Back to School: Training Mentors for Effective Relationships within Schools

2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series

Back to School:
Training Mentors for
Effective
Relationships Within
Schools

2012 Collaborative Mentoring
Webinar Series
o Research
o Practice
o Innovation
Sarah Kremer Marissa Strayer-Benton
Date: Third Thursday of every Friends for Youth Mobius Mentors
month.

Time: 10-11:15am Pacific/11am-
12:15pm Mountain/12-1:15 pm
Central/1-2:15pm Eastern
April Riordan
Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota
Cost: Free

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Good to Know…
After the webinar, all attendees receive:

 Instructions for how to access PDF of presentation
slides and webinar recording

 Link to the for resources,
contact information & opportunities to continue the
dialogue

Please help us out by answering 5 survey questions at
the end of the webinar.

3

Participate in Today’s Webinar
• All attendees muted for best
sound
• Type questions and
comments in the question
box
• Who is with us today?

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Today’s Webinar
1. School Based Mentoring
– How is it different than CBM? Unique
benefits and challenges?
2. Tips for Training Mentors in School
Based Programs
Q & A throughout the presentation

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Many Different Models of SBM

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Michael J. Karcher, Ed.D., Ph.D., is a
Professor of Counseling in the College of
Education and Human Development at the
University of Texas at San Antonio, where
he coordinates the School Counseling
Training Program. He received a doctorate
in Human Development and Psychology
from Harvard University (1997) and a
doctorate in Counseling Psychology from
the University of Texas at Austin (1999). He
conducts research on school-based and
cross-age peer mentoring as well as on
adolescent connectedness and pair
counseling.
Michael Karcher, Ed.D., Email: michael.karcher@utsa.edu
Ph.D.

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Study of Mentoring
in the Learning
Environment
Project Overview
Between 2003-2007, SMILE is the 1st large-scale, multisite,
randomized study of school-based mentoring.
Followed 550 youth (½ mentees; ½ comparison) across 20
elementary, middle and high schools for two years.
The only SBM study to include large numbers of Latino
mentees and mentors or high school aged mentees.
Mentors were college students, business employees, and
adult volunteers (half Latino).
Study of Mentoring In the Learning Environment Michael Karcher, Ed.D., Ph.D. Funded by the W. T.
www.utsasmile.org Michael.karcher@utsa.edu Grant Foundation

Outcomes: Mentoring improved self-
esteem, connectedness, & social skills
Elementary Middle High
School School School

Girls (only No No Improved
female mentors)
change change
Boys Improved No Some got
change worse
Sex of Boys’ Male & Female Male & Same Sex
mentors Mentors Female Mentors
Mentors

However, some groups benefited more

Maybe what the matches did together affected
how much the kids felt valued

To test this, we studied Mentor Activity Logs

• After each visit,
mentors completed
an Activity Log to
note what they did &
talked about with
their mentees


Weekly Activity Logs Completed by Mentors
Record Developmental and Instrumental Activities
YOU ENTER: WHAT HELPED/HURT MENTEE BOYS
Goal-directed Relational Activities: Playful
conversations conversations or Serious

Academics (A) Casual conversation Tutoring/
(E) Homework (I)

Behavior (B) Social issues (F) Sports or athletic (J)

Attendance & Stay-in- Relationships (G) Creative activities (K)
School (C)

Future (D) Listening & Learning Indoor games (L)
(H)

Grouping Activities
Academic discussion
about kid’s behavior, Generally goal-oriented
attendance, dropping out, activities intending to
and importance of future; change in the mentee
Tutoring/Homework
Generally relational or
playful conversations &
activities that strengthen
the mentor-mentee
playing sports, relationship and promote
games, creative activities youth development

SMILE: Relational Discussion
(Goal-directed Focus in Meetings by Grade & Sex)

Percent of time
in discussions of
friends & family
and in casual
conversation

Elem. Middle High School

SMILE: Problem Discussion
(Goal-directed Focus in Meetings by Grade & Sex)

Percent of time
in discussions of
academics,
behavior,
attendance

Elem. Middle High School

Feeling valued by the Mentor:
is a critical ingredient (but is
in short supply in High School matches)

Boys:
Blue Elementary
school boys
Girls:
Magenta High school
boys


Time spent in goal-focused, problem
oriented conversations was inversely
related to feeling valued by the mentor
Time spend discussing
academics, behavior, attendance


The importance of balance
casual conversation

talk about family

talk about friends
Relational
Interactions listening & learning
Mentor-mentee
relationship quality talk about school

Goal Directed discuss attendance
Interactions
discuss behavior

talk about the future

Karcher, M. J., Herrera, C., & Hansen, K., (2010).“I dunno, what do you wanna do?”: Testing a framework to
guide mentor training and activity selection. New Directions in Youth Development, 126.


Take home points
• Unless teens can “shape” the program
(and thus how their peers view it),
mentors in high schools may do more
harm than good with Latino boys
• Case managers can cultivate success by
providing activities, ideas, training
• Mentors need training in how to balance
goal/relating focus and being fun/serious


School-Based Mentoring Training and
Support
BBBS Impact Study
Relationship closeness Carryover of match
Linked with Linked with
Individual pre-match training; •Group training;
•Individual post-match training; •Individual pre-match training;
•Communication with school staff; •Individual post-match training;
•BBBS program quality; •BBBS program quality;
•BBBS staff support; •BBBS staff support;
•Helpfulness of BBBS staff; •Helpfulness of BBBS staff; and
•Helpfulness of school staff; and •School resources and space.
•School resources and space.

National BBBS School-Based Mentoring Impact Study (published by P/PV) full report: http://ppv.org

Amy's work focuses on providing training and
technical assistance for local and national
initiatives in the areas of volunteerism, mentoring,
and education success. She assists a diverse
group of programs via distance learning, in-person
training, publication development, and one-on-one
coaching. Her past training and technical
assistance projects at Education Northwest
included the Corporation for National and
Community Service LEARNS Project, Office of
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
funded National Mentoring Center, and the Texas
Commission on Volunteerism and Community
Amy Cannata, Senior Service Mentor Texas statewide initiative. Her
Program Advisor, passion for youth work stems from her experience
Mentoring and National researching teen courts and hip-hop youth culture,
Service Initiatives and serving as an outreach and shelter worker
with homeless street youth.

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In her role, Rae supports YouthFriends
initiatives in school districts throughout Kansas.
YouthFriends connects young people with
caring adult volunteers in schools to promote
success, encourage healthy behaviors and
build stronger communities. Rae’s work with
school districts across Kansas includes
providing the tools, technology and training for
individual districts to implement or enhance a
school based mentoring initiative. Rae has not
only facilitated numerous volunteer trainings
across the state but also many “YouthFriends
Train the Trainer” sessions to equip school
district staff to successfully train their
Rae Smith, Volunteer volunteers.
Services Specialist,
YouthFriends Kansas

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Key Concepts to Include in Training for
School Based Mentors
1. Integrating academics 4. Importance of
into the mentoring developing relationships
relationship with other adults
2. How does change 5. What to do/not do when
happen in SBM? student is struggling
3. Ways to give mentee(s) academically
a voice and choice in 6. Manage mentor
activities, even if expectations before they
prescribed by enter the school
program/school

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The Mentor’s Role in Academics
• Friend and role model (developmental
mentor)

• Advocate

• Cheerleader

• Learning facilitator

Roles of Mentors & Tutors
• A mentor is… • A tutor is…
– A trusted and faithful – A peer or an adult who
friend, who listens, offers one-on-one support
supports, and guides a for the specific purpose of
young person on a improving student
consistent basis over a achievement in an
specified period of time academic subject or a life
skill

Building Strong Relationships
“Relationships were built using an
approach that defines the mentor as a
friend, not as a teacher or preacher. The
mentor’s role is to support the youth in his
or her various endeavors, not explicitly to
change the youth’s behavior or character.”
-From Making a Difference: An Impact Study of
Big Brothers/Big Sisters

The Results of Strong Relationships
• Mentoring has a a positive impact on
grades and other academic indicators by
improving relationships between youth
and the parent and by boosting the
youth’s perception of their own
academics abilities
(2000. Agents of change: Pathways through which mentoring relationships influence
adolescents’ academic adjustment, Child Development, 71, 1662-1671.

Other Outcomes of Mentoring
• Mentoring has a positive impact on the number of
unexcused absences
(Tierney, 1995:Aseltine, 1995)

• Mentoring helps boost student attitudes about
school
(LoSciuto, L., Rajala, A., Townsend, T.N., & Taylor, A.S., 1996)

• Impact youth’s sense of connectedness to school
(Portwood, et al, in press)

Ways for Mentors to Support
Academic Achievement
1. Let their mentee know they are there to support them in school
and in the community

2. Celebrate academic successes with their mentee

3. Learn about their mentee’s academic areas of strength and
weakness

4. Capitalize on “teachable moments”

5. Encourage participation in school activities

Resources at Your Fingertips
• What is already in place?

– School resources

– Community resources

– Program resources

– Parents as resources

Close your eyes and picture a
middle school hallway.

What do you see?
Hear?

(Smell? )

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Mentors can be an island

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Future Webinars
September 20 - Closure Future Topics:

Join us in September to talk about best ways to handle early October 18 –
match endings and ideas for providing positive closure Public/Private
experiences for successful matches. We will be joined by Ventures
Renée Spencer, M.S.S.W., Ed.D. an Associate Professor at
Boston University and a prominent researcher in the field of November 15 –
mentoring.
Disconnected/
Opportunity
Youth
December 20 –
National
Mentoring Month

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Good to Know…
After the webinar, all attendees receive:

 Instructions for how to access PDF of presentation
slides and webinar recording

 Link to the Mentoring Forum for resources,
contact information & opportunities to continue the
dialogue

Please help us out by answering 5 survey questions at
the end of the webinar.

47

The Mentoring Forums

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2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series

Thank you!

Back to School: Training Mentors for Effective Relationships within Schools

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