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An estimated three million American youth are in formal, one-to-one mentoring relationships, and countless more have meaningful, natural mentoring relationships with extended family members, teachers, neighbors, coaches and other caring, non-parental adults. The empirical literature generally indicates that close and enduring mentoring relationships can have a positive effect on youth self-esteem. This article begins by discussing different types of youth mentoring, then it summarizes the research on 1) the effects of mentoring relationships on self-esteem; 2) factors that predict variation in relationship effectiveness, leading to either positive or negative effects; and 3) the processes through which these relationships exert such effects. It concludes with recommended practices for mentoring programs which can contribute to positive youth outcomes. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)

Although the prevalence of autism continues to rise, identification disparities across race/ethnicity and gender persist in schools. The under- and overidentification of specific populations receiving special education services under the classification of autism contribute to misappropriation or lack of intervention services for students. Practicing school psychologists (N=229) reviewed one of eight vignettes depicting a student displaying possible autism symptoms that varied only by student race/ethnicity and gender. Afterward, they rated the likelihood that they would consider the classification of autism and their confidence in that likelihood rating. School psychologists were more likely to consider an autism classification for Asian female students than Latinx female students. Confidence in likelihood ratings was higher for Asian students than Black students. School psychologists endorsed specific attention to student problem behaviors with minimal notice of possible contributing cultural and linguistic factors. The results highlight that potential implicit biases and lack of cultural consideration play a role in the identification of autism in schools, which may contribute to the nationally documented race/ethnicity and gender identification disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents play a critical role in the early identification of ASD because of their experiential knowledge and frequent observations of their children. Being knowledgeable about ASD may help parents recognize early signs and symptoms, know to which professionals to express their concerns, and better navigate systems of care. An appropriate measure of ASD knowledge for parents is essential to further understand the importance of ASD knowledge in this population. This study sought to validate the Autism Spectrum Knowledge Scale—General Population Version (ASKSG) with a sample of parents with children under the age of 18 years in the United States. Results indicate that the ASKSG is a valid and reliable measure for use with parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth initiated mentoring (YIM) is an innovative approach to mentoring being implemented by the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program in which youth identify and select their mentors. There is great interest in this approach; however, there has been little study of YIM or its implementation in ChalleNGe. Retrospective in-depth qualitative interviews with former ChalleNGe participants (n = 30) were conducted to gain a descriptive understanding of the mentor selection process, the role these relationships played in participants’ experiences of the ChalleNGe program and in their lives more generally, and the nature and strength of these connections. Findings indicate that youth were able to successfully enlist the participation of mentors and YIM yielded enduring and emotionally supportive relationships. That the adults came from within their communities was viewed by these participants as having expedited the development of feelings of trust and contributed to the relevancy and meaningfulness of the guidance and advice offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of match length and re-matching on the effectiveness of school-based mentoring was studied in the context of a national, randomized study of 1,139 youth in Big Brothers Big Sisters programs. The sample included youth in grades four through nine from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. At the end of the year, youth in intact relationships showed significant academic improvement, while youth in matches that terminated prematurely showed no impact. Those who were re-matched after terminations showed negative impacts. Youth, mentor, and program characteristics associated with having an intact match were examined. Youth with high levels of baseline stress and those matched with college student mentors were likely to be in matches that terminated prematurely, while rejection-sensitive youth and mentors who had previous mentoring experience were more likely to be in intact relationships. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation is an important program component of RALLY and helps to document the gains that stem from this program. This article describes the quality of RALLY implementation and selected student outcomes of an exemplary RALLY program at an urban middle school. The findings showed effects on students' resiliency as well as academic success, as indicated by student, practitioner, and teacher reports. The practitioners and teachers also reported a decrease in students' behavioral problems. Relationships to practitioners and a developmental orientation proved to be of key significance for changes in students' resiliency and academic outcomes.

In order to maximize the effectiveness of prevention and intervention efforts with youth and address the needs of the whole student, it is necessary to work not only directly with youth, but also to partner with other key adults in a young person's life: parents and guardians, teachers, after-school staff, and clinicians. Inherent in RALLY's philosophy is a dual strategy of working intensively with students and teachers in the school while creating partnerships that bring students' families and a network of community agencies into the school as well. These partnerships bring important resources to school communities and create richer opportunities for young people and their families. Furthermore, a key to working effectively with youth lies in providing them not only with services that match their needs and interests, but also opportunities for participation and empowerment. Such opportunities can result in significant individual change in the students involved in these opportunities as well as broader community.