This document contains six papers exploring contemporary issues in mentoring. "The Practice, Quality, and Cost of Mentoring" (Jean Baldwin Grossman) provides an introduction to and overview of the remaining five papers. "Mentoring Adolescents: What Have We Learned?" (Cynthia L. Sipe) reviews the literature on mentoring, discusses key elements in creating solid mentor-mentee relationships, and explains what is required to be an effective mentor. "Assessing the Effectiveness of Mentoring Programs" (Jean Baldwin Grossman, Amy Johnson) shares the results of a study in which the authors documented that the most effective mentoring relationships are those where mentors seek mentees' input and do not take punitive approaches to mentees. "The Cost of Mentoring" (Douglas L. Fountain, Amy Arbreton) present data demonstrating that one-on-one and group mentoring programs cost an average of just over $1,000 and $400 annually per youth, respectively. "Mentoring Matters: A National Survey of Adults Mentoring Young People" (Kathryn Taaffe McLearn, Diane Colasanto, Cathy Schoen, Michele Yellowitz Shapiro) reports that approximately 12 million adults are currently mentoring young people aged 10-18 (primarily outside of formal programs). "Mentoring in 1998: Four Models for the 21st Century" (Natalie Jaffe) highlights issues currently being faced by four exemplary mentoring programs. (The document contains 30 references.) (MN)