attitudes and beliefs of older youth in foster care about child welfare-based natural mentoring. Children and Youth Services Review, 48, 140-149. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2014.12.015 Summarized by Benjamin Alford   Introduction: Research shows that older youth […]

What first-gen college students want and how mentors can help provide it

Written by Emily Deruy, The Atlantic As policymakers and educators debate how to help high-schoolers from all backgrounds get to and through college, young people’s ideas about the support they need to succeed are sometimes left out of the discussion. Yet conversations with students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education […]

It’s a two-way street: Four ways mentoring benefits the mentor

Written by Alex Lyman, Huffington Post   Despite being a young professional with a variety of much-needed mentors of my own, I find that becoming a mentor myself has been equally important to my personal and professional growth. I often find myself connecting with high school and college students on a more relatable level, because […]

Teens get them talking: The results of an evaluation of the Teens and Toddlers program

Humphrey, K. & Olivier, A. (2014). Investigating the impact of teenage mentors on pre-school children’s development: A comparison using control groups. Children and Youth Services Review, 44, 20-24. Summarized by Jessica Cunningham     Background: Research has shown that engaging in play is one of the most important skills for toddlers to learn, as most […]

Mentoring plays integral role in reducing gun violence in one of America’s most violent cities

By Wayne Drash and Tawanda Scott Sambou, CNN The four teens kick back and talk openly with their mentor. They discuss job opportunities, the need for support and the possibility of a trip out of state. They’re relaxing in the lobby of a city agency, one outfitted with a couch and wing chairs to make […]

It Takes a Community: Nine Principles for Effective Youth Services Organizations

From Peter Samuelson In 2014, the Thrive Foundation searched across the nation for organizations providing services to disadvantaged youth nationwide with a caring adult at the center of their program delivery model and found eight exemplary organizations. Led by Thrive’s Director of Research and Evaluation, Peter Samuelson, Ph.D., the foundation then embarked on an evaluation to […]

The power of many: Why schools are embracing broader formal and informal mentoring networks

Written by Alyza Sebenius, The Atlantic In her job as a “dream director,” Jessica Valoris is tasked with unleashing the potential of disadvantaged students at an inner-city high school in Washington, D.C. Her employer, a New York-based nonprofit called The Future Project, embeds mentors like Valoris in public schools, characterizing her role as a “midwife […]