Mentoring is a series of collaborative activities and conversations between young people and older or more experienced persons (i.e., mentors) who are acting in a helping capacity to provide support that benefits one or more areas of the young person's development. This resource offers those who develop and implement mentoring services meaningful…

School-based mentoring (SBM) is any intervention that takes place within the school building that connects young people with an adult. In contrast to community-based mentoring, mentor-mentee matches in SBM programs typically meet for shorter periods of time (e.g., one hour per week instead of four hours per week), have a shorter duration, and set…

Every student should have access to excellent, well-prepared, and well-supported educators who reflect the diversity of our nation. Research repeatedly indicates that teachers are the most important in-school factor for student success. Research also highlights the critical role of school leaders in retaining and supporting teachers to maximize…

Given the concerning lack of teachers of color in Minnesota, the positive outcomes of having a diverse educator workforce, and growing legislative action in this area with the Increase Teachers of Color Act, the Minnesota Department of Education with the assistance of the Wisconsin-Minnesota Comprehensive Center Region 10 (R10CC) sought to better…

Many Language teacher associations (LTAs) are nonprofit organizations and thus rely heavily on volunteers to carry out their mission. A volunteer is a person who donates time and labor in service to others. In the case of LTAs, volunteers play key roles in governing the association, planning and realizing national conferences and local workshops,…

Our classrooms haven't kept pace with innovation. The Ford Model T represented breakthrough technology in its day--more than 100 years ago--but it wouldn't serve us well today. Likewise, our traditional classroom model from the same era doesn't work well for far too many students and teachers. In fact, as a result of this outdated model, it is…

This book is designed to support the transformation of educators into strategic talent leaders. The author's research-based "Strategic Talent Leadership Framework" gives leaders the tools for acquiring, accelerating, advancing and assessing educator talent. Each chapter features an illustrative case, best practices, a ready-to-use tool…

Finding the right college is a challenge for all students, but Black families face additional challenges and questions when navigating the admissions process. Veteran admissions experts Timothy L. Fields and Shereem Herndon-Brown demystify this complexity by advising families on when to begin the process, where to apply, and how to be a…

This Family Engagement Toolkit is designed for facility and school administrators. It provides tools that can be adapted to promote family involvement in a facility school. The tools are intended to be used by program staff to help encourage families--including those who are reluctant, have been affected by trauma, or are unsure of how to become…

The training materials presented in this guide were developed by the Kentucky Department of Education as guidance during the process of selecting a principal. This training represents best practices for the principal selection process. These suggested steps and ideas are written with the expectations that all involved parties are following the…

This book is a guide for mentors on how to recruit, mentor, and support students through a student research experience in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) fields. Being a successful research mentor benefits from the self-awareness and planning, strategies and skills that "Success in Mentoring your Student…

This guide is the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) commitment to principled conduct among professionals who support students in the college transition process from secondary school to postsecondary education and in the transfer process between postsecondary institutions. College counseling and admission professionals…

The Smithsonian Science Education Center in collaboration with Howard University received a Planning Grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science (INCLUDES) and Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) (Grant Award #2040784) for the…

Talented leaders are essential to building and sustaining successful organizations. This is especially true for schools, where principal leadership plays a major role in fostering student success. Research shows that principals are a significant school-level factor affecting student achievement, second only to classroom teachers. Like other types…

Many public school districts are seeking to expand or launch voluntary summer learning programs, especially for children from low-income families. These children experience setbacks over the summer compared to their more affluent peers. Most studies have found that students from low-income families learn less during the summer than do students…