Relationships matter. What seems to be a simple truth continues to present a challenge--and significant opportunity--for those who work with youth. Research has repeatedly shown that positive relationships are an important catalyst for success, but often there's a gap between the relationships young people say they need and the relationships that…

School dropout is a problem that has distressing personal and societal consequences. Not surprising, students who drop out are typically not academically motivated. This phenomenological study examined the meanings that students construct about academic motivation while participating in a dropout prevention program that primarily uses counseling.…

The City University of New York/New York City Board of Education (CUNY/BOE) Student Mentor Program is a collaborative program sponsored by the CUNY Office of Student Affairs in which college students serve as mentors to high school students. The main goal of the program is to form solid relationships between college and high school students in…

This booklet for mentors is part of a series of program materials for a school-based intervention process to help at-risk students stay in school. An introduction discusses the role of the mentor and the skills a mentor will need to promote the student's self-development. These skills are listening actively, problem solving, developing motivation,…

Focuses on the need to consider linguistic differences when planning strategies for the school dropout population. Hypermedia, a technology tool for accessing information, provides support for the necessary conditions to be met for language acquisition to take place: providing a concrete task and emphasizing problem solving, critical thinking, and…

This study examines the relationships developed between elder mentors and at-risk youth in the following exemplary intergenerational programs: (1) IUE/The Work Connection (Saugus, Massachusetts); (2) Teen Moms (Portland, Maine); (3) School Volunteers for Boston (Massachusetts); (4) Teenage Parent Alternative Program (Lincoln Park, Michigan); and…

This practicum sought to understand why students in a Diversified Cooperative Training (DCT) program did not see the need to earn good grades or to complete their high school education. One hundred DCT programs were surveyed statewide, and it was found that 66 percent reported problems with attendance, 35 percent revealed problems with student…