National Mentoring Month Resource Collection
According to MENTOR, "America's dropout rates are an unprecedented challenge in U.S. history - dropout rates and the lack of academic achievement is worse than ever with teen violence, pregnancies, drugs and crime more prevalent than ever before....Mentoring is a youth development strategy that naturally supports the goal of reducing the dropout rate. Research has shown mentoring to have significant positive effects on two early indicators of high school dropouts—high levels of absenteeism
1 and recurring behavior problems
2."
Consequently, the 2011 National Mentoring Month had an academic theme, and MPM wanted to give you a resource collection that ties in with that theme:
Match Activities/Resources for Mentees
Research & Publications
Guides & Fact Sheets for Mentoring Programs
Resource Collections for Programs & Mentors
Mentoring & Education in the Media
Other Helpful Local Organizations
MPM's K-12 Journey Map
- This online tool is Minnesota's first interactive outline mapping
major milestones for youth as they prepare for post-secondary
education. The map includes links to resources that support the
milestones, from career interest inventories to ways to pay
for college. The Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota's (MPM) K-12
Journey Map is sponsored by GE and the University of Minnesota.
Career & Education Exploration - What should I be when I grow up?
What sparks my interest? Navigate the resources on MPM’s Career &
Education Exploration page to start these important conversations with
mentees.
STEM Exploration - Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math make up STEM, and this page has eight STEM-specific educational
resources for mentors to explore with mentees.
Friends for Youth Academic Activity Guide - The Academic Activity Guide is a collection of learning activities
and projects designed by educational professionals specifically for
mentoring programs. Areas of focus include science, social studies,
math, personal development, language and art. These activities not only
provide opportunities to develop academic skills but also offer gateways
to inspire further discovery and learning about each other and the
world.
Discovering the Possibilities: "C-ing" Your Future - The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island recently released this guidebook of activities for mentor matches, covering career exploration, college preparation and character building.
KnowHow2Go
- The KnowHow2Go website is full of interactive resources specifically
designed for mentors and their mentees, based around the site's "4 Steps
to College:" 1) Be a pain, 2) Push yourself, 3) Find the right fit, and
4) Put your hands on some cash.
Realizing the College Dream - From ECMC Foundation, "Realizing the College Dream" helps educators increase college attendance among low-income, first-generation students with hands-on activities and interactive workshops about planning and paying for college, experiences that challenge students to see themselves in college, and eye-opening information about the economic value of college
My Growth Plan - This website trains and supports eighth through twelfth grade students in learning the art, skill, and power of life-long growth planning that helps them succeed in and out of school, both now and for a lifetime.
College & Career Planning Curriculum for Students, Families, and their Mentors - From the Blue-Ribbon Mentor Advocate in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, the college and career exposure curriculum is designed for adults (parents and mentors) to help support a student on his or her path to college and a career.
Agents of Change: Pathways Through Which Mentoring Relationships Influence Adolescents' Academic Adjustment - From the November/December 2000 edition of Child Development, by Jean Rhodes, Jean Grossman, and Nancy Resch.
Child Trends Research to Results Brief: Ten Ways to Promote Educational Achievement and Attainment Beyond the Classroom - July 2010 publication by Christopher Boccanfuso, Kristin Anderson Moore, and Camille Whitney.
Child Trends' "What Works" to Promote Academic Achievement: Mentoring Programs with an Academic Orientation - This experimental evaluation of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, a mentoring program with intensive case management, found that program participants had a modestly higher GPA than members of the control group (Tierney, Grossman, and Resch, 1995).
Benefit Of A Mentor: Disadvantaged Teens Twice As Likely To Attend College - Published in ScienceDaily, two findings from a national study reveal the power of mentors, particularly those in the teaching profession.
Kids’ Involvement in Mentoring Programs at School Help Them Control Emotions - A study by researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center suggests that children who participate in school-based mentoring programs experience a positive impact on classroom behavior, including self-control skills such as anger management.
Making a Difference in Schools - A Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring impact study by Carla Herrera, Jean Baldwin Grossman, Tina J. Kauh, Amy F. Feldman and Jennifer McMaken, with Linda Z. Jucovy.
Research in Action: School-Based Mentoring - Issue six in a 2007 ten-part series from MENTOR, based on research from Michael Karcher & Carla Herrera.
Public/Private Ventures School-Based Mentoring Publications - Public/Private Ventures sets out to evaluate and understand the effectiveness of school-based mentoring.
Promoting Academic Achievement Through Your Mentoring Program - A mentoring fact sheet from the Mentoring Resource Center, US Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and the Evaluation, Management and Training (EMT) Associates, Inc, this PDF summarizes research on mentoring and academic outcomes and also how mentoring programs can support academic achievement.
Making the Grade: A Guide to Incorporating Academic Achievement Into Mentoring Programs and Relationships - This guide from the US
Department of Education and the Mentoring Resource Center was written by Amy Cannata, Michael Garringer, Patti MacRae and Dennis Wakeland.
YES, YOU CAN: A Guide for Establishing Mentoring Programs to Prepare Youth for College - This four-section guide is from the US Department of Education.
Peer Mentoring and Academic Success - This mentoring fact sheet is from the Mentoring Resource Center, US Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and the Evaluation, Management and Training (EMT) Associates, Inc.
Practical Skills for Tutoring - This is a brief, six-rule plan about how to tutor students.
National Mentoring Center at Education Northwest - This collection features resources on program design, mentor recruitment, participant training, volunteer screening, school-based mentoring/tutoring, relationship support, sustainability and fundraising, and mentoring special populations.
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - Any program looking to educate kids or have/make an activity will find this website to be helpful.
Learns: Youth Impact - This resource collection (formerly The Tutor) features in-depth articles for tutoring, mentoring, and other youth-focused programs.
YouthFriends: Resource Center - YouthFriends is a school-based mentoring network that connects caring adult volunteers with young people. Here you can find activity ideas, reading resources, tips for volunteers, and more.
Waiting for "Superman" Local Take Action Page - Waiting for "Superman" is a buzz-generating film about problems in the American public education system. Because the film is inspiring people to take action, there are regional webpages set up to help them do so.
The Huffington Post: “A Solution Right Under Our Noses” - Written by Steve Larosiliere, Executive Director of the Stoked mentoring organization.
MinnPost: Let's Work Together on Improving Minnesota Education - MinnPost's Community Voices features Jim Scheibel and Christy
Hovanetz in a commentary on education. Scheibel, MPM Board Member and
Public Policy Committee Chair, is also the former Mayor of Saint Paul.
AchieveMpls - AchieveMpls is a critical and strategic nonprofit partner designated by the Minneapolis Public Schools to ensure students are prepared for school, work and life.
Admission Possible - Admission Possible successfully helps low-income young people earn admission to and succeed in college.
Check & Connect: Student Engagement Intervention - Check & Connect promotes students' engagement with school, reduces dropouts, and increases school completion.
LearnmoreMN - LearnmoreMN seeks solutions to Minnesota's education challenge, because soon our supply of college-educated residents will not meet our economy's demands.
1 Kennelly, L., & Monrad, M. (2007). "Approaches to dropout prevention: Heeding early warning signs with appropriate interventions." Washington, D.C.: National High School Center, American Institutes for Research.
2
Thurlow, M. L., Sinclair, M. F., & Johnson, D. R. (2002). "Students with disabilities who drop out of school—Implications for policy and practice." Issue Brief, 1(2). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Institute on Community Integration, National Center on Secondary Education and Transition.