Part of Quality in Action monthly webinar series hosted by Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota. November 2, 2011.

1. Quality in Action
Evidence-Based
Practice &
Mentoring
November 2, 2011
1

2. Webinar Logistics
Asking Questions & Sharing Comments
During the Webinar
 “Raise your hand” & MPM Organizers will
unmute you
 Or, type questions and comments in the
question section of the toolbar; MPM
organizers will respond directly or share
with all attendees
April Riordan  When unmuted, please monitor your
Director of Training & background noise
Community
Partnerships
Recordings of past webinars are available on our YouTube Channel.
2

3. Red Light, Green Light
The main obstacle is the negative perception held by some
drivers and elected officials. Transportation agencies also have
long been accustomed to installing traffic signals, and it can take
time for deeply rooted design practices to change.
3

4. Featured Panelist
(248) 709-4488
www.WinningFuturesBooks.org
www.WinningFutures.org
Kristina Marshall
President & CEO
Winning Futures
4

5. Winning Futures
 Winning Futures overview
 Founded 1994
 2007 first “outside” eval
 Customized tools
 Focus groups
 Comparison group
 Findings
5

6. Meta-Analysis (DuBois et al., 2002)
Program practices predictive of stronger
positive effects on youth outcomes
Procedures for systematic Use of community settings for
monitoring of program mentoring
implementation
Using mentors with backgrounds in Clearly established expectations for
helping roles or professions frequency of mentor-youth contact
Ongoing (post-match) training for Structured activities for mentors
mentors and youth
Support for parent involvement
6

7. Winning Futures
 Meta-analysis – what has WF incorporated
 How we choose what to do
 Create your “own” evidence vs. modeling
around a “proven” model/process
7

8. New Meta-Analysis - (DuBois et al., 2002)
Programs that Mentoring more effective for:
engaged older peers  Male youth with moderate
as mentors or used personal/ environmental risk and;
group formats show
comparable levels of  Mentors who:
effectiveness.  Have a background/ training that fits
with program goals
 Play an active, advocacy role
Benefits of mentoring  Are sensitive to socioeconomic &
are apparent from cultural influences
early childhood to  Have higher self-efficacy
adolescence.  Hold positive attitudes toward youth
8

9. Winning Futures
 How will you use these findings?
9

10. Winning Futures
 How will you use these findings?
10

11. Evidence, Shmevidence
11

12. Evidence-Based Decision
Making Process
Definition for youth
mentoring field:
The conscientious, explicit,
and judicious use of both
external research and
internal program monitoring
and evaluation data as well
as other sources of
knowledge to inform
decisions about the design
and ongoing improvement
of mentoring programs and
services for youth.
(DuBois, Keller, & Wheeler, in preparation)
12

13. Elements of Effective Practice
Six evidence-based • Inherent limitations of research
standards that for informing and stimulating
effective practice
address mentoring • Addresses only a portion of
program operations: relevant questions
1) recruitment; • Rarely, if ever, at a level of
specificity needed to be
2) screening; sufficient to fully guide practice
3) training; • Local context likely to moderate
or condition many, if not all,
4) matching; findings or proposed „truths‟
5) monitoring and • Non-research, local sources of
evidence may be important for
support; and facilitating adoption of
6) closure. innovations and fostering
organizational learning culture
13

14. Winning Futures
 Interpret/incorporate EEP into your
program
14

15. Winning Futures
 Mentor Michigan
 Quality Mentor Standards
 Universal outcomes measurement tool in
progress
15

16. Top Ten List for the EBP-Minded Youth
Mentoring Professional
Seek out and utilize all forms of Pay special attention to findings that
research that may inform the replicate across different studies and
practice of youth mentoring sources of evidence
Cultivate collaborations with Infuse use of evidence in decision-
researchers making into all areas of agency and
operation
Develop and utilize internal and
local sources of evidence Institute processes to cultivate use of
evidence by program staff
Be a critical consumer of all forms
and sources of evidence Assign staff to EBP
Pay equal attention to evidence that Evaluate all decisions and proposed
supports or challenges existing solutions
practices
16

17. Conclusion
 "Mentoring is a strategic intervention that
gives communities a way to multiply their
support for young people. But, funders and
policymakers need to understand that they
will get the best return with programs that use
evidence-based practices, such as mentor
screening and training. And, if they do,
mentoring can be a strong and positive
investment in the future of America's
children.“ --David DuBois, MENTOR Minute
17

18. Resources
 Winning Futures
 Elements of Effective Practice 3rd Edition
 Research In Action #2
 MRC Fact Sheet – Research and Practice: The
Role of Evidence in the Youth Mentoring Field
 How Effective Are Mentoring Programs for
Youth? A Systematic Assessment of the
Evidence (new meta-analysis)
18

19. Resources
 MPM Training
www.mpmn.org/traininginstitute
 This presentation & others
www.slideshare.net/traininginstitute
 MPM Blog
http://mentoringworks.wordpress.com/
19

20. Next Quality In Action Webinar
December 7 –The Mentoring
Partnership of Minnesota, in
partnership with Friends for
Youth, Inc. and Mass Mentors,
will share our "Top 12 for 2012" -
a list of easy, practical tips that
will help mentoring programs
optimize their social media
efforts. Features: Sarah Kremer,
Program Director at Friends for
Youth, Inc. & Rich Greif, Director
of Marketing & Partnerships at
Mass Mentoring Partnership.
20