back to school: training mentors for effective relationships within schools

Back to School: Training Mentors for

Effective Relationships Within

Schools

2012 Collaborative Mentoring Webinar Series


2

Sarah Kremer

Friends for Youth

April Riordan

Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota

o Research

o Practice

o Innovation

Date: Third Thursday of every

month.

Time: 10-11:15am Pacific/11am-

12:15pm Mountain/12-1:15 pm

Central/1-2:15pm Eastern

Cost: Free

Marissa Strayer-Benton

Mobius Mentors

Good to Know…

3

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.

http://mentoringforums.educationnorthwest.org/node/479

Participate in Today’s Webinar

• All attendees muted for best

sound

• Type questions and

comments in the question

box

• Who is with us today?

4

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

5

Many Different Models of SBM

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Michael Karcher, Ed.D.,

Ph.D.

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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.

Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Funded by the W. T. Grant Foundation

Michael Karcher, Ed.D., Ph.D. [email protected]

Study of Mentoring In the Learning Environment www.utsasmile.org

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).




Outcomes: Mentoring improved self-

esteem, connectedness, & social skills

However, some groups benefited more

Elementary

School

Middle

School

High

School

Girls (only

female mentors)

No

change

No

change

Improved

Boys Improved No

change

Some got

worse

Sex of Boys’

mentors

Male & Female

Mentors

Male &

Female

Mentors

Same Sex

Mentors




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

conversations

Relational

conversations

Activities: Playful

or Serious

Academics (A) Casual conversation

(E)

Tutoring/

Homework (I)

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

Attendance & Stay-in-

School (C)

Relationships (G) Creative activities (K)

Future (D) Listening & Learning

(H)

Indoor games (L)




Grouping Activities

Academic discussion

about kid’s behavior,

attendance, dropping out,

and importance of future;

Tutoring/Homework

playing sports,

games, creative activities

Generally goal-oriented

activities intending to

change in the mentee

Generally relational or

playful conversations &

activities that strengthen

the mentor-mentee

relationship and promote

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

Girls:

Magenta

Elementary

school boys

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

Mentor-mentee relationship quality

Relational Interactions

Goal Directed Interactions

casual conversation

talk about family

talk about friends

listening & learning

talk about school

discuss attendance

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

Linked with

Individual pre-match training;

•Individual post-match training;

•Communication with school staff;

•BBBS program quality;

•BBBS staff support;

•Helpfulness of BBBS staff;

•Helpfulness of school staff; and

•School resources and space.

Carryover of match

Linked with

•Group training;

•Individual pre-match training;

•Individual post-match training;

•BBBS program quality;

•BBBS staff support;

•Helpfulness of BBBS staff; and

•School resources and space.

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

http://ppv.org/

Amy Cannata, Senior

Program Advisor,

Mentoring and National Service Initiatives

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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

Service Mentor Texas statewide initiative. Her

passion for youth work stems from her experience

researching teen courts and hip-hop youth culture,

and serving as an outreach and shelter worker

with homeless street youth.

Rae Smith, Volunteer

Services Specialist,

YouthFriends Kansas

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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

volunteers.

Key Concepts to Include in Training for School Based Mentors

1. Integrating academics

into the mentoring

relationship

2. How does change

happen in SBM?

3. Ways to give mentee(s)

a voice and choice in

activities, even if

prescribed by

program/school

4. Importance of

developing relationships

with other adults

5. What to do/not do when

student is struggling

academically

6. Manage mentor

expectations before they

enter the 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 trusted and faithful

friend, who listens,

supports, and guides a

young person on a

consistent basis over a

specified period of time

• A tutor is…

– A peer or an adult who

offers one-on-one support

for the specific purpose of

improving student

achievement in an

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

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Close your eyes and picture a middle school hallway.

Hear?

(Smell? )

What do you see?

Mentors can be an island

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Future Webinars

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September 20 - Closure

Join us in September to talk about best ways to handle early

match endings and ideas for providing positive closure

experiences for successful matches. We will be joined by

Renée Spencer, M.S.S.W., Ed.D. an Associate Professor at

Boston University and a prominent researcher in the field of

mentoring.

Future Topics:

October 18 –

Public/Private

Ventures

November 15 –

Disconnected/

Opportunity

Youth

December 20 –

National

Mentoring Month

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/407910098

Good to Know…

47

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.


The Mentoring Forums

48



Thank you!