The following resources developed by the National Mentoring Center can help school administrators and staff, as well as their community partners, design and implement effective mentoring services in K-12 school settings.

NMC Resources

The ABCs of School-Based Mentoring
This newly revised version incorporates the latest research from Public/Private Ventures and other mentoring leaders into a guide for school and community partners. This guide provides an excellent starting point for schools or districts thinking about adding on-site adult-youth mentoring services.

Making the Grade: A Guide to Incorporating Academic Achievement Into Mentoring Programs and Relationships
This 100+ page guidebook provides guidance on designing and implementing a school-based mentoring program that is grounded in research and best practices. It also provides advice for mentoring relationships in school settings, including tips for building trust, setting goals, and improving academic and personal competencies for participants.

School Libraries: A Critical Resource for School-Based Mentoring Programs and the Youth They Serve (Fact Sheet)
This fact sheet examines the critical role that school (and public) libraries can play in helping school-based mentoring programs meet their academic goals and in helping mentoring pairs find fun and meaningful activities.

Making the Transition to Middle School (Fact Sheet)
The transition to middle school can be a difficult one for many youth, and this fact sheet explores how mentoring programs and relationships can help students cope with the challenges of moving to middle school.

Summertime Program Tune-Up (Fact Sheet)
The summer months are an ideal time to make adjustments to services and develop new curriculum for the coming year. This fact sheet explores strategies for strengthening school-based programs during the "off" months.

Keeping Matches in Touch Over the Summer Months (Fact Sheet)
One of the biggest challenges for school-based programs is how to keep matches in touch over the summer break, and this fact sheet explores simple and cost-effective strategies for maintaining that contact during times when face-to-face meetings are difficult to arrange.

Partnership Growing Pains: Creative Solutions for Strengthening School-Community Collaborations (Case Study)
This case study explores how one local mentoring program used creative partnerships with schools and other organizations to help its school-based services thriving.

Audio Presentation - BBBS School-Based Mentoring Impact Study: Findings and Implications for Policy and Practice (mp3 recording) (56MB)
Dr. Carla Herrera of Public/Private Ventures joined us to explain the findings from her recent studies of school-based mentoring programs in the Big Brothers Big Sisters system and what other local programs can learn from her findings.

• Additional download - Dr. Herrera on the BBBS School-Based Mentoring Impact Study (transcript of presentation, plus slides, handouts, and supplemental reading)

Resources from Other Organizations

The following selected resources from other organizations can also help with school-based mentoring program planning and design. All links will open in a new window.

Cross-Age Peer Mentoring (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership)

Dr. Mentor's 16 Steps to Effective School-Based Mentoring (published by Mentor Consulting Group)

High School Students as Mentors: Findings from the Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study (published by Public/Private Ventures)

Making a Difference in Schools: The Big Brothers Big Sisters School-Based Mentoring Impact Study (published by Public/Private Ventures)

School-Based Mentoring (published by MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership)

YouthFriends' Volunteer Reading Guide (published by Youth Friends)