SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY ADOLESCENCE: TAPPING INTO THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS AND MENTORING

2019

Delia Hagan, Bernadette Sánchez, Jason Cascarino, Kilian White With Generous Support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This guide was made possible by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. It was enriched by the generous contributions of the following partners, who provided critical framing, feed- back, research, and information that shaped this guide to ensure its accuracy, relevance, and effectiveness.

Samantha Alves Mike Omenazu Amy Anderson Sam Moulton Sam Blomberg Jenny Nagaoka Jason Cascarino Darrin Person Derald Davis Michael Redmon Mike Di Marco Desiree Robertson Angela DiPesa Gene Roehlkepartain Beth Fraster Bernadette Sánchez, Ph.D. Michael Garringer Elizabeth Santiago Jim Goebelbecker Jo-Ann Schofield Denise Marois Robert Sherman Guida Mattison Dudney Sylla Lydia Monjaras Gaytan Torie Weiston-Serdan, Ph.D. Delia Hagan Jen Vorse Wilka Kristin Howard Kilian White Shaunda Lewis Jonathan Zaff Emily McCann And special thanks to the members Benita Melton of the Citizen Schools Middle School Maritere Mix Youth Focus Group

With Generous Support from the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation TABLE OF CONTENTS

Section 1: Introduction

1.1: What Is Social and Emotional Learning?...... 2

1.2: Social and Emotional Learning during Early Adolescence...... 6

1.3: Social and Emotional Learning and Relationships...... 8

Section 2: Literature Review: Relationships, Mentoring, and Social, Emotional, and Academic Development among Young Adolescents

2.1: Overview...... 10

2.2: What Social and Emotional Outcomes Are Affected by Relationships and Relationship-Based Programs?...... 10

2.3: What Relationship-Based Activities Promote Social and Emotional Outcomes?...... 16

2.4: What Other Factors Determine Whether Relationship-Based Strategies Are Successful?...... 18

2.5: Characteristics of Relationship-Based Programs Included in Literature Review...... 21

Section 3: Case Studies: Four Promising Models

3.1: Talking in Circles...... 24

3.2: Leaders, Big and Little...... 29

3.3: Uniting Nations...... 35

3.4: Connecting the Dots...... 40

Section 4: Recommendations

4.1: Researchers...... 46

4.2: School, District, and Youth Development Practitioners...... 47

4.3: Policymakers and Funders...... 51

Section 5: Appendix...... 53 INTRODUCTION

Social and emotional skills go by approaches? They are practices child’s life.” Identifying many names — twenty-first- that engage youth in caring specific relationship-based century skills, soft skills, relationships in order to provide strategies that promote social and non-cognitive skills, and character opportunities for support, growth, emotional learning for students in — just to list a few. Regardless of and development. They include the middle grades will ensure that what we call these skills, or one-to-one mentoring programs students receive the necessary whether we engage with youth in that cultivate individual supports to maximize their social classrooms, on the basketball court relationships between students and emotional learning potential or on the school bus, research and adult volunteers, and advisory and lay the foundation for healthy and best practices suggest that groups that connect students with development and relationships as students’ relationships with peers peers and a teacher or adviser to they grow, increasing their chances and caring adults are a key vehicle process experiences and practice of future academic, career, and for learning critical life skills, such new skills. They also include group life success. as teamwork, communication, and and peer mentoring programs that coping with and expressing connect youth with other students This guide summarizes the .¹ However, many social and caring adults, and can range existing research findings about and emotional learning programs from structured programs to more how relationships can help foster and initiatives focus more on informal opportunities for youth social and emotional development instruction and curricula than they and adults to connect. And they for young adolescents. It provides do on relationships and mentoring. can take place during the school examples from the field that Research tells us that an day, or in an after-school or illustrate relationship-based integrated, intentional approach community-based program. practices that can be applied and to social and emotional learning scaled in schools, after-school is best,² but without specific This guide focuses specifically on programs, and community-based information about the relationship- relationship-based strategies for settings to enhance opportunities based strategies that best support young adolescents in the middle for social and emotional learning. students’ development, our social grades. Young adolescence is a School and district practitioners, and emotional learning initiatives time of tremendous social and as well as youth development may continue to miss critical emotional growth,³ yet research practitioners in after-school and opportunities for connection and interventions specific to this community-based settings, can and growth. This guide shares unique developmental stage are use this guide to identify specific information about the sparse compared to those focusing practices that are best suited relationship-based strategies, on the elementary grades.⁴ In the for their communities, as well including mentoring, that show words of Principal Michael as resources to help them apply promise for cultivating social and Redmon of Thurston Middle School research-based insights in their emotional learning for young in Westwood, Massachusetts, work with young adolescents. adolescents, both in school and “A lot of [social and emotional Researchers, funders, and in out-of-school time settings. learning] work doesn’t focus on policymakers can use this guide this age group, and this can be the to identify promising practices, What are relationship-based most challenging three years of a implementation challenges, and

1 research gaps that can inform their “To show others how to be a of school with our students, they exploration of scalable solutions. good leader.” —Roodiana, age 12, are able to have intentional At the end of this guide, you will Citizen Schools participant, conversations that our program find recommendations based on Massachusetts. staff may not have the capacity research and practice findings to facilitate with the student. Our for these different audiences. “For me as a mental health mentors are always asking for tools Ultimately, our is that professional, leader, and educator, to engage with their student in this guide will help youth social-emotional learning is a meaningful way and social and development professionals across essential for our youth to become emotional learning provides such settings understand the power of productive, successful adults. a great framework to provide our relationships to support students Having the skills to be self-aware, mentors with some tangible ways socially and emotionally, identify having the ability to self- to help their students continue to promising practices that can be regulate, be socially aware, grow in these areas in their life. I scaled, and increase access to develop relationship and conflict am also a mentor to a student and these supports for young management skills, ultimately leads it’s great because I’m able to be adolescents in communities to one’s ability to make responsible aware of how I am doing with my across the United States. decisions and maintain effective, own social and emotional learning healthy relationships. Our youth and make sure that I am being a 1.1 WHAT IS SOCIAL AND need to be taught these skills by positive role model for my student EMOTIONAL LEARNING? being in environments where these in this area.” —Audrey Reyes, skills are modeled by adults and Manager of Volunteer Mentor Social and emotional learning is a reinforced on a daily basis.” Program, Denver Kids. complex and ongoing process of —Molly Ticknor, MA, ATR, LPC, development, spanning childhood Director of Behavioral Health, Social and emotional learning is and adulthood, which influences Kansas City Public Schools. a complex domain of human our ability to understand development experienced ourselves, manage our , “To me social and emotional differently by people in different form healthy relationships, and learning means another way of cultural, social, and political navigate the environments and teaching individuals how to care, contexts, and this has resulted communities where we learn, work, persevere, and to be aware of who in a complex landscape of and play.⁵ But what does this look they are and the strengths they definitions, frameworks, and like in our everyday lives? Here are possess.” —Darrin O. Person, Sr., language in the research and some of the ways young people MSW, Mentoring Manager, Fresno practice fields that surround it. and practitioners have explained Unified School District. For a summary of the existing what social and emotional learning research literature on social and “The great thing about [social and means to them: emotional skills and competencies, emotional learning] is that it and efforts to clarify the varied “It means learning and being kind oftentimes happens naturally definitions used by researchers to each other.” —Ingrid, age 12, during the time our mentors and and practitioners, see Annex 1. Citizen Schools participant, students spend together. Since our Massachusetts. mentors spend time outside

2 However, interdisciplinary and emotional skills become culture of the social, learning, and research has helped the education more necessary at different work environments they encounter and youth development fields developmental stages.⁹ as they grow, is critical to to establish some universal supporting them effectively.12 knowledge about social and Social and emotional skills are Additionally, understanding and emotional development. integral to academic learning. supporting young people’s They enable and enhance the development of social and Learning involves many learning process by helping emotional skills related to their interconnected areas of the brain. students find meaning in course cultural, ethnic, and racial The cognitive, social, emotional, material and practice, and apply experiences, including dealing linguistic, and academic domains and reflect on their new learning with discrimination, coping with of human development are all through personal connection, racial trauma, and ethnocultural neurologically linked, so strengths emotional processing, and social , is an essential 10 and weaknesses in one area have interaction. component of social and implications for other areas.⁶ emotional development that Social and emotional learning is As such, skills and competencies is often underemphasized in cultural and contextual. The ways that are commonly categorized research and practice.13 as social and emotional also we define social and emotional involve cognitive processes, skills, and the values we place on Social and emotional learning and vice versa.⁷ these skills, is bound by our is correlated with positive culture — that of our , long-term life outcomes. Social and emotional processes racial, ethnic, and religious groups, A strong body of evidence now and skills are intertwined. and the other communities of demonstrates that social and Though many social and which we are a part — as well as emotional learning is correlated emotional learning initiatives our contexts (the individual with academic achievement, emphasize a single social or circumstances, environments, and college and career success, healthy emotional skill — such as grit relationships we encounter). This relationships, and other positive or growth mindset — research is especially true as young people life outcomes. Studies show that suggests that social and emotional explore and seek to define their high-quality programming that competencies are intertwined, identities, a critical and evolving fosters social and emotional and as a result, should be social and emotional task learning in schools can improve 11 addressed in comprehensive throughout the lifespan. During students’ grades, standardized and integrated ways rather than young adolescence, in particular, test scores, ability to get along in , alongside academic identity is highly contextual and with others and navigate learning.⁸ relational, shifting as young people challenges, and make healthy form bonds with peers, face decisions.14 Research also indicates Social and emotional learning is rejection, and seek inclusion in that social and emotional skills progressive. More complex skills groups. Understanding both the are correlated with higher rates build from more basic skills learned culture young people are brought of college attendance and earlier in life, and different social up in, as well as the dominant graduation, career success,

3 improved mental and physical Social and emotional learning These systemic factors also health, civic engagement, and opportunities — and students’ influence damaging narratives healthy relationships with experiences — are influenced that shape many social and and colleagues.15 In fact, dramatically by historical and emotional learning efforts. For while middle-school grades remain societal factors.19 Much of the examples, some social and the strongest single indicator of popular discourse about social and emotional learning initiatives college readiness, research emotional learning focuses on the target low-income students and indicates that success with two skills and competencies that youth students of color labeled as “high SEL indicators, motivation, and have or do not have, creating the risk”. Such initiatives reiterate behavior may actually have a perception that youth — and their damaging messages about which stronger impact on college ability to develop these skills — students do and do not have social readiness than grades alone.16 determine their future prospects and emotional assets from which Furthermore, employers in diverse and outcomes. However, historical to build, while overlooking the sectors are struggling to find events and societal structures that need for White students and qualified candidates who influence the socioeconomic and socioeconomically privileged demonstrate social and life outcomes of individuals and students to learn critical social and emotional skills related to communities, including the United emotional skills related to power, workplace success, such as States’ history of slavery, privilege, and cultural humility.21 problems-solving, critical thinking, segregation and racial and communication skills,17 making discrimination toward As we define and understand these skills more in demand than African-American peoples, social and emotional skills and ever in our current and future exploitation and displacement competencies and consider labor market. of Native peoples, discrimination solutions and interventions, we toward and isolation of immigrant must acknowledge the profound This confluence of research may and refugee groups, misogyny and structural inequities that explain why support for homophobia, and capitalism and influence students’ living and integrated and collaborative its resulting socioeconomic learning environments, and approaches to social and disparities — from unemployment ensure that long-standing emotional learning in local to homelessness — shape systemic barriers are communities as well as at the developing youth’s lives in acknowledged and addressed as 18 federal level has been growing. complex and intersecting readily as students’ immediate, However, equitable access to ways, facilitating or limiting day-to-day social and emotional 22 social and emotional learning and opportunities for advancement needs. For more on partnering supports is still far from a reality. and access to resources based on with youth to address systemic For more on the growing a student’s race, class, ethnicity, injustice while supporting them in and momentum around social and sexuality, and other aspects of navigating their everyday realities, emotional learning, and persistent their identities.20 see Annex 3. issues of inequitable access, see Annex 2.

4 Social and emotional learning environments — including have more opportunities to is profoundly influenced by the teachers, guidance counselors, develop socially and emotionally, climate and culture of students’ administrators, cafeteria staff, and provided that these relationships learning environments. School volunteer mentors — to practice are developmentally targeted, climate and culture have and model the same skills they empowering, and reliable.28 substantial impacts on students’ hope to cultivate in their Parents, caregivers, and families social and emotional learning students.25 Because students’ are a critical source of supportive outcomes.23 These systemic social and emotional development relationships and opportunities for factors, which are shaped by the requires nurturing learning social and emotional learning, but availability of supportive environments and relationships,26 relationships with caring adults relationships in schools, as well addressing adult needs and in students’ schools, recreational as the racial, ethnic, cultural, and capacity has become a central programs, and communities are linguistic relevance of students’ intervention point for promoting essential for their ongoing coursework and learning positive student outcomes. development as well. experiences, can influence whether Instead of asking, “What skills and As referenced above, the past students feel a sense of belonging competencies do students need few years have seen an evolution in school. Students who feel they to achieve social and emotional in the research, practice, and belong in school tend to perform wellness?” leaders in this policy fields surrounding social better academically and report movement have begun asking, and emotional learning, which better physical and mental “How can adults in students’ have become more precise in wellness.24 For more on climate, learning environments become their understanding of human culture, and belonging, see the type of people youth come to development and the Annex 4. process emotions, receive support, intersecting, holistic and take the risks required for their approaches needed to nurture Social and emotional learning is development?” just as important for adults as it is student growth. A growing body for youth. Because social and Social and emotional learning of research-to-practice insights emotional learning continues occurs in relationship with and implementation throughout the lifespan, ongoing others. In order to grow recommendations are now development opportunities for socially and emotionally, young available to practitioners looking adults, particularly those people need healthy, stable to integrate social and emotional positioned to model these skills learning environments, complete learning into their work in schools for youth, are just as essential as with healthy relationships, both and out-of-school time programs programming for young people. inside and outside of school.27 (See Annex 5 for a summary of Thought leaders in the field are As will be explored in the coming these best practices). However, beginning to consider integrated sections, young people who have more research and collaboration is social and emotional learning supportive relationships with needed to ensure that social and approaches that include caring adults, and meaningful emotional learning opportunities opportunities to build the capacity relationships with peers tend to build on the assets of youth and of adults in school and after-school communities, are inclusive of youth

5 identity, context, and culture, implications for self-esteem.31 Massachusetts described being address the needs of youth and For many adolescents, these their age as “hard,” “fun,” “okay,” adults alike, and provide access changes can be accompanied by and “weird.” One student, to nurturing relationships and riskier behavior, mood changes, Roodiana, noted that this is an age learning environments for all and vulnerability to and where she feels adults don’t really students. For a summary of .32 understand her, while Maria shared recommended next steps for that this age is not fun because these fields, see Section 4: Brain imaging studies there’s so much drama in life. Recommendations. substantiate that the connections Ingrid indicated that being this age between neurons in the brain can be stressful sometimes, while 1.2 SOCIAL AND increase rapidly during puberty, Shylah added that it’s stressful EMOTIONAL LEARNING followed by a period of “pruning,” because some people say, “She DURING EARLY or a reduction in these connections got so big!” while others say, ADOLESCENCE during adolescence that allows for “You’re still too young.” Others, the honing of cognitive, like Victor, said that being his A Time of Tremendous Change 33 emotional, and social skills. age is simply fun. During early adolescence, Adolescence is a time of capacity for managing Amidst all of the cognitive, tremendous social and emotional and impulses, forward thinking, emotional, and social changes growth for young people, during planning and decision-making, they are experiencing, young which they experience some of self-awareness and reflection, and adolescents are striving to explore the most significant brain changes understanding abstract concepts and define their identities. As they since infancy.29 Puberty launches expands, as connections between seek to differentiate from parents adolescents into a period of brain structures involved in and families and secure more dramatic physical, hormonal, and executive functioning and those independence, peer groups brain changes, which impact the involved in emotional processing become a critical source of ways they view themselves and grow stronger.34 During this time, support, , and one another. The development of young people build on existing belonging.36 In the context of emotional processing and reward knowledge and self-regulation peer groups, young teens develop structures in the brain renders skills, become more cognitively intimacy, loyalty, and empathy as adolescents increasingly flexible, and grow in their ability they continue to learn to navigate sensitive to social feedback to process more complex social norms.³⁷ During this time, and social status, including cues information, think critically, the avoidance of rejection and about their social status and reflect, and problem solve.35 become appearance.30 The development paramount, so changes in dress of sexuality during puberty also How do young adolescents and behavior to “fit in” may be complicates relationships with describe this time in their lives? common. Simultaneously, young peers and makes adolescents Middle school students from a people are experiencing acutely aware of their own Citizen Schools after-school greater day-to-day variations physical qualities, with program in eastern in their self-esteem, which is

6 influenced by peer and parent providing opportunities for youth social and emotional learning and support as well as school to explore their interests, beliefs, other indicators that can inform success.³⁸ Having a positive view and values in safe, supportive school improvement, by of one’s self and the value of one’s environments.40 Relationships developing and implementing efforts to succeed academically between youth and adults who surveys that measure indicators of and socially has implications for take an interest in their strengths, socioemotional learning and their young adolescents’ development interests, and beliefs provide connections to student outcomes. of a growth mindset, which can an ideal foundation for the Both have collected compelling help them persist through development of identity and data that sheds light on the adversity and try again when their self-. Such relationships experiences of middle school initial efforts don’t work — a key also support opportunities to students with regard to school factor for navigating the future engage in projects that challenge climate, belonging, and challenges of late adolescence and engage youth personally and relationships. and adulthood.39 lay the groundwork for the development of agency, criti- Youth Truth has surveyed over a Improving Learning Environments cal-thinking, and problem-solving.41 million students across 39 states. for Young Adolescents From the 215,000 middle school Panorama Education and Youth- students who responded to their To maximize the potential of Truth are two organizations that surveys, about 50 percent young adolescents during this time support schools and districts in reported that they felt like a part of growth, experts recommend collecting student data related to of their school’s community, but only 31 percent reported having at least one adult who would be “I really feel like a part of my willing to help them with a 50% school’s community.” personal problem. Furthermore, In your school this year, is there at least one adult in 32,000 middle school students 31% willing to help you with a personal problem? who were asked about support and social connection in times of , a higher proportion of

“I know someone students reported seeking support 71% outside of school who from someone outside of school, I can talk to.” while a smaller proportion of “I know some ways 69% to make myself feel students found that support from better or cope with it.” an adult in school or from programs or services in school.42 “There is an adult at my school who 52% I can talk to about it.” Meanwhile, Panorama has “There are programs or services at my school collected data from 3.2 million 42% that can help.” students across 4,800 schools, and 380 districts across the Data provided by Youth Truth

7 n= 193,014 This graph shows 1.3 SOCIAL AND 8 student responses to Panorama’s Sense EMOTIONAL LEARNING of Belonging Scale AND RELATIONSHIPS 7.5 (scored 1–10) as a function of their grade level and gender. While relationships with parents A dramatic drop in and caregivers are generally 7 sense of belonging occurs between fifth considered the most important and seventh grade for for young people’s social and 6.5 both boys and girls. emotional development, Boys nonparental adults and peers Belonging 6 Girls also play a critical role, particularly as students grow and build 5.5 relationships outside of the home. Research suggests that adults and 5 peers model self-regulation skills 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 and help young people understand Grade Level social expectations in their communities.47 United States,43 including than both older and younger responses to questions such as students.45 Simultaneously, the The Need for Developmental “How well do people at your correlation between these Experiences and Relationships school understand you as a indicators and student outcomes, According to the University of person?” and “If you walked out of including attendance, behavior, Chicago Consortium on School class upset, how concerned would and course performance, is much Research’s Foundations for Youth your teacher be?” which measure stronger at this developmental Adult Success Framework, students’ experiences with stage. Just as students are developmental experiences are teacher-student relationships and reporting more disconnection opportunities for young people sense of belonging in school.44 from school and adult relationships to process and practice new skills than ever before, they need them essential for their development. The data collected from young more than ever before.46 Together, These experiences are most adolescents in the middle grades Panorama’s and YouthTruth’s data effective when they occur in the reveals that social connection point to a critical gap in context of social interactions with matters tremendously at this positive youth-adult relationships adults and peers,48 and can be developmental stage, but may be in schools, which intentional especially important for young harder for students to attain than relationship-based interventions people’s development of agency, at other stages. Young adolescents can help to close. in middle school report having or the confidence and ability to weaker relationships with their take action to influence the teachers as well as lower ratings of outcomes of their own lives, as their sense of belonging in school they experience their own impact

8 and value in social contexts.49 that young people who environments must also provide Relationships with caring adults reported having more of these the relationships and that support young people in assets also reported experiencing developmental experiences youth reflecting upon, processing, more measures of thriving, need to practice new skills, process and understanding their including succeeding in school, emotions, reflect, and build experiences in ways that influence valuing diversity, helping community. The next part of this identity development and others, and overcoming adversity.52 guide summarizes the current connections to future The survey also found that some research on relationship-based opportunities are known as young people find developmental social and emotional developmental relationships. relationships and build assets at programming. It reviews the social The positive effects of such home with their families, but may and emotional outcomes that are relationships are supported by not find them as readily at school, affected by relationship-based a body of research pioneered in their communities, and in other programs such as mentoring, the by Search Institute.50 spaces where they spend time.53 specific activities mentors engage in to promote these Developmental Assets and Nonparental adults, especially outcomes, and factors that appear Mentors formal and informal mentors, are to influence program outcomes. uniquely positioned to attend to This research summary, along Search Institute identifies 40 students’ social, emotional, and with the practice examples that developmental assets that young academic needs. Research come after, illustrates a range of people need to thrive, and it consistently shows that mentoring relationship-based practices and identifies developmental improves a host of academic and models that can support social and relationships — empowering life outcomes for youth across emotional development for young relationships with caring adults — behavioral, social, emotional, and adolescents. as the gateway to young academic domains,54 and these people’s development of these gains are essential to achieving assets. According to Search positive developmental outcomes. Institute’s framework, all young They are also essential to leading people need external assets — safe and happy lives, complete including support, empowerment, with healthy and positive boundaries and expectations, relationships, which, in and of itself, and constructive use of time — as is an outcome mentoring programs well as internal assets, including a seek to support. commitment to learning, positive values, social competencies, and In addition to providing tailored positive identity.51 Search Institute’s programming that enables young Attitudes and Behaviors Survey adolescents to develop the (administered between 2012 and competencies they need for 2015 to more than 120,000 healthy development, in school students in grades 6–12) revealed and out of school learning

9 LITERATURE REVIEW: RELATIONSHIPS, MENTORING, AND SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT AMONG YOUNG ADOLESCENTS.

2.1 OVERVIEW and 4) targeted the middle school years (sixth through eighth grade) To better understand the specific or students aged 11 to 14 (or had READER TIP ways in which relationships an average age between 11 and 14 facilitate social, emotional, and In this section, you will for the student sample studied). academic development for find a summary of research evidence exploring the young adolescents, a review of Nineteen evaluations were found above questions. After the existing research literature that met these criteria. Due to each section, you will was conducted. This literature the structured relationship-based find an “Implications review sought to answer the nature of mentoring programs and for Practice” annex following questions: the research literature surrounding summarizing potential this field, all of the studies that 1 What social, emotional, recommendations and in- met these criteria included some sights based on the and academic outcomes are form of mentoring. Nine paired research described. affected by relationships and students with adults in one-to-one relationship-based programs? relationships, while four facilitated 2 What specific relationship- group mentoring, and seven used a role in young adolescents’ based activities promote a mix of models, including attitudes toward themselves, these outcomes? combinations of one-to-one, others, and school. Additionally, group, and peer mentoring. Six mentoring appears to impact 3 What other conditions addressed after-school specific social and emotional determine whether these programming, while 15 assessed skills, as well as broad domains of strategies are successful? programs facilitated during the social and emotional development, To answer the above questions, school day. For more information including mental health, identity a systematic search of research on the settings, models, goals, and development, and relationships articles, evaluation reports, and other descriptors of the programs with others. studies was conducted. Studies whose evaluations were included included in the review evaluated in this review, see Section 2.5. Attitudes toward the Self, Others, programming or interventions that 2.2 WHAT SOCIAL AND and School 1) engaged youth in intentional EMOTIONAL OUTCOMES Researchers have found that relationships with adults or ARE AFFECTED BY mentoring programs play a role peers as the focus or as a key RELATIONSHIPS AND in middle school students’ positive component of the programming, RELATIONSHIP-BASED attitudes toward the self, school, 2) assessed social and emotional PROGRAMS? and other individuals. In two outcomes, 3) took place in the studies of school-based school environment, either during Research on the role of mentoring Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) the school day or after school, programs and relationships has revealed that mentoring plays

10 programs involving 1,130 youth understanding referred to enrolled in low-income, urban (average age 11; 63 percent youth their self-concept, social roles, public schools and were racially of color; 69 percent low income), confidence, awareness, and and ethnically diverse mentoring influenced students’ expectations. (52 percent African-American, self-assessments* of their 16 percent White, 9 percent An evaluation of Higher scholastic efficacy beliefs, or Asian-American, 9 percent Achievement, which included their beliefs about their ability to Hispanic, and 14 percent Other). 952 students in middle school do their schoolwork.55 Specifically, They were randomly assigned to who were mostly African- participants who were randomly one of three groups: 1) a control American or Latino, revealed assigned to mentoring reported group; 2) a group that received a that in a in a variety of areas† higher self-assessment ratings at social and emotional curriculum, there were surprising and the end of the school year community service, and parent negative effects on students’ compared to those without workshops; and 3) a group that self-perceptions.58 Students in mentors in the program.56 Herrera received these services as well as the Higher Achievement program et al.’s 2011 work, though, did not mentoring from older adults. The were less confident in these areas find that there were statistically evaluation revealed that those in compared to students in the significant improvements for the mentored condition had more control group after their first participants in the mentored positive attitudes toward school, year in the program, but the group on other social and their future, and elders compared differences disappeared after the emotional outcomes, like to students in the control group first follow-up. Authors speculated classroom effort; global self- or students in the condition that that perhaps the initial negative worth; relationships with parents, received the intervention without effects were due to being in a teachers, or peers; or rates of mentoring. program with similarly motivated problem behavior compared to peers; Higher Achievement Research also shows that the control group. students may have realized that mentoring plays a role in middle A qualitative study of the Young they could improve in these areas school students’ attitudes toward Women Leaders Program (YWLP) and then rated themselves lower school and school behaviors — — a combined one-on-one and after being in the program. specifically by building asense group mentoring school-based of belonging and connectedness. In an experimental evaluation of program targeting low-income, One such study examined the Across Ages — a unique school- racially, and ethnically diverse effects of a one-to-one based, multicomponent seventh grade girls who face mentoring program for students prevention program — academic, social, or emotional who had high numbers of researchers found changes in sixth challenges — revealed that 66 unexcused absences and office grade students’ attitudes toward percent of participants reported disciplinary referrals.60 Mentors school and older adults.59 The improvements in their self- (primarily White female staff 562 participants in this study were understanding.57 Self- members and teachers at the

*I.e., students’ ratings of the statement “I do very well at my classwork.” †Industry and persistence, creativity, academic abilities, enjoyment of learning, , belief that they could change the future through their own effort. 11 school) met once a week with toward school.64 Specifically, it were randomly assigned to the mentees (primarily White or was found that boys in the mentoring or control group. Each Latino male students) over an mentoring program reported mentoring group consisted of one 18-week period during the second higher scores on academic mentor and two to five mentees half of the school year. The identity, or how closely their of the same gender. The authors found that students in self-esteem is tied to their mentoring program was a the mentoring program reported academic success, than those week-long, five-session more connectedness to peers, who did not receive the identity-based curriculum in teachers, and other school adults, intervention. It should be noted which mentors engaged in and received significantly fewer that the intervention and activities with mentees about office referrals on average than comparison students differed in how school is connected to their students in the control group that those in the BEMI program identities and futures, while those by the end of the school year.61 were also in a single-sex cluster in the control group focused on A culturally relevant mentoring within a coed school whereas tutoring mentees in their school- program, Uniting Our Nations, the comparison students were work. Students in the mentoring for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit enrolled in coed classes; program reported higher scores on (FNMI) seventh and eighth grade furthermore, the researchers did grit, were more likely to perceive students in Ontario, Canada, also not control for baseline scores on difficult school tasks as important, found that participating in the participants’ academic identity. and were less likely to perceive program was related to a greater Thus, it is unclear to what extent difficult school tasks as being sense of belonging.62 Interviews the classroom gender makeup impossible compared to students with participating students may have also influenced in the control group. While there indicated that the program participants’ academic identity were no differences between the provided a safe space and and whether boys in the BEMI groups on their grade point affirmed their cultural and program already strongly averages (GPA) at the end of the individual identities. Further, identified with academics before school year, perceptions of students reported more participating in the program. academic difficulty were understood and welcomed in the correlated with grades, indicating In a week-long group mentoring mentoring program than they did that the mentoring program may program in which high school in classrooms with their teachers.63 have had a positive indirect effect sophomores served as near peer on grades. Perceptions of An evaluation of the Benjamin E. mentors to eighth grade students academic difficulty are important Mays Institute (BEMI) mentoring in an urban setting, researchers because students’ identities can program, an Afrocentric program found changes in mentees’ influence whether they interpret designed for African-American perceptions of academic difficulty school tasks as important or eighth grade boys, also showed and grit, or a tendency toward irrelevant to who they are and that mentoring has a positive persistence.65 Predominately their goals.66 influence on students’ attitudes Latino/a mentors and mentees

*Examples of SRL strategies are goal setting, seeking information, self-monitoring, seeking assistance from others, and organizing.

12 Specific Social and strategies, and taught students “recognizing what is a big issue Emotional Skills how to record their learning results and what is not, avoidance of over time. Six months after the situations that could cause Research shows that school-based start of the intervention, problems, recognizing and mentoring influences specific researchers found greater prioritizing the needs of others, cognitive, affective, and social increases in students’ use of embodied regulation,* improved skills associated with middle SRL strategies and self-efficacy academic focus and classroom school students’ development. for SRL compared to the strategies,† and speech.‡”69 For example, two of the studies control group students who did Girls also discussed using self- reviewed found that mentoring not have mentors. They also found regulation to decrease negative influences students’self- that mentored students reported behaviors and increase regulation. A 2013 study higher perceived usefulness of SRL positive ones. conducted by Nuñez, Rosario, strategies at three months than Vallejo, and González-Pienda Still other researchers found that non-mentored students. While tested the effects of a school- mentoring plays a role in students’ mentored students did not based, group mentoring program problem-solving skills and experience any unique statistically in Portugal designed to help cognitive problems. In a quasi- significant outcomes at the end of seventh grade students develop experimental study of a mentored the school year, analyses showed self-regulation learning (SRL) peer mediation program, there that the pattern of changes in strategies. These strategies were increases in peer mediators’ student outcomes favored the address the ways that students problem-solving strategies and mentored students. That is, proactively control their learning empathy compared to non- mentored students’ SRL and manage cognitive and mediators.70 An evaluation was strategies, self-efficacy for SRL, motivational processes to help also conducted of the Village and perceived utility of SRL them work toward their goals.* Model of Care program, a increased over time compared to Students in the two control group culturally sensitive, after-school non-mentored students. classrooms received a weekly group mentoring program study skills class taught by their In the qualitative study of Young designed for African-American teachers, while those in the two Women Leaders Program (YWLP) youth entering an urban middle mentoring condition classrooms targeting seventh grade girls, 66 school. One school was assigned met weekly for one hour after percent of participants also to the experimental group, in school with teachers who served reported changes in their self- which African-American adults as mentors. In the mentoring regulation because of the from the Village Model of Care sessions, mentors taught their mentoring program.68 Girls program served as mentors to mentees SRL strategies, guided reported improvements in their participants, while another school reflections and discussions about ability to better manage attitude, assigned to the control group did the strategies, provided feedback behavior, goal setting, and speech. not receive the program.71 The on students’ applications of the They specifically talked about authors found that teacher-

*E.g., stopping to take a breath when upset. †E.g., “Do not talk; be nice to the teacher.” ‡This included limiting both what one says and speaking up/out. 13 reported cognitive problems as mentors to mentee groups (93 to boys in the control group. The reduced over time for the percent of mentees were First Uniting Our Nations mentoring intervention students compared Nations) for one hour a week over program targeting FNMI† students to those in the control group.72 an 18-week period. The curriculum in Canada found that receiving was designed around the Medicine two years of the program was Mental Health Wheel Life Cycle and addressed associated with reporting a Another social and emotional various topics, such as media, goal stronger cultural identity domain influenced by mentoring setting, positive decision-making compared to one year or no is mental health, specifically skills, communication skills, mentoring.78 Qualitative interviews internalizing symptoms and overall personal strengths, and handling of FNMI students also revealed psychological well-being. An peer conflicts. The quasi- that the program provided them evaluation of Confidence and experimental evaluation of this with a space to connect their through Mentoring program showed that students cultural teachings and current life Program (CCMP), a three-week who received two years of experiences, and that they valued mentoring intervention for middle mentoring reported higher meeting with peers of a similar school students identified as at emotional, social, and culture.79 It should be noted that risk for internalizing problems.73 psychological well-being a limitation of the existing found that participants’ self- compared to participants who research literature is that there reported subjective intensity of received one year or no were no studies examining the disturbance or distress decreased mentoring program services.76 role of school-based mentoring over time from baseline to Qualitative interviews of mentored in other aspects of identity intervention.74 In this intervention, students also showed that they development (e.g., LGBTQ two school staff members were reported improvements in identity, gender) among middle assigned as mentors to five self-confidence.77 school students. students, and the mentors Identity Development Improved Relationships provided unconditional positive regard to students, met daily with Only two studies examined the A final social and emotional mentees to monitor behavior, role of mentoring in ethnic and/or domain influenced by corrected problems, and provided racial identity. Both investigations relationship-based programming performance-based feedback. focused on culturally responsive is improved interpersonal mentoring programs. A 2009 relationships. The majority (75 In the Uniting Our Nations study conducted by Gordon et percent) of girls in the YWLP‡ mentoring program, researchers al. found that participating in the study reported enhanced also found that participating in BEMI* program played a , respect for others, the program was related to positive role in the internalization and . The program helped better mental health.75 The group of racial identity attitudes for them make new friends and mentoring program included First African-American boys compared develop closer relationships with Nations young adults who served

*Benjamin E. Mays Institute. †First Nations, Métis, and Inuit ‡Young Women Leaders Program 14 §e.g., talking with adults about how to get into a good high school, going to college or future jobs their existing friends. Participants also learned about the importance IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE of respecting others by being polite, being kind and caring for The studies described above assessed programs that used a others, and not gossiping. Finally, range of relationship-based models and strategies across diverse participants reported that they samples of young adolescents. The majority of these programs, learned to trust their mentors and the relationships formed within them, appear to have sup- and peers in the program, which ported young people in developing or honing positive attitudes resulted in closer relationships and beliefs about themselves, others, and school; cultivated a with peers and adults outside of sense of belonging and mental wellness; promoted identity ex- YWLP.80 Similarly, in the study of school-based BBBS programs, it ploration; and strengthened relationships with others. Mentored was found that, compared to the youth described in these studies appeared to have stronger belief control group, mentored youth in their ability to complete schoolwork, more positive attitudes were more likely to report having about school and the future, greater self-awareness, and a stron- a ‘‘special adult’’ in their lives.81 ger sense of belonging and connectedness in their learning environments. Others were more likely to perceive academics as The qualitative interviews of the students in the Uniting Our integral to their identity, and to believe that academic achieve- Nations mentoring program ment is both important and possible. Mentoring appeared to help revealed that it enabled them to students manage and regulate their own attitudes and behaviors develop new friendships and and develop problem-solving skills. It also appeared to lessen maintain existing ones, develop psychological distress, promote mental well-being and self-con- more intimate peer relationships, fidence, strengthen racial and cultural identity, and help students and develop supportive relation- develop trusting, respectful friendships with adults and peers ships with adult mentors.82 inside and outside of the program context. Finally, participants in the Higher Achievement program evaluation Taken together, these studies indicate the promise that relation- were more likely to report that ships and mentoring programs have for supporting the social they engage in academic and emotional development of young adolescents across many activities§with adults compared domains. In these studies, the connection between supportive to control group students.83 relationships and social and emotional wellness is clear, as is However, spending time with the importance of both for creating the conditions for academic adults on academic activities did learning. This research suggests that school and district leaders, not necessarily translate to more educators, and practitioners looking to influence any number of perceived support from adults. social and emotional outcomes for middle school students should Higher Achievement and control consider a variety of relationship-based approaches, from one-to- group adolescents reported about the same number of supportive one and group mentoring to a combination of models, mentoring adults in their lives. programming combined with other social and emotional curricu- la, and culturally relevant approaches.

15 2.3: WHAT In the United Our Nations In the mentoring program for RELATIONSHIP-BASED mentoring program, participants students with high rates of ACTIVITIES PROMOTE reported that they felt a sense of unexcused absences and office SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL belonging because their mentors disciplinary referrals,89 mentors OUTCOMES? shared their cultural background were asked to model appropriate, and understood where they were prosocial behaviors (e.g., Few studies specifically examined coming from more so than in their honesty and ethical behavior) what mentoring activities were classrooms and with teachers, during mentoring interactions. linked to social and emotional who did not share their cultural Mentors were also trained to outcomes. In a qualitative study identity.87 use verbal and nonverbal of YWLP, participants were asked communication and trust-building what components of the program Other studies specifically techniques, such as involving influenced the positive changes described what mentors were mentees in determining session that they experienced.84 trained to do or the activities that activities and communicating Participating students partly they engaged in with mentees. respect for mentee opinions. attributed changes in self- In the self-regulation-focused understanding to their “mentors’ mentoring program described In the Confidence and Courage encouragement, tips, or above, mentors taught a series through Mentoring Program modeling.”85 They described how of self-regulation strategies to (CCMP) for students with mentors’ encouragement helped middle school students.88 For each internalizing difficulties, the them be more confident and less learning strategy, mentors helped mentoring activities were: (a) the shy with others, and said that students to reflect on their provision of unconditional positive mentors’ advice helped them knowledge of the strategy across regard; (b) morning meetings to resist peer pressure. Students diverse learning contexts, positively interact with the also reported that they learned guided group discussions, student, pre-correct problems, and self-regulation because mentors explained how students can offer words of encouragement; (c) communicated with them in ways expand their strategies, helped daily monitoring of performance; that helped them listen to their them to predict consequences, and (d) afternoon meetings to mentors. Finally, program and helped them develop the positively interact with the student participants described their skills. Mentors also provided and provide performance-based mentors as relational models. feedback to students when they feedback.90 Mentors showed mentees that used a strategy, and trained they can open up to adults, students on how to record their Some of the programs reviewed including parents. Mentees also learning results so students could were unstructured in their reported learning to trust their gain a sense of control over their activities. For example, in the mentors through the shared learning and performance. school-based BBBS program, activities in the group.86 “mentors reported doing each of the following types of

16 activities ‘a lot’: talking casually (71 percent), talking about family IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE or friends (43 percent and 44 percent, respectively), talking While the available research on the relationship-based about the future (30 percent), activities that promote social and emotional outcomes is limited, playing indoor games (54 the studies described above provide many clues about the percent), doing creative activities specific strategies caring adults can use to support youth. (36 percent), playing sports (25 Mentors in these programs engaged with mentees in formal, percent), helping with homework structured ways, such as teaching specific skills and sharing (27 percent), and talking about feedback that helped their mentees improve over time, and less academic issues (31 percent).”91 formal ways, such as talking about family and friends, doing The authors did not find that any creative activities, and playing sports. They led discussions that of the specific types of mentoring helped their mentees reflect and consider different approaches activities played a role in the and consequences. They engaged in shared activities and found socioemotional outcome (i.e., frequent opportunities to interact with mentees in positive ways. scholastic efficacy beliefs). Mentors in these programs modeled both social and emotional Meaning, mentoring programs skills as well as healthy relationships characterized by trust that focused more on academic and clear communication. They offered encouragement and activities did not have significantly unconditional positive regard. Some validated their mentees’ larger effects on outcomes identities by engaging in shared cultural traditions and compared to programs that conversations. focused on the relationship or social activities.92 This research validates the importance of cultivating strong, trusting relationships with youth over time by getting to know them, sharing experiences with them, encouraging them, and challenging them. It also validates the importance of providing mentors and caring adults in the lives of youth with opportunities to reflect on their own practice, to ensure that they are finding balance between intentionality and fun, and that they are reminded of the importance of authentic relationship-building as they engage in goal-oriented work with youth.

17 2.4: WHAT OTHER relationship was estimated to mentors were rated as having FACTORS DETERMINE have a larger increase on marginal or average involvement WHETHER RELATIONSHIP- behavioral outcomes (e.g., with their mentees. BASED STRATEGIES ARE misconduct, school bonding) Beyond the direct association SUCCESSFUL? compared to academic outcomes between mentoring relationship (e.g., English, math, science, or quality and social and emotional Researchers have examined the social studies grades).”94 In outcomes, researchers have also role of mentoring relationship another study using a BBBS found that mentoring relationship quality in social and emotional sample, it was found that higher quality has an indirect effect on outcomes, and how mentor or mentoring relationship quality these outcomes. In the previous mentee characteristics influence significantly predicted better BBBS study, it was found that the effects of mentoring on these mentee relationships with teachers higher mentoring relationship outcomes. and parents, but it did not quality was related to better significantly predict other social Mentoring Relationship Quality relationships with teachers or and emotional outcomes, such as parents, which then predicted A few studies found that prosocial behaviors and school better social and emotional relationship quality influences connectedness.95 Another study outcomes, such as self-esteem, social and emotional outcomes. using the same BBBS sample academic attitudes, and prosocial For example, developing at least found a significant association behavior.98 Similarly, a 2016 study a “somewhat close” relationship between mentees’ trust in their by Kanchewa and colleagues between BBBS mentors and mentors and lower teacher- found that mentees’ trust in mentees played a positive role reported rejection sensitivity,‡ mentors had an indirect effect in students’ enhanced scholastic but not for other social and 93 on youth outcomes, such as efficacy beliefs. A 2018 study emotional outcomes, like youth assertiveness and prosocial conducted by Lyons and assertiveness, prosocial behavior, behavior, as reported by McQuillen also found that higher and global self-worth.96 99 ratings of mentoring relationship teachers. quality between mentors and In the Across Ages mentoring Mentee Characteristics mentees in school-based program, in which middle-school mentoring programs for middle students were paired with Researchers have also found that school students was associated older adult mentors, teachers some mentee characteristics with higher degrees of school were asked to rate mentors’ influence the effects of mentoring 97 bonding,* while controlling for involvement with their mentees. on social and emotional outcomes. demographic characteristics,† It was found that students whose For example, youth who lacked a grades, behavior, and baseline mentors were rated as being most special adult at baseline and were levels of relationship quality with involved with their mentees had randomly assigned to BBBS peers, parents, schools, and other the most positive attitudes toward mentoring benefited more at the adults. Further, they found that school, future, and older adults, end of the school year in their “strengthening the mentoring compared to students whose perceptions of their academic

*I.e., students’ degree of agreement with statements like, “I like school, I look forward to going to school.” †E.g., race/ethnicity, age, free and reduced lunch status. ‡E.g., “This child takes things too personally,” “This child is unduly upset by negative feedback from me.” 18 abilities compared to youth who feeling competent. The authors those in same-race pairs.103 were also in the mentoring speculated that mentees’ Researchers also found that condition but had a special adult observation of their mentors’ mentors’ ethnic identity played at baseline.100 Researchers have vulnerabilities around worrying a role in mentees’ ethnic identity. also found that youth’s relation- and help-seeking might have Studies on YWLP found that ship profiles influence the impact made the mentees feel more mentors’ ethnic identity of mentoring. Specifically, mentees competent in activities such as exploration predicted more who had adequate but not talking to teachers, serving in ethnic identity exploration among particularly strong existing leadership roles at school, and girls of color. Furthermore, relationships prior to receiving completing homework. higher ethnocultural empathy mentoring benefited more from Furthermore, being in a among mentors predicted higher mentoring (on measures of cross-race relationship influenced ethnic identity exploration among prosocial behavior and academic the effects of mentor character- girls of color, regardless of performance) than did mentees istics on social and emotional mentor race. However, the who had existing relationships outcomes. There was a significant researchers did not find that that were characterized as very association between higher mentor ethnic identity or positive or negative.101 mentor autonomy (i.e., confidence ethnocultural empathy predicted The Village Model of Care program about decision-making and goal girls’ commitment to and showed that gender moderated setting) and mentees’ reported belonging with their ethnic the influence of the mentoring improvement in feeling competent identity.104 program on African-American among those in cross-race students’ mental health.102 Spe- mentoring pairs compared to cifically, girls showed a greater reduction of internalized problems than boys did after participating in the intervention.

Mentor Characteristics

Finally, research on the YWLP program for middle school girls of color found that mentor characteristics influence middle school students’ social and emotional outcomes. College mentors’ initial lower levels of depressive symptoms and higher levels of anxiety predicted mentee self-reported improvement in

19 IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Studies about relationship quality raise critical questions about the types of relationships students are developing in schools and programs, and how we can ensure that they meet students’ needs. After seeing the impact that relationship quality can have on student outcomes, practitioners will want to know how to cultivate quality relationships, and how to measure quality. The OJJDP National Mentoring Resource Center, a comprehensive online resource hub for mentoring and youth development practi- tioners, has created a Measurement Guidance Toolkit to support practitioners in assessing key outcomes from mentoring programs. This toolkit offers scales specific tomentoring relationship quality and char- acteristics, in addition to social and emotional skills, interpersonal relationships, mental and emotional health, and healthy and prosocial behavior. This can be a critical tool for practitioners to help them understand the quality of the relationships in their programs, and how to support mentors and mentees in forming strong bonds and overcoming relationship obstacles.

The studies that investigated mentee characteristics that mediated the impacts of mentoring also provide food for thought about which young people may benefit most from relationship-based interventions. Research indicates that youth who do not currently have a mentor, or those with mediocre existing relationships, may benefit most from the experience of connecting with a mentor. While certainly not surprising, this finding may validate practitioners’ efforts to support youth who may be otherwise disconnected, and create urgency toward identifying such youth in schools and programs. Other findings about mentee characteristics indicate the importance of understanding how youth have been impacted by prior relationships, as well as the impacts of gender and other aspects of identity on their experience.

Finally, research on the mediating impacts of mentor characteristics have implications for the ways practitioners select, prepare, and support their mentors. The impacts of mentor mental health described in the YWLP study are complex, and while more research is needed to understand how this impacts mentee experiences, this finding indicates the importance of understanding mentors as whole people and supporting them in building awareness of the behaviors they model for mentees, consciously or unconsciously. Meanwhile, findings about the positive impacts of mentors’ ethnic identity exploration and ethnocultural empathy for girls of color indicates a need for nuanced training and preparation for mentors in this area. These studies suggest that mentors who have a mature sense of racial, ethnic, or cultural identity, and the ability to relate to others who are different from them, may make stronger mentors for youth at this age. They also suggest that specific preparation for mentors who will be matched with youth of a different race may be important for ensuring a successful experience for youth.

20 2.5: CHARACTERISTICS OF RELATIONSHIP-BASED PROGRAMS INCLUDED IN LITERATURE REVIEW

Mentoring Geographic US vs. SEL Specific Program Name Authors Goals of Program Type of Mentor Model Area Int’l Curriculum Across Ages LoSciuto, One-to-one Develop prosocial behavior, Older adults Urban U.S. Yes, Positive Rajala, involve youth in service (ages +55) Youth Townsend, learning, drug prevention Development Taylor Benjamin E. Gordon, One-to-one, Develop a stronger racial Community No U.S. Yes, Rites Mays Institute Iwamoto, Group identity; improve academic leaders, information of Passage, Ward, performance; impact the men from provided Afrocentric Potts, intellectual, spiritual, surrounding curriculum Boyd physical, and social needs universities, of the students; improve local public self-esteem; increase and private youth responsibility; help sectors youth develop a vision for success; become more self-disciplined Big Brothers Bayer, One-to-one “Provide children facing Volunteers No U.S. No Big Sisters of Grossman, adversity with . . . one- from business, information America and DuBois to-one relationships that high schools, or provided change their lives for the colleges better” (BBBSA, 2013c). Big Brothers Chan, One-to-one “Provide children facing Volunteers No U.S. No Big Sisters of Rhodes, adversity with . . . one- from business, information America Howard, to-one relationships that high schools, or provided Lowe, change their lives for the colleges Schwartz, better” (BBBSA, 2013c). & Herrera Big Brothers Herrera, One-to-one “Provide children facing Volunteers from No U.S. No Big Sisters of Grossman, adversity with . . . one- businesses, information America Kauh, to-one relationships that high schools, or provided McMaken change their lives for the colleges better” (BBBSA, 2013c). Big Brothers Kanchewa, One-to-one “Provide children facing Volunteers from No U.S. No Big Sisters of Yoviene, adversity with . . . one- businesses, information America Schwartz, to-one relationships that high schools, or provided Herrera, change their lives for the colleges Rhodes better” (BBBSA, 2013c). Big Brothers Schwartz, One-to-one “Provide children facing Volunteers from No U.S. No Big Sisters of Rhodes, adversity with . . .one- businesses, information America Chan, to-one relationships that high schools, or provided Herrera change their lives for the colleges better” (BBBSA, 2013c). Confidence Cook, Xie, One-to-one Targets children with School staff Urban U.S. Yes and Courage Earl, Lyon, internalizing problems members through Mentor- Dart, and and helps students with ing Program Zhang their self-efficacy and emotion management (i.e., emotional awareness and regulation).

21 Mentoring Geographic US vs. SEL Specific Program Name Authors Goals of Program Type of Mentor Model Area Int’l Curriculum Higher Herrera, Group Improve academic No information Urban U.S. Yes, Achievement Grossman, performance; change provided Afterschool Linden academic attitudes and Academy behavior; teach youth lessons about freedom, justice, solidarity and voice No name Devoogd, Group: Improve perceptions of College Urban U.S. Yes Lane- Mediators school climate, teach youth students Garon, conflict strategy choices, Kralowec, reduce bullying incidence Charles and expulsion rates No name Destin, Group, Peer Identity development, High school Urban U.S. Yes Castillo, interpret experiences of Meissner difficulty in school as meaningful and important rather than meaningless and impossible, develop GRIT No name Converse, One-to-one Prevent general School teachers Urban U.S. No Lignug- misbehavior and social and staff aris-Kraft maladjustment at school No name Nuñez, Group Teach students self- Teachers Urban Portugal Yes Rosário, regulated learning Vallejo, strategies González- Pienda

Student Lyons, One-to-one Improve academic and Older adults No U.S. No Mentoring McQuillen behavioral outcomes information Program provided Uniting Our Crooks, Group, Peer, Create positive attitudes; First Nations Urban Canada Yes Nations Peer Exner- One-to-one prevent bullying, improve Young Adult Mentoring Cortens, healthy eating, strengthen from Burm, ethnic/racial identity; help community; Lapointe, youth develop goal setting, First Nations Chiodo positive decision-making , peers from and communication skills; high school teach youth to handle peer conflicts and peer pressure Village Model of Hanlon, Group Develop sense of ethnic African- Urban U.S. Yes Care Simon, identity and group American O'Grady, affiliation, provide youth college Carswell, coping strategies for students Callaman negative environmental or recent influences, help youth college grads cope with stress, provide youth problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, increase youth’s social skills

22 Mentoring Geographic US vs. SEL Specific Program Name Authors Goals of Program Type of Mentor Model Area Int’l Curriculum Young Women Deutsch, Group, Promote positive youth College women Urban U.S. Yes Leaders Pro- Reitz- One-to-one development, reduce gram Krueger, developmental issues Henne- (e.g., relational aggression, berger, dating, body image) Ehrlich, Lawrence Young Women Leyton- Group, Promote positive youth College women Urban U.S. Yes Leaders Armaka, One-to-one development, reduce Program Lawrence, developmental issues Deutsch, (e.g., relational aggression, Williams, dating, body image) Henne- berger Young Women Peifer, Group, Promote positive youth College women Urban U.S. Yes Leaders Lawrence, One-to-one development, reduce Program Williams, developmental issues Leyton- (e.g., relational aggression, Armaka dating, body image)

As evidenced by the variety of where students gain exposure exhaustive; there are many practices and models explored in to career experiences. They also more examples of effective the above literature review, there provide snapshots of different relationship-based programming, are many ways to facilitate practices that programs can use and effective practices and social and emotional development to engage young adolescents in models for young adolescents, through intentional meaningful ways, such as that are not represented here. relationship-building and culturally relevant activities, These descriptions are intended mentoring. The following case sharing circles, mindfulness to provide a picture of what studies provide a deeper dive on exercises, and role-playing effective relationship-based four distinct approaches to activities that facilitate skill- programming that promotes social integrating relationships with building. and emotional development can social and emotional learning look like in various settings and The models and practices for young adolescents in middle communities. showcased in these case studies schools and after-school were selected due to their These case studies were created programs. They illustrate various alignment with the research on through observations and relationship-based models, the needs and assets of young interviews with practitioners, including advisory groups, group, adolescents in the middle grades. students, and researchers involved peer, and one-to-one mentoring, They emphasize group and peer in several school-based and as well as models that combine connections, identity after-school programs that utilize these approaches. They take place development, cultivating in various settings — from class- these models and practices. As leadership, and supporting rooms during the school day, to you review them, you may identify youth through the major after-school programs in school practices that hold promise for transitions they face at this stage. settings, to workplace settings your own school, classroom, The case studies are by no means program, or community.

23 CASE STUDIES: FOUR PROMISING MODELS

3.1 TALKING IN CIRCLES A.P. Giannini is the largest students engage in during the middle school in the San advisory period foster the kind of An In-School, Relationship- Francisco Unified School District, social and emotional skill-building Centered Approach located in the Sunset District on Schoeman sees as clear indicators “I have been feeling a lot of the central west side of the city, of long-term college and career pressure lately,” admits Nicole, a just south of Golden Gate Park. readiness. “The research really sixth grader. “I play soccer and The school has been around since bears that out.” the 1950s, named after Amadeo have to practice a lot and I have “My background was in Pietro Giannini, the famous son games,” she tells everyone in her elementary school, as a classroom. “It’s been interfering of Italian immigrants who founded teacher and a principal with my classes and my grades Bank of Italy, which later became before I got here, so the have gone down. My family Bank of America. Historically idea of nurturing the whole expects me to get good grades.” serving a heavily working-class child is one I wanted to Chinese-American population, bring here with me.” Nicole and a group of 15 of the student demographics have —Tai Schoeman, Principal, A.P. her sixth grade peers are been evolving as the community assembled in teacher Shari Giannini Middle School gentrifies. Vendrolini’s classroom for an Making Big Connections advisory period shortly after the “Giannini has had a strong Through Small Groups morning bell rings at A. P. Giannini reputation for academic Middle School in San Francisco. It achievement,” explains Tai Schoeman brought in advisers is a diverse set of young people, Schoeman, the school’s principal. from Millennium — a San nearly equal parts Caucasian, “My background was in elementary Francisco–based organization African-American, Hispanic, and school, as a teacher and a focused on relationship-based Asian. Fittingly, Vendrolini, a principal before I got here, so teaching and learning in the California native, is a versatile, the idea of nurturing the whole middle school years — to help midcareer teacher with a master’s child is one I wanted to bring with build the capacity of A.P. Giannini’s degree in cross-cultural education. me.” The practices teachers and teachers to deliver social and emotional learning effectively. “When we started Millennium, we really wanted to focus on the developmental needs unique to middle schoolers,” explains Jeff Snipes, who cofounded Millennium with his business partner, Chris Balme. An experienced social entrepreneur, Balme heads the Millennium School in San Francisco, located

24 in the Boys and Girls Club building who had presented the idea to a a regular academic environment,” in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. dozen middle school principals in says Kristy Lewis, one of the three It’s a small, private prototype or San Francisco. Snipes recalls all of teachers at A.P. Giannini who laboratory middle school for the them saying: “This is a really cool, facilitate Forum sessions. “They Millennium approach. Meanwhile, exciting innovation. I don’t see how can talk about what happens at Snipes spearheads the we can do any of it.” Ultimately, home or on the playground. organization’s professional A.P. Giannini did decide to pilot the They share their experiences.” learning and development model with four advisory groups Lewis believes this helps students programs designed to package of 30 students each. “It really connect with each other in more and teach the best practices of changed the design,” notes Snipes. meaningful ways. “The barriers of Millennium School to educators “It was no longer a small group. difference can break down,” she across the country. We had lots of pair sharing. We describes. “We try to recognize had more lessons delivered by the patterns in conversations and “When we did our research to teacher. We didn’t get the power topics together. It’s a great way develop Millennium,” Snipes of small group dialogue.” for them to realize that they’re not recounts, “we started with the that different from one another.” question: what are the To get the right effect, Snipes and environmental factors that most his team learned, they needed to “If you can have a forum contribute to the health and figure out a way to get the groups group of roughly 15 kids, well-being of adolescents?” The down to 15 students. So they they connect in a way research led Snipes and Balme to worked with Schoeman and the that they don’t ordinarily a student-centric, highly relational A.P. Giannini teachers to come up in a regular academic design, harkening back to the likes with an alternating schedule, environment. They can of Montessori, Dewey, and Rogers. splitting the normal class of 30 talk about what happens into two groups of 15. Each week, at home or on the “The centerpiece of the Millennium one group meets in the Forum playground. They share approach is really small, intimate while the other visits the library. their experiences. advisory groups we call ‘Forums,’” The next week, they switch. The barriers of difference Snipes says. “Young adolescents The time lag each group can break down.” develop their identities from a experiences does diminish the —Kristy Lewis, sixth grade teacher, social context. They define who relationship building somewhat. A.P. Giannini Middle School they are based on social feedback: But the educators believe the ‘I feel safe, I feel trusted, I feel Teachers Empower Students to smaller group size more seen.’ You have to create the Lead and Share Their Voice importantly creates a more environment to let them do that.” powerful dynamic during the The Forum sessions create Small groups are not easy to advisory session. a structure for relationship implement in large schools like building through group activities “If you can have a Forum group of A.P. Giannini, which represented a and dialogue in a tight 50 minutes. roughly 15 kids, they connect in a problem for Snipes and his team, “We have a routine,” Nicole says. way that they don’t ordinarily in

25 “In the beginning, people just get asks. Without hesitation, and Setting the Environment for comfortable, mindful. And at the louder than she has spoken to this Authentic Dialogue end, we get to observe what point, Lila exclaims with a chortle, The structure of empowerment happened.” “Scary!” The quip sparks laughter, inherent in the Forum model and it breaks the collective Vendrolini, who teaches sixth creates an atmosphere of trust apprehension within the group grade math, facilitates the where young people are set up as well as any intentional breathing advisory session in which Nicole well to interact in authentic, and at could. In any case, the students and her peers are taking part. She times, vulnerable ways. And their now outwardly show a bit more has students arrange chairs into a teacher facilitators provide them ease and appear ready for circle where they can all see each with tools to do that effectively. greater sharing. other and converse freely with First, in many traditional each other in multiple directions. In the Millennium Forum approach, classrooms, students’ main The students are still in the students like Lila take on leadership interaction is with teachers or with early goings of their middle roles in the classroom. The teacher media or workbooks. Here, they school tenure and therefore on is present, but she’s there to set are instead positioned to talk with balance a touch shy as their time safe boundaries, facilitate, and each other. The dialogue is together begins. To get the model, not to micromanage or to peer-to-peer, focused on their students warmed up, Vendrolini be the sole keeper of knowledge. interests and their experiences. sets up a mindfulness exercise. Snipes explains, “We say that the Second, whereas much of student She calls for a volunteer to lead it. teacher is a mirror (they see the engagement with content in a As quietly as possible, Lila, one of child for who they are) a model typical school environment is the students, offers her leadership. (they are an example of healthy observational — taking in, As the room quiets and Vendrolini adult behavior) and a mentor (they processing, and relaying content nods affirmatively to her student meet one-on-one with students and that is delivered to them through leader, Lila takes a few moments to talk about how they’re doing along teachers, media, and workbooks ready herself before barely audibly their own path).” — here it is instead internally asking her classmates to set down reflective. Using affective dialogue, This recasting of the teacher role their notebooks or journals, sit up students are coached to say, “My helps build the kind of bonds that straight, and place their hands in experience is...” This keeps learning research shows young adolescents their laps. “Breathe in,” she says personal and truly student- need to learn and develop. “It feels softly once the room is settled. A centered. couple of seconds later, “Breathe like second semester already,” says out.” The room remains still as Lila teacher Lindsay Yellen, barely two Vendrolini’s Forum session repeats these instructions and the months into the school year. Yellen showcases this with a highly group follows them for a half leads Millennium Forum sessions individual and personal exercise dozen rounds. at A.P. Giannini with her colleagues called the “Clearing Model.” The Lewis and Vendrolini. “That activity is based on one by the Vendrolini ultimately breaks a closeness you can have with the same name, developed by author, silent lull when Lila finishes. kids. You usually never have that speaker, and adviser Jim Dethmer, “How was it to lead that?” she this quickly, and not to this degree.” founder of the Chicago-based

26 Conscious Leadership Group, stays silent, Vendrolini follows, Nevertheless, the value of which advises executives in the relaying some struggles she is participation is instilled early on. business world on relationship having with her daughter. She Each Forum session, one of the management and problem-solving. models the protocol of stating students stands as a recorder of “We’re going to identify a trouble the facts, then her story or participation, ideally to ensure or something we want to change perspective, then her feelings on equal time for voices in the group. or resolve,” Vendrolini says in set the matter, and finally what she’d “In Forum, we’re strict about up. “You’re going to work to make like to see happen. It inspires participation,” Nicole confirms. sense of it for yourself. You may Keenan, the student sitting next to Although she admits that it’s not just clarify things for yourself, Vendrolini, to offer up reflections easy for everybody. “She’s really versus resolving them completely on his own struggles with a friend kind, even if no one participates,” or getting what you really want. with whom he was quarreling. Nicole says of Vendrolini. “She’ll But, you’ll tackle it.” say, ‘Okay that’s fine, maybe next “It feels good to talk and get week.’” Keenan says Vendrolini The students pull out their stuff off your chest,” says Keenan often tries humor to get students journals as Vendrolini guides them afterward. “It’s hard to express to contribute. “If she asks a on what to write. “What are the your feelings in regular classes. question and no one raises their facts? What’s my story? How am Here, whatever happens in that hand, she says, ‘Not everyone, I feeling? What do I want?” The circle stays there. People respect it. calm down now.’” room then falls silent save for It’s a rule that we have.” In the the scattered scuffs of pencils Millennium Forum model, the “It’s early,” says Snipes. “You on paper. For several minutes, a group commits to a set of “shared should see them by eighth grade. third of the group is heads down, agreements,” including The teacher is barely there. The vigorously pushing beyond a page confidentiality, mutual respect, students take over and run the of thoughts. Another third is more authentic curiosity, equanimity, Forum themselves.” Nicole agrees. labored, with stops and starts, but , and honoring “You get used to sharing with your capturing enough to satisfy. The multiple perspectives. Another rule class,” she says. “It gives people remainder softly gaze more than is listening without judgment. more confidence. I could tell after focus and have pencils with teeth “Once you hear other people Forum a lot of people participate marks and a scribbled line or two express their feelings and open up, more in their regular classes too.” to show for their efforts. you understand them better, and Developing Social and Emotional maybe you can do the same,” When Vendrolini calls them all Skills for Students, and for Nicole says. “You get closer to back together, she has trouble Teachers your classmates. You can getting someone to volunteer their connect to them.” Indeed, research shows that thoughts. A few awkward building students’ social and moments pass before Nicole pipes This particular session is somewhat emotional skills in venues like up about her soccer obsession light on actual peer-to-peer dialog, advisory groups and with and its effects on her school but at this point the sixth approaches like Millennium Forum performance and her image within graders have only met in Forum make them better equipped to do her family. While everyone else a few times and are just starting.

27 well in school more broadly. with teachers in a number of Principal Schoeman notes this as Forums across the country. QUICK REFERENCE: a key driver in his teachers being AN IN-SCHOOL, Meanwhile, Millennium is willing to take on a new approach, RELATIONSHIP- engaging a host of advisers to despite the barriers. “We are torn in CENTERED APPROACH study the effects of its practices. our traditional schedule just to fit all Along with Schonert-Reichl, the the state mandates in,” he explains. Relationship-Based Model organization has engaged scholars Group mentoring “So it’s pretty impressive that the and experts from Stanford sixth grade teachers have seen Youth focus Graduate School of Education, the power in this model. Like any Young adolescents University of California at Berke- change management process, it’s Major Practices ley’s Greater Good Science Center, finding people who see the value in Small groups University of San Francisco Sharing circles it. It gained faster momentum than I Neuroscape Lab, and Columbia Mindfulness expected, frankly.” University Teachers College. Role-playing Indeed, much of the appeal of the Socioemotional skills Snipes the researchers Forum approach is how well it and success assets see the same thing he sees: great Self-awareness, self- supports teachers. According to power and flexibility in the regulation, social awareness, Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, relationship skills, responsible methodology to foster strong professor of Human Development decision-making, peer relationships with a variety of identity, agency at the University of British young adolescent populations and Columbia and a noted expert in Mentors in diverse settings. “Whether you social and emotional learning, School teaching faculty feel disconnected because of your “Teachers are the engine that Reach socioeconomic position, or you drives social and emotional Mostly local, some regional are bullied or unfairly treated, or affiliates learning programs and practices reeling from a shooting, or in schools, and their own Community ambivalent or embarrassed by socioemotional competence and Urban your white privilege or angry well-being strongly influences their about inequity, or the innumerable students.” Advisers from things young adolescents contend PROGRAM CONTACT Millennium have set up Forums with as they work to understand for educators, akin to those the Margaret Golden themselves, you can drop anything teachers ultimately facilitate for Forum Director like that into the Forum circle. The Millennium their students. The gatherings environment enables educators offer a combination of in-person [email protected] and young people to authentically 510.221.8604 and online professional learning address what’s critical to them and 245 Valencia Street for educators, typically in small San Francisco, CA 94103 their own development on their groups of eight to ten that meet own terms and on their own time.” for 90–120 minutes every month. In addition to teachers at A.P. Giannini, Millennium advisers work

28 was specifically sought out for Budding Women Leaders Guide the opportunity. “We do a needs Their Younger Peers Toward assessment to see what’s getting Leadership of Their Own in the way of being successful in school and life in general,” says For the girls fitting this profile, she Leslie Fendley, school counselor. talks with them about the Young Fendley administers what she calls Women Leaders Program (YWLP). a “Trust Survey” with all the The model was founded in 1997 students at the beginning of by Edith “Winx” Lawrence, now the year. “We basically ask two Professor Emeritus, Curry questions. ‘Do you have another Programs in Clinical and School student you might identify with Psychology at the University of whom you could talk to?’ And I list Virginia Curry School of all the teachers and administrators Education and Human and custodians — all the adults in Development. “I had done some the building. And then I ask, ‘Can research locally on the needs of 3.2 LEADERS, BIG AND you identify an adult in the high school girls and found that LITTLE building you could talk to?’” they actually had ample services for them, but that middle school A Combined Group and Most students respond positively was the place that needed more One-to-One Mentoring Approach to the first and offer multiple support,” Lawrence says. “Given names for the second. Then there “I am really shy and really the literature on this age group, are those who either say no to nervous,” says Claire, a 13-year-old we were quickly drawn to a having peer confidants or select student. Claire, who was born in mentoring approach.” just one or even none of the Kenya and moved to the adults. That’s an indication a YWLP is offered in four United States when she was 6, is student may be feeling Charlottesville area public middle an American-adolescent-as- you- disconnected. “We use this as a schools as well as half a dozen can-get eighth grader at Jackson jumping off point,” says Fendley. P. Burley Middle School in or so “sister” sites around the “The key is to find students who Charlottesville, Virginia. “In country. While located in the city are not already receiving a lot of school, they just want you to limits of Charlottesville, Burley outside support for some social keep going with your day. Here Middle School is actually a part of and emotional needs. Students I get special attention.” Albemarle County Public Schools, who are marginalized, but you can serving students in the central tell there’s a lot there.” In addition, By “here,” Claire means the Virginia county adjacent to Fendley consults with faculty to mentoring program she takes part Shenandoah National Park. It was solicit nominations to the program. in after school along with a dozen built in 1951 as an all-black high or so female peers at Burley. She school before desegregation. It

29 went through a number of “There is a format to most of the Interestingly, the university iterations as the process of meetings,” Lawrence explains. students share some similar marks desegregation unfolded, before “The youth and the mentors on the week, including lots of landing as a grades six-to-eight share highs and lows and do a classwork and exams balanced building in the mid-1970s. Today, skill-building activity as a group, with an eagerness for a break to it draws nearly 600 students from then they meet one on one in go home to see family and friends around Albemarle County to its the mentor-mentee pairs to have for the holiday. The near-peer city-based campus, making for a that time together.” The students, nature of the mentor-mentee diverse student body. mentors, school educators, and matches can be especially program developers universally beneficial in this regard. There is This is one of the reasons why see this combination of group and a built-in connection not only as and connectedness one-to-one mentoring as one of young women but also as are such a big focus at Burley. the most impactful aspects of the students whose lives are “That’s really the foundation for YWLP approach. consumed by studying, youth how students feel successful in activities, and peer relationships. school,” says Fendley. “To find a Starting Out by Getting Out: The connection with somebody, to Highs and Lows The women and girls engage in learn from somebody outside this warm-up for about ten their group and their “I got to miss school for a field minutes before a quick mindful- parents. That whole ‘it takes a trip!” says one of the girls during ness activity. One of the girls — village’ concept is important to an opening discussion of “highs or “Littles” as they are called, a la us in this context with such a and lows” of the week during a Big Brothers Big Sisters parlance broad school community.” late Wednesday afternoon YWLP — leads the group in a breathing- session at Burley. The women and focused calming and centering YWLP pairs female young adult girls sit in a circle in a cozy exercise. All of them participate, University of Virginia (UVA) section of the school library on except for Claire, who is sitting on students with female seventh and some cushions. “There is a break one of the cushions just outside eighth graders. (YWLP’s sister coming up!” says another, the circle. Something had upset sites draw from local universities. referencing the upcoming One of the most robust chapters her just prior to the session and Thanksgiving holiday weekend. is based out of the University of she is gradually bringing herself On balance, though, the girls Central Florida.) The women and back into the fold. girls meet once a week at the were a touch sour. “I have a ton The mentors, or “Bigs,” talk about school for 20 weeks, each of homework and lots of tests session involving a blend of group coming up.” “My friends left me issues and challenges like this at a and one-to-one mentoring and [for the field trip] so I was all alone weekly prep session prior to each centering on an element of the in my classes.” “A rooster woke me mentoring visit with the Littles. program’s sequenced leadership up this morning.” A bit of laughter They meet together during curriculum. briefly cuts through the glumness. Monday class time at UVA to plan

30 out the upcoming mentoring on a discussion board to reflect with, and the receiver has to session and to problem-solve. on their experiences in the group remain silent, just taking in the “One week I had trouble meetings and assigned reading compliment. Then, the outer circle making sure that all the Littles materials. Through class time rotates to create another pair and were talking, and not just the and the discussion boards, the another delivery of . And outgoing ones,” says Christie, a facilitators support each other so it goes for a few minutes until senior at UVA and the designated as they learn to navigate their the Littles become sufficiently facilitator of the mentors. “I leadership positions. blushed from the wealth of mentioned it in my blog post positive comments. There are a before our Monday meeting so Working Together to Develop lot of awkward giggles. Christie we could talk about it.” Skills for Middle School Life and tries to wrap things up before the Beyond tittering escalates. “Appreciating While the mentors pursue majors similarities and accepting across the university, all are This week’s activity is called the differences — thinking positively enrolled in the course Issues “Circle of Care.” After their about other people — is a trait Facing Adolescent Girls as part mindfulness moment, Christie we should all have,” she says of their commitment to YWLP. tees up the exercise about in summary. The course offers them the practicing and opportunity to combine their respecting everyone’s differences. The program uses a number of academic knowledge with the “In society we tend to focus on the these group activities to address experiential education they receive negative things and ignore a lot some key developmental and as mentors. They attend class on of the positive stuff that happens relationship needs for young Mondays and plan their curriculum every day,” she says to a group of adolescent girls. “We get the girls for the Wednesday or Thursday young adolescents who, research discussing and doing activities sessions with the Little Sisters. suggests, tend to be hypercritical around specific skills,” Lawrence For class, students read relevant of themselves and others. It’s a explains. “We do this one we articles, book chapters, and other part of their identity-formation. call ‘Gossip Guard.’ It’s designed materials that they then apply to They are sorting themselves into to help the girls slow down, not their mentoring experience. groups, constantly making engage in drama, and be a leader judgments about people and within their friend group.” Facilitators like Christie are UVA events in doing so. students who have previously The YWLP mentor guide talks served as Big Sisters and return The Bigs and Littles find an open about giving the girls tools to to provide structure, support, and space in the library large enough practice empathy and kindness, guidance to the mentoring groups. to form two concentric circles both toward themselves as well as They take part in the course facing one another. Those in the others. To be a gossip guard, when Fostering Leadership in Girls and inner circle say some gratitude she hears friends gossiping about Women where they post weekly about the person they are paired someone, a girl can say some-

31 thing positive about the person. complex dynamics girls face in one pairs. This is where the deep “Research shows that if the first this developmental period: how to mentoring relationships shine. remark after a negative remark is value themselves, how to navigate “The girls really enjoy the positive, others are likely to make romantic relationships, and how to connection with their big sisters,” more positive remarks and less appreciate their bodies. “Mentors says Fendley. “They develop a negative ones next,” the guide have lots of freedom and flexibility sense of trust.” There is no hard and fast formula for putting a says. A girl can also be a in how the curriculum concepts Big and a Little together. Instead, gossip guard to herself by are conveyed to the girls,” says Fendley, along with Sarah Jenkins, “thinking twice” once they catch Lawrence. “They are encouraged YWLP’s mentoring coordinator, themselves gossiping. “Research to do it in whatever way works invest a lot of time in getting to shows that one way we deal with best, tailored to the needs of know as much as they can about difficult feelings is by trying to their Littles.” all of them to make good matches. cover them up,” which can lead to “We’ve gotten good at assessing gossiping as one looks to assign “She’s fun. She’s really interests and personality types to blame on others or to deflect pretty. She’s caring. She has put them together,” says Fendley. in some way. Instead, the guide a nice voice. She’s not scary. Perhaps as testament to this teaches that girls should do the And she listens to me.” , the women and girls ABCs of problem solving: —Claire, eighth grader, Jackson P. grow quite fond of each other “Acknowledge the uncomfortable Burley Middle School as they engage in “sister time” feeling without judgment, take “We started doing ‘hot topics’,” throughout the year. “She’s fun,” some deep Breaths, and Choose says Christie. “We have a Little and Claire says of Ciana, her mentor. not to let the feeling be quite so a Big lead a topic that they choose “She’s really pretty. She’s caring. big or painful.” and we have a discussion. It gives She has a nice voice. She’s not the girls a leadership role within scary. And she listens to me.” The curriculum outlines the group. And it creates a space Claire then hints, matter-of- numerous group activities like for them to talk about things they factly, at her troubles earlier in these across the 20 weeks of the care about. In school they may not the session. “She helps me a lot. program, most often involving the have as much of an opportunity to Today I was crying and she teaching of skills, explaining the talk about those kinds of things. calmed me down.” reasons for them, and engaging We give them that space. And it’s Like Claire, Ciana also had the girls in some role-playing. There amazing how much they to experience of moving to a new are activities around how to tackle contribute!” place when she was young — issues with school, how to from Florida to northern Virginia create a team of supporters, how “Sister Time” Allows for Building when she was nine, in her case. to honor differences, and how Trusting Relationships She is a 21-year-old fourth-year to “keep your cool.” And YWLP After the Circle of Care, the group psychology major at UVA and isn’t shy about some of the more disbands in favor of the one-to-

32 aspires to be a psychiatrist. students with knowledge and skills development (“trusting people”). “Claire is a ball of energy,” Ciana to design, implement, and evaluate Participants have also shown signs says. “Being around her brings my programs for youth. This makes of greater study habits, which are mood up after going to class all her especially attuned to a leading indicator of improved day. Getting her young energy is developmental milestones and academic outcomes. really nice.” what could be expected of young people at various stages. “It’s And it’s not just about the young The Bigs and Littles keep the interesting to see Margarita at girls. It’s about the older ones as contents of their talks close, this weird age for one’s well. “I think it’s very important to revealing only general categories development being able to say empower young girls, and young of subjects on offer. “We’ve talked ‘I’m passionate about this’ and women,” says Christie, reflecting about school, outside activities . . . ‘I’m aware of what’s going on’ on the benefits of the experience family sometimes,” says Margarita, and being able to talk about it.” for her and her UVA peers. also a 13-year-old eighth grader “Within the program I myself felt at Burley. “We even talk about Young Adolescent Girls Coming empowered by my fellow Bigs. the discussions during group and into Their Own with a Little Help They had the power to effect my opinions on that.” Wesley, a change in other people, these 20-year-old third-year student at Evidence has shown that this girls. And I wanted to be a part of UVA from Fairfax, Virginia, is her self-awareness that Margarita has that. I wanted to show girls that mentor. “She has helped me with developed is among a handful of they are capable and can be my thinking,” Margarita goes on. positive effects schools like leaders in a bunch of ways. “She’s been there for me. I can tell Burley are experiencing using the We all can.” her anything. She listens to me. combined group and one-to-one Like my soccer!” mentoring approach that YWLP “To find a connection with uses in a developmentally focused somebody, to learn from The Fendley and Jenkins way for young adolescent girls. somebody outside their matchmaking approach appears Nancy Deutsch, professor at UVA on full display with this pair. “I play Curry School of Education and friendship group and their soccer and run,” Wesley says. It’s Human Development, leads a parents. That whole ‘it takes her second year with the program, group of researchers from a village’ concept is and with Margarita. “She is one of Curry, Indiana University, important to us in this the smartest middle schoolers I’ve University of Maryland, and the context with such a broad met. She’s very socially aware and Center for Creative Leadership to incredibly caring. And she’s very study the program. To date, they school community.” passionate.” have found that the young people —Leslie Feldley, School Counselor, participating in YWLP not only Wesley studies Youth and Social Jackson P. Burley Middle School boost their self-understanding Innovation, a major at UVA’s Curry (“being yourself”) but also their School of Education and Human self-regulation (“thinking before Development that provides acting”) and relationship

33 QUICK REFERENCE: A COMBINED GROUP AND ONE- TO-ONE MENTORING APPROACH

Relationship-Based Model Group mentoring One-to-one mentoring

Youth focus Young adolescent girls

Major Practices Small groups Sharing circles Mindfulness Role-playing

Socioemotional skills and success assets Self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, peer identity, agency

Mentors Female college/university student volunteers

Reach Mostly local, some regional affiliates

Community Small Urban

PROGRAM CONTACTS: Melissa Levy Co-Director Young Women Leaders Program University of Virginia Curry School of Education and Human Development [email protected] 434-243-0150 405 Emmet Street Charlottesville, VA 22904

Jaronda Miller-Bryant Co-Director Young Women Leaders Program University of Virginia Maxine Platzer Lynn Women’s Center [email protected] 434-924-9732 1400 University Avenue Charlottesville, VA 22908

34 of Indigenous nations in Canada. Thames operate their own Nearly half of the country’s more elementary schools separate from than 600,000 First Nation the Thames Valley District School population live on reserves — land Board, which runs public schools designated for Indigenous peoples in London proper. Some of these through a compact between the First Nation schools stop at sixth First Nations and the government grade and others at grade eight, at of Canada. which time students are shifted to the London city education system Many reserves are in lightly in the middle grades or to high populated and rural areas. Mike school. The result is that students moved from his native reserve to used to a small, tight-knit, London, Ontario nearly a decade culturally homogeneous learning ago. Situated between Toronto environment find themselves amid and Detroit, London is a rapidly a mix of young people they don’t diversifying population center in know in a bigger school a good 3.3 UNITING NATIONS southwestern Ontario with a mix bus ride away from home. A Culture-Focused Mentoring of European descendants, Approach Indigenous people, and newer “One of the things that is most Asian and Middle Eastern disheartening is that they do not Mentoring programs have been immigrants. Moving to the big city see themselves reflected in this increasingly intentional about was a big shift for Mike. As he puts school,” says Anne Elliott about incorporating or deepening it: “I came from a community of the First Nation students. Anne is cultural awareness and 4,000 and moved to a place with vice principal of Lambeth Public responsiveness in program 400,000!” He also admitted to School, a building of 800 students activities and among mentors being a Detroit Redwings in Lambeth, a neighborhood in the themselves. For mentor Mike hockey fan, which he quips may southwest outskirts of London. The Cywink, culture is in his bones, have played some part in moving school serves young people from and he gets to impart it to some to nearby London. the Oneida Reserve, about 20 of the First Nation young people minutes away. “The students are From Small Community Learning he engages. For others, he draws being bused from a community to Big-City Schools it out of them. that is different,” Anne elaborates. Mike is Anishinaabe, a member of Such a transition experience is “The homes are different, the the Whitefish River First Nation. common among the First Nation landscape is different. And when He hails from Manitoulin Island in youth Mike now mentors. Among they arrive here the teachers are Ontario, Canada, nestled in the the First Nation reserve different. The students come upper part of Lake Huron. The communities surrounding the from a small school in a small Anishinaabe are among hundreds city of London, Chippewa of the community and now they are Thames and Oneida Nation of the separated from each other.”

35 For young adolescents, who needed to do something more One way Uniting Our Nations developmentally are consumed intentional.” She and her gets to this specificity is by with introspection about who they colleagues put together a emphasizing the importance of are and their place in the world, committee of educators and language and terminology. Words this fish-out-of-water experience community partners to examine like Indigenous, Aboriginal, First can be jarring. There are some the needs of First Nation youth as Nations, and Metis, often need activities with sixth graders still at they make transitions in between to be discussed and selected or school in the reserve to create a the early elementary years and the changed depending on the bridge. But, once in seventh grade, later high school years. The group individual cultural context. the First Nation students are in an felt that mentoring was a positive, School educators collaborate entirely new environment than the strengths-based approach, and a with community leaders and one in which they’ve grown up. good way for the importance of elders to make these important culture to be incorporated. determinations. That’s where Mike Cywink comes in. Mike meets with six to ten “The best part of the This effort toward cultural First Nation youth at each of mentoring experience for specificity is essential for four London area elementary me is to see young people building relationships with First schools that serve seventh and self-identify as a First Nation youth. “He’s not from where eighth graders — Aberdeen, Nation person and seeing we’re from,” jokes Jorja about Lambeth, Woodland Heights, and them grow within that.” Mike. Jorja is a 13-year-old seventh Delaware Central Public Schools. grader at Lambeth who takes —Mike Cywink, School Liaison, Uniting He is a school liaison for Uniting Our Nations, Center for School Mental part in the program. “We are Our Nations, a set of programs Health, Western University Haudenosaunee and he is Ojibwe. focused on Indigenous peoples Time-Honored Traditions as Tools He has different stories and we in Ontario run by a group of for Present-Day Youth often correct him!” educators and researchers from The stories and traditional the Centre for School Mental But the cultural emphasis required practices of First Nation peoples Health at Western University. thoughtful implementation. “We are infused throughout the Uniting Claire Crooks, professor at the needed to avoid a pan-Indigenous Our Nations mentoring approach. university and the Centre’s approach,” Claire cautions. “There The program runs 16 weeks, eight director, spearheaded the are hundreds of different cultures in the fall-to-winter months and development of the program to within First Nations. While there another eight in the winter-to- address the transition First Nation are universal beliefs and practices, spring timeframe. In that time, youth face in a targeted way. if you want to speak to First Nation youth in an authentic way, it needs Mike meets with a small group of “We recognized that there is a to be highly relationship-based, young people in each school once group of kids who are getting getting to know who they are in a week for one hour during the missed,” Claire says, describing their specific cultural context.” school day. the origins of the program. “We

36 The first handful of sessions “It’s like a spiritual cleanse,” Mike tree. So, we talk about bullying and involves getting-to-know-you explains. “It’s like a shower, but for how to make good friendships.” activities centered on some the spirit. You smudge your eyes, Another topic is healthy eating. foundational Indigenous beliefs, your mouth, and your heart.” It has The young people learn about the including a particular First a calming and centering effect, First Nation legend of the three Nation creation story. The young much like meditation. It’s a way sisters — the crop triumvirate of people gather in a small circle at for the young people to bond with corn, beans, and squash. The the beginning of each session to one another through ritual. It lesson here is harmony and kick things off each week. “The readies them to open up, share, balance in the diet, much like the first thing we do when we meet and take in lessons Mike has for three sisters support and depend is a cultural practice called the them. And the young people on each other. As the Uniting Our smudge,” Mike describes. “It become very respectful of the Nations program manual explains: stems from our creation story.” practice. “It’s so, so important,” “The beans help create nitrogen Mike says. “If I forget it, the kids Mike lights a bowl of sage — the for the corn, which needs a lot to are on me. They need to do it. It’s smudge — which relates to the produce a good crop. The corn like brushing your teeth.” Ojibwe teachings surrounding provides a structure for the trailing the Medicine Wheel. The Medicine Following the smudge, Mike beans to grow upon. The squash Wheel is common across engages the young people in a reduces the weeds and shades Indigenous peoples. While topic of the week. The lessons the soil to maximize water usage, elements of the wheel vary by are especially relevant to young as well as deterring hungry nation, they are generally divided people in the early adolescent intruders with the prickly hairs into quadrants, each representing period. They are broached through on their vines.” different aspects of existence that a cultural story, practice, or belief, These and other lessons that humans progress through: life addressing the present needs and cut across youth experience — stage (child, youth, adult, elder), concerns and interests of youth developing self-esteem, avoiding season (winter, spring, summer, using traditional context. substance abuse, building fall), direction (north, south, east, “We compare what’s happening to communication skills, making fu- west), being (physical, mental, us now with what happened to our ture choices, having positive emotional, spiritual), attributes people back then,” says attitudes — are all conveyed (generosity, wisdom, bravery, Gracie, also a seventh grader at through traditional stories and fortitude). A different sacred Lambeth. “Like fighting and customs. animal (deer, buffalo, bear, eagle) violence. We learn about the tree and herb (sage, cedar, tobacco, Forming Cultural Identities for of peace. When there were wars sweetgrass) correspond to each Landings and Jumping-Off Points going on between our nations, one quadrant as well, which is where person realized we needed to stick The cultural context of Uniting the burning sage of the smudge together to save our culture. They Our Nations is tailor-made for comes in. buried the weapons underneath a young adolescents going through

37 a process of identity formation, to students,” Mike implores. Also mentors who have the same particularly peer identity. Research important is getting the cultural background helps.” She believes shows that the associations young piece from someone who is part that has helped Mike and her people form at this age are highly of that culture himself. connect with First Nation youth. formative and will be long lasting. “Mike and I actually went to the “One of the biggest things is This is true for young people who same high school. We’re both having a facilitator who can are strongly attuned to their First outgoing. We’ll find kids’ interests.” relate to any of these kids,” Nation culture, and those who are explains Charlene Camillo. Broadly, this role that mentors distant from it. Charlene was Mike’s predecessor like Charlene and Mike play is “The students from Aberdeen are at Uniting Our Nations, a school vital in schools, according to Paul very different from those at liaison/mentor in the early goings McKenzie, superintendent for Lambeth,” says Mike, speaking of the model. She is now a learning Student Achievement for Thames of his mentees from the two coordinator for the Thames Valley Valley. “For the early adolescent London city schools with seventh District School Board, working period, when so many things are and eighth graders in the program. to support First Nation students going on, the mentoring space is “There are ‘urban First Nation’ across all London city and area a safe and welcoming space for students at Aberdeen. They did schools. She is a member of the students,” he says. “Let’s face it: not grow up on the reserves. They Moose Cree First Nation. the classroom may be fifth on the are from local city neighborhoods. list of importance to them. These “These are the years when They live here in London.” are the years when connectivity connectivity is so vital — is so vital — connecting to caring For them, he says much of the connecting to caring adults. Feeling a sense of effect of the Uniting Our Nations adults. Feeling a sense of belonging, that someone has your program is to get young people belonging, that someone back. We need more of this in our more in touch with their cultural has your back. We need schools.” heritage, to understand it, embrace more of this in our schools.” it, and make it a part of their McKenzie feels that this is —Paul McKenzie, Assistant identity in a positive way. For Superintendent for Student especially the case for First students at Lambeth, who are Achievement, Thames Valley District Nation students transitioning into School Board immersed in their culture living the public school system. “We have on the Oneida Reserve, Uniting “I see a lot of kids who might not to make sure that their first year Our Nations leverages that want to identify as Indigenous for here has a safe landing point.” cultural identity to help navigate a variety of reasons — dealing with The cultural focus of Uniting Our the challenging school and the backlash sometimes,” she says. Nations builds the capacity of developmental transitions of “But having opportunities for kids schools to create that safe landing early adolescence. to learn about their own identity point, while also speaking to the builds their estimate of themselves, holistic learning and development “I can’t stress enough how their self-confidence. Having needs of young adolescents. important the cultural piece is

38 “Uniting Our Nations is something identity in order to succeed in I would have loved to have had school. The researchers gleaned QUICK REFERENCE: A HERITAGE-FOCUSED myself,” says Charlene Camillo. that these assets boosted MENTORING “Those opportunities just weren’t resilience, countering negative APPROACH in place when I was in school. effects of and experiences When you are living in a diverse with racism. The program has Relationship-Based Model urban setting, there are so many also seen effects more broadly Group mentoring stereotypes. You need a place important to young people in Youth focus where you can be comfortable early adolescence. Participants Indigenous persons with who you are and carve your were more engaged in school Major Practices path from there.” generally — beyond the program — Infusion of cultural traditions Small groups and they began to see themselves Sharing circles Being in Touch with Cultural as leaders. Identity Can Lead to Being in Socioemotional skills and success assets Touch with School “Uniting First Nations has given Self-awareness, self- these students the opportunity regulation, social awareness, Claire Crooks and her colleagues to really celebrate authentically relationship skills, responsible at Western University have studied decision-making, peer what makes them, how they define identity, agency the effects of Uniting Our Nations themselves as individuals,” says over time. They have been Mentors Anne Elliott. “They have a sense of Professional staff specifically interested in how about it. They don’t feel like cultural connectedness — which Reach they need to keep it hidden.” Regional they define as the extent to which an individual feels connected to This ultimate outcome is especially Community Urban their culture — is a “protective satisfying for Mike Cywink. “The factor” for First Nation youth. Does best part of the mentoring experi- it bolster their resiliency against ence for me is to see young people PROGRAM CONTACT the many adversities they face as self-identify as a First Nation per- Claire Crooks, PhD Indigenous peoples? son and seeing them grow within Associate Professor that,” he says. “Seeing them talk Director, Center for School Researchers did in fact find Mental Health about their issues in the context of increases in cultural identity Western University their heritage. Seeing that cultural formation and cultural [email protected] growth. I know that means they are connectedness among the 519.661.2111 learning who they truly are.” youthrelationships.org program’s participants. A Faculty of Education qualitative study showed that 1137 Western Road London, Ontario, Canada, youth felt they had more N6G 1G7 opportunity to explore their identity and, importantly, felt they didn’t have to compromise that

39 harder, prompting Garg to offer up a definition herself after a few moments of quiet. “Capital is something that has value, like money. So, social capital is like relationship money. You can build relationships in order to get something or to help you out. For example, you have a relationship with your teacher and she can help you with a problem. When you use social capital, you use some of that relationship money to do something. Today, you’re expanding your social capital.”

3.4 CONNECTING THE in a large, two-story common area Connecting What You Are DOTS at Tyson Foods’ Chicago office Today to What You Will Become building, which sits between the Tomorrow Mentoring Approaches that city’s Downtown “Loop” and West Show a Success Path from Loop neighborhoods. Garg stands The students almost immediately School to Career in front of a test kitchen as she cash in some of that capital by talks to the group, while some of exploring the world of Tyson “What do you know about Tyson her colleagues pass out snacks Foods with the help of the Foods?” asks Kanchan Garg, and drinks. volunteers. Igor German, associate Brand Manager for the global brand manager, whisks a handful food company, as she addresses “We’re going to get going with of them up the elevator to a a group of eager seventh graders. our first activity,” she says, trying cubicle-laden floor, which houses “Chicken!” a couple students to amplify her voice enough to his own workspace. There, the shout out at once. There is an overcome the collective rustle of a young professional and former acknowledging laughter among couple dozen snack bar wrappers English teacher talks about his the adults in the room, mostly being opened. “We’re going to talk job, which is presently fixed on Tyson Foods employees, as if about social capital. Let’s break it developing new packaging for they’ve heard that association down. Who can tell me what some frozen food items. “That one before. ‘social’ means?” kinda looks too cutsie,” one of the students offers, examining the Roughly 20 students from The students jump quickly at imagery. National Teachers Academy the question. “Lots of people.” (NTA), a Chicago public K-8 “People collaborating.” Garg nods. German fields more feedback from elementary school, are assembled “Very good,” she says. “Now, what the group while explaining the about ‘capital’?” This part is a little

40 process he and his associates adult, what will an independent life accountability demands schools work through to develop look like for them. Through these have on them, bringing on a compelling packaging — how it experiences with professionals in quality, results-focused out-of- has to reflect the food as well as workplaces, we try and make a school time program partner connect to what consumers want. concrete link between the future that can integrate with the overall “It looks healthy,” another one they are imagining and today. Our educational experience being observes as German shows them goal is not to have them find the offered to students can be a a mock-up of products with career they are going to stick with. great asset. natural ingredients. It’s too early for that. It’s to build excitement and motivation for For relationship-focused programs This workplace exploration, career, and helping them see more that use mentors as a key dubbed Spark Lab, is a group clearly the path to get there.” ingredient, part of this integration mentoring component of the involves shaping how students Spark Program. Spark is a “What we invest in most think about their mentors. “Our national nonprofit founded in end game is to see student is that relationship. The 2004 in Redwood City, California, engagement and achievement that serves middle school–age first few sessions are go up, which in young people’s students in the San Francisco Bay all relationship building. world means engaging and Area, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, And then the mentors and achieving in school,” Schroder and Chicago. The program scholars stay together for elaborates. “We want students to facilitates career exploration experience Spark as part of their a couple years, sometimes experiences and self-discovery education, to finish Spark thinking opportunities through group longer. So they have that not “that was cool, but now I have and one-to-one mentoring in time to develop that bond, to go to school” but rather “this workplace settings. Tyson Foods that trust.” kind of exploration and growth is has been a longtime partner with —Chris Perkins, Manager of Volunteer what I can experience throughout Spark in Chicago since 2013, Recruitment and Development , my education”. We want to make hosting more than 140 Higher Achievement education full of possibility.” mentorships and numerous Spark is among a number of Spark Labs. Long-term Success Starts with national and local programs that Success in School “When you sit down with 11-, 12-, partner with schools to harness or 13-year-olds, you find they the resources of volunteer Connecting mentors to the day-to- have a lot to say about what they mentors and out-of-school time day needs and experiences stu- want to be when they grow up,” to provide young adolescents dents have in school can be hard explains Jim Schroder, Spark’s with academic, social, and to do at this age. “It’s challenging Head of Program. “From their emotional supports at a critical for middle school kids. They’re not perspective, they are thinking long inflection point developmentally. always so focused,” says Jeneva, term: how are they going to make In a high-stakes education an information science major at money, what will they do as an environment, with the many the University of Maryland–College

41 feedback on his answers. “Right now I’m learning scatter plots,” he says. “Jeneva is really helpful. If I don’t know something or don’t understand, she breaks it down in the easiest way possible.” He hastens to add: “But the best part is her personality. She’s a lot of fun.”

“We call our students ‘scholars’ and our mentors ‘academic Park, and a mentor involved Volunteer Recruitment and mentors,’ but almost all of them with the nonprofit Higher Development for Higher are not academic tutors or Achievement based in Achievement’s DC metro office. teachers,” explains Perkins. “We Washington, DC. “It’s hard for “There are 10 or 15 elementary provide them with the curriculum. them to navigate all the factors schools in this area that feed into They do one evening a week on that are top of mind for them, Kelly Miller, so these are all kids math and one on English language being with their friends and having from this community. And many arts, always together with the fun, and doing well in school. of our mentors come from the same scholar. What we invest in Getting their attention is the community as well. It’s pretty most is that relationship. The first biggest part of what I’m doing.” grass roots.” few sessions are all relationship building. And then the mentors Jeneva volunteers at Kelly Jeneva works with Tristan, an and scholars stay together for a Miller Middle School in the Lincoln eighth grader at Kelly Miller. couple years, sometimes longer. Heights neighborhood of They sit at two combination So they have that time to develop Washington, DC’s Ward 7, which desks facing each other in a that bond, that trust.” sits on the far eastern corner of windowless interior classroom the city along the Maryland awash in fluorescent lighting. A Higher Achievement was founded border. Higher Achievement has half dozen other student-mentor in Washington, DC, in 1975, and been operating at the school pairs inhabit the space along with now runs programming at school for the last 10 years. The Lincoln them. Jeneva hands Tristan a small sites in the nation’s capital as well Heights Housing Project, an array note card with a graph of black as in Baltimore, Richmond, and of public housing apartments and dots in a pattern and asks him to Pittsburgh. Students engage in the program three days per week townhouses, surrounds the school. take a minute to examine it and then explain to her the correlation when school is in session, plus “East of the Anacostia River of the data. six weeks over the summer. The is probably the most under- organization has built a robust resourced area in all of DC,” They go through ten or so rounds curriculum that structures and says Chris Perkins, manager of of this, with Jeneva giving Tristan guides volunteer mentors in their

42 work with students to boost process in DC. If a team gets Schools (DCPS) has created academic achievement. A recent the answer right, the team gets a system to allow students to randomized trial study showed a point. A team can get bonus choose their high school, instead Higher Achievement programming points by explaining the answer. of automatically transferring into equates to 48 extra school days the one in their neighborhood. in math and 30 extra in reading “Grades are most important in These opportunities have been per year. getting into the high school you made possible by the great many want.” False. A combination of more options created by charter But academics are not the sole factors is used, and some schools schools, magnet schools, selective input for school success. Higher value grades more than others. enrollment schools, and the like. Achievement has been drawing “Private schools are better than DCPS has 30 traditional and from the increasing evidence that public schools.” False. There are charter public high schools, and shows integrating academic, good school options, both public students are allowed to apply to social, and emotional development and private. “You don’t need to up to 12 of them. boost student performance in apply to a different high school.” school. Higher Achievement True. Students can automatically This is true in Chicago as well, at scholars are set up to connect enroll in their boundary school if an even bigger scale. There are and dialogue with their mentors, they choose. more than 150 high schools in and also with near peers and each Chicago Public Schools, the third other around topics of concern to Like many big city school districts, largest school district in the them. They touch upon weighty the District of Columbia Public country. Like DCPS, CPS has concepts like freedom, justice, solidarity, and voice. They also talk about their visions for their own futures, and what they are doing now in school to get there.

The Weighty and Consequential Transition into High School

In this particular Higher Achievement session, staff gathers the students in a wide hallway with blue lockers and has them assemble into five groups. They play a game of sorts, as staff read off a few statements and ask the students to identify whether the statements are true or false about the high school application

43 evolved toward a “portfolio” shining brightly from the windows, held back in ninth grade only approach to schooling, not only as if to comment on the nature of to ultimately decide to leave with traditional, charter, magnet, their futures. school later. and selective enrollment options, but also thematic ones. There “Students at this age are This situation is commonplace in many big-city school districts. “In are schools that focus on math, greatly influenced by their DC, the graduation rate right now science, and technology, or ones peers. We want them to that are centered on performing is 68 percent citywide,” describes come away saying, ‘I’m the arts, and others that have “schools Chris Perkins. “But for low-income within schools” where students type of person who is a part students, it’s about 60 percent. can apply to a specific track, like of a group that works really And in this neighborhood, it’s about 40 percent,” he says, International Baccalaureate or a hard in school and this will speaking of Lincoln Heights career and technical education for get me someplace in life.’” architecture or pre-engineering. where Higher Achievement runs —Jim Schroder, Head of Program, its programming at Kelly Miller “You’re going to spend about Spark Program, Inc. Middle School. “Meanwhile, 4,000 hours in high school,” says students have access to top-tier Most of these NTA students had Phil Masters as he roams a room and specialty high schools where already participated in Spark’s of mostly attentive eighth graders 95 percent graduate on time and group and one-to-one mentoring back at National Teachers college ready. That’s probably the programming in seventh grade Academy (NTA) in Chicago. biggest part of what we’re trying with volunteers at companies like “It’s important that you’ll like to do here.” Steering students Tyson Foods. They got the idea being there.” toward a high school that is the for pursuing a career, and now right fit can go a long way to they’re focused on the next step Masters is Spark’s Chicago ensuring they enter a place in in getting there — successfully program director and leads the which they are most likely to landing in a high school that fits organization’s partnership with be successful. NTA, a public K–8 elementary their interests and goals. school sitting on the edge of On the other hand, this process The transition into ninth grade Chicago’s Chinatown neighbor- does place an added pressure is one of the most challenging hood, just south of the city’s for students. The Consortium on middle school–age students center “Loop.” Just after eight on Chicago School Research at to make a choice that could o’clock on a chilly fall morning the University of Chicago found have lasting effects, given the he’s working hard to engage a that students upon entering high differences in quality, programs, group of nearly thirty students school lose a half grade point and outcomes among high gathered in a second-floor in GPA on average and their schools. Consequently, educating classroom. The students look unexcused absences triple. And middle schoolers about their high as though they haven’t yet fully of those students who drop out accepted the morning, but are school options has become a of high school, most do so in ninth helped along by the sunlight bigger part of both Higher grade. Many other students are

44 Achievement and Spark Program. Spark even developed an online QUICK REFERENCE: MENTORING APPROACHES THAT platform, sparkpathfinder.org, SHOW A SUCCESS PATH FROM SCHOOL TO CAREER which uses sophisticated algorithms to combine students’ Relationship-Based Model interests with high school Group, near-peer, and one-to-one mentoring programs that are a good Youth focus match for them. Young adolescents

Highlighted Practices Ultimately, these tools do not Academic and school transition support matter if young people aren’t Career exploration invested and engaged. Therefore, Socioemotional skills the real value add for both of and success assets Self-awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making, these programs is leveraging peer identity, agency mentoring, relationships, and Mentors out-of-school time to excite, Volunteers, staff, program alumni guide, and support young Reach adolescents as they navigate Regional the high school selection process, Community and then prepare for the Big and midsize urban transition itself.

“At the end of the day, I would say PROGRAM CONTACTS what we’re really doing is fostering Spark: students’ identity,” explains Jim Jim Schroder Schroder. “Students at this age are Head of Program greatly influenced by their peers. Spark Program, Inc. We want them to come away [email protected] saying, ‘I’m the type of person 267-519-4591 1501 Cherry Street who is a part of a group that Philadelphia, PA 19102 works really hard in school Higher Achievement: because a good education will Mike Di Marco get me someplace in life.’” Chief of Strategy Higher Achievement [email protected] 202.861.7753 1750 Columbia Road NW Washington, DC 20009

45 RECOMMENDATIONS

How do we move forward from of development — is needed. from evidence-based skill- here? Based on the review of the Researchers can also do more to building programs.109 Partnering research, policy, and practice fields understand the impacts of webs with programs that are delivering dedicated to social and emotional of support created by multiple, services that pair mentoring with learning and relationships, some complimentary relationships structured skill-building can help key next steps have emerged. The young people build with family assess the effectiveness of these below recommendations — for members, peers, teachers, combined approaches, and researchers; school, district, and program staff, and others, and further study can uncover youth development practitioners; best practices for supporting promising models while policymakers, and funders — high- youth in building these webs.105 shedding light on the nuances light gaps and needs in the work of these strategies. • Address the intersections of that has been done to date, and social and emotional skill- • Address racial, ethnic, and ways that these fields can partner building and mentoring: cultural identity, as well as to find solutions. Researchers can more power and privilege: 4.1 RESEARCHERS specifically study the impact Researchers should expand of pairing strong, intentional traditional research definitions Researchers can take the following mentoring with structured social of social and emotional next steps to advance more and emotional skill-building learning to emphasize the comprehensive and inclusive opportunities. The strong effect impact of culture, power, understandings of the social sizes seen for social and privilege, and discrimination on and emotional needs of young emotional learning programming identity development and social adolescents, and the supports that follows the SAFE framework and emotional development. that best meet their needs. described by Durlak et al.106 (See Study the impacts of culturally • Conduct targeted research on Annex 5) and research about relevant mentoring programs relationship-based social and the greater impacts of active and relationships on students’ emotional learning in early skill-building approaches over racial, ethnic, and cultural adolescence: Researchers passive approaches for students’ identities, as well as skills and 107 should further study the social social and emotional learning competencies such as coping and emotional competencies make a compelling argument with discrimination, cultural most relevant to early for structured skills-based competence, ethnocultural adolescence and the types approaches. Meanwhile, Jean empathy, identity development, of lessons and experiences Rhodes of the Chronicle for and dealing with racial trauma. uniquely tailored for building Evidence-Based Mentoring • Address youth identity these competencies among argues that mentors can make holistically: A clear limitation of young adolescents. Nuanced a powerful addition to these pro- the existing research literature is research on which relationship- grams by providing students with the lack of studies examining based activities and experiences opportunities to practice new the role of school-based and can help build specific skills — as skills in a supported or 108 relationship-based models in well as what works for students supervised fashion, a several aspects of identity in different contexts and phases component that is often missing development, including LGBTQI-

46 GNC identity, among middle Researchers can develop these assessments. school students. Researchers specific and nuanced studies that • Convene to share best can help address this gap by identify the relationship between practices: Hold a research including research measures mentors’ qualities, activities, and symposium about relationship- related to these aspects of practices, students’ ratings of based social and emotional identity in their studies on the relationship quality, and students’ learning, convening researchers effectiveness of mentoring and social and emotional outcomes. in the fields of mentoring, youth social and emotional learning • Help mentors and practitioners development, and education to programs. apply research: Develop targeted identify opportunities for more • Address the specific application research-to-practice materials specific, targeted research of social and emotional to help educate mentors of studies that can address the programming for students young adolescents about what gaps discussed above, and with special needs: How can is going on at this developmental share best practices in research social and emotional programs, stage, by interpreting research methodology in these areas. including relationship-based for practitioner and mentor approaches, best be audiences. 4.2 SCHOOL, implemented for students with DISTRICT, AND YOUTH • Collaborate to promote a variety of special needs, from DEVELOPMENT high-quality data on culture, learning needs to mental health PRACTITIONERS climate, and relationships: conditions? Further research is The literature review and case Many schools and districts are needed to explore this question, studies in this guide hold a myriad interested in assessing their as well as the application of this of insights relevant to practitioners school culture and climate, but programming in nontraditional working in diverse settings and access to resources to conduct school settings, such as capacities, from school and dis- these assessments varies r alternative schools. trict administrators to classroom regionally, as do the specific educators, to youth development • Explore the connections metrics assessed. Researchers program leaders, managers, and between relationship quality can partner with schools, coordinators. The following and social and emotional programs, funders, and recommendations summarize development: Multiple studies policymakers to engage in some of the key insights from this conclude that mentoring collaborative research projects research as they relate to the daily relationship quality is critical to that enable schools, districts, practice of professionals across students’ ability to benefit from and programs to utilize these settings. relationship-based programs in a consistent, high-quality 110 variety of ways. However, more measurement tools to assess • Learn more about student research is needed to understand and compare students’ experiences: Start by getting to the specific activities and own perspectives on their know your students and their practices that mentors can experiences in these settings, specific needs and assets — engage in to build high-quality and ensure that the availability either through a structured relationships for diverse groups and quality of supportive survey, such as those performed of young adolescents. relationships is included in

47 by Panorama Education and cohesive and meaningful devel- opportunities for student YouthTruth, or through less opmental experiences for them.112 leadership and ownership over formal means, such as a focus programming, and creating • Strengthen connections group or student interviews. opportunities for peer-to-peer between students and both Design and/or align program- dialogue about real issues and adults and peers: Due to ming that addresses students’ challenges students face, can importance of both peer and expressed challenges and builds have transformative results, as adult relationships during young on their assets, and include evidenced by the Millennium adolescence, and the ways in students in the planning process. Forum Advisory Group model. which identity development • Engage parents, caregivers, occurs in the context of social • Reach students in need of families, and other members of relationships, consider the connection: Research suggests students’ webs of support: importance of relationship-based that mentoring can be most Families are primary and programs that cultivate positive impactful for students who critical sources of support relationships with both adults do not have strong existing for their children, and play and peers. Consider group relationships in their lives.114 fundamental roles in students’ models that harness the power Consider tailored programming social and emotional develop- of groups and peer identity for that can help build a sense of ment. As young adolescence this developmental stage, as belonging for students who is often a time of significant tran- demonstrated by both the Young may be vulnerable to isolation sition for family relationships, it Women Leaders Program and in school settings — for is more important than ever that the Millennium Forum Advisory example, students with high parents, caregivers, and families Groups. Or, consider matching numbers of absences, or are engaged in social and emo- older students with younger students from a nondominant tional programming in nuanced students in a structured group cultural group.115 Surveying ways.111 As you design relation- peer mentoring program students to find out who they ship-based social and emotional heavily supported and facilitated feel most connected to in school programming, communicate by adults, who can guide and program environments, as inclusively with mentors, design activities with demonstrated by the Young parents and families about their youth feedback, and trouble- Women’s Leadership Program, children’s development and shoot challenges. As much as is can yield surprising information include their perspectives as you feasible, provide opportunity for about which students are most set goals and learn about student small group interaction, and in need of support, and can help needs. Additionally, recognizing offer activities that foster inform intentional programming and tapping into the other caring understanding, belonging and that can increase a sense of relationships youth have with connectedness. belonging. family members, coaches, • Consider programming focused • Build identity-based community, teachers, and community on leadership development: and let youth drive: Research on members can amplify and align Youth in the middle grades have the Uniting Our Nations program the work you do in school and tremendous insight about what it showed that students engaged in program contexts, creating more means to be a leader,113 so finding culturally relevant programming

48 felt they had more opportunity suited to develop and cultivate people to nominate their own to explore their identities, which young people in empowering mentors (who can then receive impacted their comfort level in ways. When recruiting, screening, screening, training, and support school. Programming that sup- training, and supporting mentors from formal program facilitators). ports students’ cultural, ethnic, and group facilitators, consider • Partner to build pathways: racial, and gender identities can the importance of adult mental As demonstrated by Higher help counteract the negative health, cultural competence, and Achievement and Spark, impacts of discrimination and ethnic identity, all of which may opportunities for students to bias that students experience, have an impact on the quality of build social capital, and engage while strengthening youth’s the relationships adults build with in projects of their own creation sense of belonging and youth.116,117 When training mentors tied to their own interests, can community. Consider pairing and facilitators, provide specific lay the groundwork for future students with mentors or peer coaching on how to offer career and college pathways. groups whose identities affirm unconditional positive regard, Consider collaborating with local their own, to help normalize and encouragement, attunement, corporations and employers to validate students’ cultural consistent positive interactions, build your school, district, or experiences and provide role and meaningful feedback about program’s capacity in these models they can relate to. Involve students’ progress,118 as well as areas. youth and their communities in how to build trust.119 Additionally, decisions around culturally build in regular opportunities for These additional recommendations relevant and specific adults to reflect, share best may be relevant to school and programming and activities. practices, and troubleshoot district leaders specifically: Provide tailored programming challenges, as exemplified by that affirms the identities and the community of mentors and • Support educators in building experiences of LGBTQI-GNC facilitators in the Young Women relationships and integrating students. Finally, seek Leaders Program. social and emotional experiences professional development to into in the classroom: • Provide opportunities for youth increase your cultural awareness Kimberly Schonert-Reichl, voice and choice: Opportunities as it relates to the identities professor of human to inform and select their own of your students, and learn development at the University supports, activities, and strategies for building of British Columbia and a noted relationships can promote inclusive programs. expert in social and emotional agency, self-confidence, and learning, put it well: “Teachers are • Choose the right program identity development for young the engine that drives social and facilitators and mentors for people. Consider ways to center emotional learning programs and students, and build opportunities the perspectives of young people practices in schools, and their for their continual skill-building as you design relationship-based own socioemotional competence and reflection: Screening, social and emotional programs and well-being strongly 120 training, and supporting mentors for your community. One such influences their students.” School in relationship-based programs is strategy is youth-initiated and district administrators can 121 essential. Not every adult is well mentoring, which equips young ensure that educators and other

49 school staff have adequate partnership described between learning” but show overwhelming training to support them in Millennium Forum and A.P. support for the same program- understanding and modeling Giannini School, making time ming called by other names, social and emotional skills in for students to engage in particularly “social, emotional, the classroom, and on how to relationship-building is possible and academic development” and facilitate student reflection and with creative problem-solving “life skills.”126 Additionally, as they action through developmental and collaboration. communicate about their plans relationships.122 Cultivating a for social and emotional • Engage out-of-school time school culture that embraces programming, school and partners: Youth development social and emotional district leaders should pay close program providers, including development and relationships attention to the power of after-school providers and can take time, but finding and community groups. Research community-based programs elevating champions in your shows that the public responds in your area, are eager to school environment, as more to community or parent collaborate with you on shared exemplified by A. P. Giannini groups than to school, district, or goals and metrics around social Middle School and Millennium state officials.127 and emotional learning for the Forum, can help provide others students you both serve. • Plan for sustainable funding: with a model and inspiration that Convene these partners in a There are numerous local, state, can reinforce the value of these discussion about the ways they and federal funding resources efforts. can increase your students’ available to schools and • Work to build a school culture access to supportive districts looking to promote where relationships are relationships after the school social and emotional learning, prioritized, and a sense of day ends, and how to connect build a positive school culture, belonging for students is school-day lessons with out-of- and provide opportunities for cultivated: We know from school time programming for relationship-building.128 Access student survey data that young more cohesive, seamless, and resources such as CASEL’s Road adolescence are particularly meaningful experiences. Map for Financial Sustainability vulnerable to disconnection and and Edutopia’s Tips and • Garner support by isolation,123 just as they begin to Resources for Funding an SEL communicating inclusively: need strong relationships more Program to find out about your Research shows that most than ever.124 Intentional efforts to eligibility for government and members of the public support support students in building private funding sources, and social and emotional learning relationships — such as those examples of how other schools programming, but that this described in the above case and districts have financed support can diminish due to studies — can help close this sustainable programs. the caused by the gap. For example, consider inaccessible or confusing terms creating dedicated time in often used to describe it.125 For student and staff schedules example, most people are for relationship-building and relatively unresponsive to the connection. As seen in the concept of “socioemotional

50 4.3 POLICYMAKERS AND attendance, and college and expand funding for Title IV: FUNDERS readiness. 21st Century Schools within the Every Student Succeeds Act • Promote funding for targeted Policymakers and funders can (ESSA) for Student Support and relationship-based social and support and initiate systemic Academic Enrichment Grants, emotional programming for changes that can promote positive and 21st Century Community adolescents: Policymakers and social and emotional outcomes for Learning Centers that deliver funders can provide more young adolescents, by considering academic, social, and emotional dedicated attention and funds the following recommendations: supports before, during, and to the relationship-based after school. • Support holistic initiatives that programming that promotes center relationships: Recent the social and emotional • Align ESSA planning and research shows that education- development of middle school implementation with relation- focused grantmakers are students. Though early ship-based social and emotional increasingly aware of the adolescence is a critical time of learning programming: State importance of social and social and emotional growth, education and policy officials can emotional learning programming, more research and programming partner with schools and districts paired with academic reforms, specific to this developmental to harness the opportunities to achieving equitable learning stage is needed.130 Policymakers offered by ESSA to do this environments for America’s can support local, state, and important work. Through students, and that they are federal policy changes that can collaborative planning and directing their grant dollars generate and protect funding support propelled by ESSA, 129 toward more holistic solutions. for programming and research schools and districts can Such grantmakers should that supports relationship-based implement evidence-based social consider relationship-based interventions for youth in the and emotional learning initiatives approaches to the programming middle grades, while funders that utilize relationships and they fund to ensure that students can allocate resources for mentoring and improve students’ are receiving the comprehensive national and state initiatives and experiences in school. Learn social and emotional supports local programming. For example, more about ESSA plans by state they need to succeed. One way on the federal level, members on the U.S. Department of to do so is by providing funding of Congress have introduced Education’s webpage about to schools and districts and their legislation like the Transition to ESSA Consolidated State Plans. community partners to develop Success Mentoring Act, which • Invest in consistent state and and implement a customized pairs middle school students national research about student relationship strategy, or an facing risk factors with trained and adult needs: Data about approach to building and mentors, and the Chronic student needs and experiences — maximizing opportunities for Absenteeism Reduction Act, such as surveys measuring their relationship-building based on which focuses on decreasing experiences with relationships, a school or district’s individual chronic absenteeism through bullying, and discrimination — is needs and assets, to address data-driven mentoring models. limited and varies significantly by targeted student outcomes such Policymakers can also support as social and emotional learning, state and locale, as does survey

51 data about educators’ licensures * Invest in cross-sector and professional development in collaboration: Funders and areas such as adolescent policymakers can support the development and social and recommendations put forth by emotional learning.131 National the Aspen Institute’s National surveys about these needs that Commission on Social, Emotional enable comparison across states and Academic Development — and regions can support funders including greater collaboration and policymakers in making more between youth development informed decisions about where organizations, schools, and investments in the above areas districts, and social and are most needed. emotional learning providers to increase access to high- • Support improved professional quality relationship-centered development standards: State programming for youth — by education and policy officials can building in expectations around also incorporate more licensure or cross-sector partnerships into endorsement requirements around legislation and grants. understanding young adolescent learning and development for teachers and administrators in the middle grades, to provide pathways for school and district professionals to engage in continuing education around relationship-building and social and emotional learning.

52 APPENDIX ANNEX 1: Social and Emotional Skills and Competencies: A Summary of the Existing Research Literature

What do we mean when we say “social and emotional skills”? The broad nature of the social and emotional domains of human development means that an array of skills and competencies — called by many names in different sectors and c communities — are captured by these terms. Social and emotional development is complex and multifaceted, as is the field of research and practice that surrounds it.132 This is why schools and youth programs focus on everything from character development, civic engagement, and kindness, to self-management, goal-setting, and social navigation. Diverse interpretations of social and emotional learning, and the varied priorities and value placed on them in different contexts, has created challenges for educators, school and district practitioners, and youth development professionals in choosing the right curricula, programming, and supports for their students. Additionally, due to the many and varying definitions of social and emotional skills and competencies, misalignments in the research-to-practice cycle plague researchers and practitioners as they struggle to define different aspects of social and emotional development, and to implement and accurately evaluate the interventions intended to support them, leading to poor results and a misunderstanding of the concepts being explored.133 Multiple organizations and thinkers have attempted to categorize and compare social and emotional constructs, but these efforts have fallen short due to the complexity of the field.134 To address this issue, the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning (EASEL) Laboratory has launched the Taxonomy Project, which will create an interactive dashboard to assist educators, youth development practitioners, funders, policymakers and other stakeholders in making sense of social and emotional frameworks and constructs, and the nuances of their evidence base.

In the meantime, most experts agree that social and emotional competencies can be grouped into three major domains, all of which are linked to one another: cognitive regulation, emotional processes, and social and interpersonal competencies.135 The cognitive domain includes abilities such as paying attention and flexible thinking, managing one’s impulses, planning, and working memory. The emotional domain includes processes such as identifying, expressing, and regulating emotions and behaviors, coping with , and understanding others’ perspectives. Finally, the social and interpersonal domain encompasses skills such as identifying and understanding social cues, resolving conflicts with others, teamwork and cooperation, and expressing empathy toward others.136 Several frameworks also identify the additional domains of character (the values and habits that contribute to ethical, responsible behavior and citizenship) and mindsets (beliefs about one’s self, others, and the world) as distinct areas of social and emotional development.137

Importantly, Jenny Nagaoka and her research team at the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research identify additional key factors and foundational components that surround and undergird the competencies described above, in service of one’s transition to young adulthood. Alongside the development of social and emotional competencies is agency, or the ability to take action in shaping one’s own path even in the midst of difficult external circumstances, and integrated identity, or a coherent sense of who one is across different contexts and social identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, and religion.138 Though the development of these factors is a lifelong endeavor, the building blocks are laid through formative experiences in childhood and adolescence. Nagaoka et al.’s review of research literature and practice approaches also revealed the importance of four foundational components that contribute to young adults’ development of competen- cies, agency, and integrated identity: self-regulation, knowledge and skills, mindsets, and values. These components, they argue, can each be influenced and cultivated by young people’s experiences as they grow, making them an important target for social and emotional learning work.

Nagaoka et al. emphasize the interconnected nature of these components and factors, as well as the importance of understanding students’ individual cultures and the dominant cultures that influence their learning environments, as they endeavor to develop a sense of integrated identity.139 Bernadette Sanchez, professor of Community Psychology at DePaul University and author of this guide’s literature review, builds upon this assertion, noting the importance of supporting youth in cultivating social and emotional skills related to navigating cultural, racial, and ethnic experiences, such as dealing with discrimination, coping with racial trauma, and ethnocultural empathy. All of these areas represent current gaps in the existing research about social and emotional development, which require further study to inform holistic practice efforts that are inclusive of culture and identity.140

53 ANNEX 2: A Growing Movement in Support of Social and Emotional Learning, and Persistent Issues of Inequitable Access

Compelling research about the long-term positive impacts of social and emotional learning has generated great interest in and momentum toward a more well-rounded, “whole child” education that supports academic development as well as development in the social and emotional spheres. Federally, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has provided more flexibility for schools and districts to dedicate funds to initiatives that support a well-rounded education, providing they are grounded in empirical evidence. Though social and emotional learning is not explicitly mentioned in ESSA policy language, the law does emphasize the improvement of school conditions that can enhance student learning, facilitate peer interaction, create opportunities for volunteerism and involvement in the school community, and support students in building relationships.141 Locally, educators are increasingly aware of the importance of providing opportunities for social and emotional learning into their classrooms, and school and district leaders are searching for the right programming and curricula to address their students’ needs from a growing field of partners and curriculum developers, from CASEL, to Second Step, to Open Circle, to Responsive Classroom, to Developmental Design, to Conscious Discipline, and many more. At the same time, out-of-school time partners, including after-school programs and mentoring programs, which have always been relationship-based and grounded in providing social and emotional support to students outside of school, are looking for ways to provide more intentional, measurable support consistent with in-school offerings.

Meanwhile, the past few years have seen the emergence of several national players contributing to field-building efforts dedicated to sharing research about the importance of social and emotional development, as well as best practices for implementation at scale. The Aspen Institute’s Commission on Social, Emotional, and Academic Development (SEAD), launched in 2016, convened several cross-disciplinary councils and working groups whose efforts culminated in a Report to the Nation, detailing a change agenda to advance a whole child education for America’s youth. Among the groups organized by this coalition are a Council of Distinguished Educators, Council of Distinguished Scientists, a parent advisory panel, youth commission, funders collaborative, and partners collaborative.142 Together, these groups have coalesced research, practice, and policy recommendations that can unite educators, school and district leaders, youth development organizations, funders, policymakers, and researchers and create a unified movement to increase the quality of our educational spaces as well as students’ access to the assets they need to learn and develop fully. Additionally, in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Pure Edge, Inc., the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) launched its Collaborating States Initiative in 2016. This unique initiative engages 25 diverse states across the nation collectively serving 11,500 school districts and 30 million students in customized planning and a community of practice to deepen statewide implementation of social and emotional development programming, while documenting and sharing findings that can be scaled in other states and regions.143 Finally, the Chan Zuckerberg Foundation is currently teaming up with the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Ecological Approaches to Social Emotional Learning (EASEL) Lab to provide guidance to educators on “kernels” of practice, or strategies that can be easily integrated into classroom activities to advance social and emotional development for students in specific ways. The project’s highly anticipated report is expected to further build the interest of schools, districts, and their partners in investing in social and emotional learning, while offering educators concrete and flexible approaches that make an impact.144 Despite these promising developments, and the clear evidence supporting the need for social and emotional learning for all youth, issues of inequitable access to these supports persist. The availability of opportunities to develop holistically varies dramatically across youth of different races and socioeconomic classes.145 Systemic inequalities in our education systems have reduced access to arts, cultural, physical education, and recreational activities for low-income students across the United States, making these students less likely to benefit in their school environments.146 Meanwhile, many social and emotional learning curricula implemented in schools and out-of-school time programs struggle to address the cultural and linguistic diversity of students and communities, making them less relevant, accessible, and meaningful to many students and families.147 Finally, many students of color face discrimination in their schools and other educational environments, in the form of severe disciplinary practices, lower expectations, violence, and macroaggressions, which reduce or eliminate the sense of physical and emotional safety necessary for learning, and amplify the need for strong social and emotional supports.148 LGBTQI-GNC students, students with disabilities, and English-language learners also face tremendous barriers in attaining the basic resources and physical and emotional safety that enable them to successfully engage in school and after-school or community-based programming. For these reasons, continued collaboration and organizing is needed to ensure that high-quality opportunities for social and emotional learning are accessible to all students, and that programming is culturally relevant; trauma-informed; implemented with an awareness of historical oppression, racism, white privilege, and implicit bias;149 and focused on the safety of all students.

54 ANNEX 3: Critical Mentoring

Critical Mentoring, a framework developed by researcher and educator Torie Weiston-Serdan, is an essential strategy for mentors to promote the short- and long-term wellness and advancement of the youth they seek to serve. Critical Mentoring is mentoring focused on the development of a critical consciousness in mentors and mentees; critical consciousness is the awareness and understanding of social, political, and economic oppression and the ability to acknowledge and take action against oppressive elements in society.150 Grounded in Critical Race Theory and an understanding of youth context, Critical Mentoring seeks to provide youth with opportunities to reflect on, discuss, and challenge systems of inequity, resulting in transformational conversations about race, gender, class, sexuality, ableism, etc., and opportunities for both mentors and mentees to address how these issues permeate our society and adversely marginalized communities, including students of color, LGBTQI-GNC students, and other groups.151 Additionally, critical mentoring attends to the complexity and intersectionality of youth identity, and the ways in which different aspects of one’s identity may be marginalized or privileged based on societal bias and discrimination.152

All young people, from those who experience significant marginalization to those who experience significant privilege, benefit from developing a critical consciousness as potential changemakers who can promote more equitable education systems, and a more equitable society, in partnership with their mentors, mentoring programs, schools, and the capacity-building organizations that support them. The field of education is in need of concrete strategies that leverage social and emotional learning to dismantle systems of oppression153 — Critical Mentoring represents a guiding framework that can be used by school, district, and youth development practitioners to tap into the power of relationships to enable transformative reflection and change.

ANNEX 4: Climate, Culture, and Belonging ______It is well-known that all students require the right supports and conditions to enable their social, emotional, and academic development. However, conversations about social and emotional learning often overlook systemic program, school, district and community-level factors that influence students’ ability to learn.154 Among these factors are school culture and climate, which have pervasive impact on individual and collective school experiences for both students and staff.155 A standout finding across a number of research studies is that changes in classroom climate and culture, including instructional and behavior management strategies, can have substantial effects on social and emotional learning outcomes.156

Research suggests that cultivating a sense of belonging in schools and programs can transform student outcomes. Students who report feeling that they belong in school tend to demonstrate greater academic achievement, as well as psychological and physical health.157 Teacher support strongly predicts whether a student feels they belong in school, and the emotion- al support teachers provide is connected to students’ social and emotional development.158 Unfortunately, at least a fourth of students report a low sense of belonging in school.159 As a result, this is a domain of school culture that many schools and districts have zeroed in on to support students’ social, emotional, and academic development, by using school climate surveys to identify the connections between social and emotional learning, student outcomes such as attendance, behavior, and course performance, and students’ sense of belonging. One example is Ogden School District in Utah, which has a high chronic absence rate of 24.4 percent. Student surveys implemented by Panorama Education, an organization that supports schools and districts in collecting student data related to social and emotional learning, revealed that only 29 percent of students in grades 6–12 in the district felt connected to adults in school. In response, Ogden launched a campaign to monitor student attendance and SEL data as it relates to students’ self-efficacy and sense of belonging in school, using an early warn- ing system that allowed them to proactively respond to student concerns.160

In addition to strong, supportive relationships, a sense of belonging hinges on one’s ability to connect meaningfully with course material and learning experiences that are inclusive of one’s culture. America’s public school students, over half of whom are students of color, are being educated by a workforce that is predominantly White,161 through academic and social and emotional curricula that largely reflect White, middle-class values.162 The racial, ethnic, and linguistic diversity of Ameri- can students is growing,163 making it even more essential that curricula and programming affirm students’ cultural experiences and values. Dena Simmons, director of Education at the Yale Center for , suggests that in order to build learning environments that facilitate social and emotional learning for all students, we can start by inviting students to inform and critique social and emotional programming and curricula.

55 ANNEX 5: Best Practices for the Implementation of Social and Emotional Learning Initiatives

Across the increasingly vast and varied field of research on social and emotional learning, the below frameworks and concepts have been recognized as broadly applicable best practices for the implementation of social and emotional learning, and are frequently cited by researchers and practitioners interested in implementing effective social and emotional learning initiatives in their schools, districts, and programs. Each of these concepts and frameworks has contributed to an evolving body of best practices for the implementation of social and emotional learning programs. • The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, (CASEL) has created “competencies wheel” which identifies five core competencies that contribute to social and emotional learning. These include self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. CASEL recommends that these competencies be addressed within the classroom, the whole school, and within youths’ home/community life.165 Although the schema and nomenclature of social and emotional development is constantly evolving, this model remains a popular reference for school and youth development practitioners. • Intentionality* has been repeatedly identified by researchers and practitioners as one of the most critical practices that an SEL program can adopt. The groundbreaking 2010 and 2011 meta-analyses of social and emotional learning program efficacy completed by Joseph Durlak and his team at Loyola University Chicago both affirmed the effectiveness of the SAFE (Sequenced, Active, Focused, Explicit) methodology. Durlak hypothesized that programs that implemented such methodolo- gies would fare notably better than programs that did not, and indeed, both studies recorded statistically significantly greater effect sizes across a variety of domains for programs which used methodologies which met all SAFE criteria. This outcome illustrated the necessity for intentionality within social and emotional learning practice; the programs Durlak surveyed were different in many ways, from demographics to locale or even national setting, but this diversity was nowhere near as great a moderator on effect as their adherence to practices that were intentionally structured around a SAFE methodology.166 While one of the most oft-cited, Durlak is not alone in this recognition, and many other researchers have reported similar findings regarding the critical role of intentionality within SEL practice.167 • “Kernels of practice” are an emergent methodology in the SEL field. First proposed in 2017 by Harvard University’s EASEL Lab, this method recommends that teachers implement individual “kernels” of social and emotional learning best practice into their classrooms. Supplanting traditional comprehensive SEL programs, kernels of practice may prove useful for school districts that, due to staffing, funding, or demographic reasons, are unable to implement full-scale programs. While the utility of kernels is still under investigation, they may also prove to be a promising approach for youth development programs, including mentoring programs and out-of-school time (OST) programs, looking to support or reinforce social and emotional learning alongside their existing services and programming.168 • Social and emotional learning in out-of-school time (OST) contexts is a growing area of practice in and of itself. Researchers had previously acknowledged that social and emotional learning does not occur solely in the classroom;169 and out-of-school time and community-based programs have long seen students’ social and emotional development as a primary focus of their services, albeit, at times, described in other terms. However, recent years have seen a growing recognizance and advocacy for explicit OST social and emotional learning programs.170 Research on intentionality and kernels of practice both hold promise for OST programs, many of which are looking for opportunities to directly address social and emotional skill-building as a more central focus of their programming. Because many social and emotional curricula are not designed for OST contexts,171 kernels of practice offer a flexible solution that does not add significant burden on OST programs’ human or financial resources. • Another emergent front within the larger social and emotional learning movement relates to mentoring. Mentoring has long been considered a viable intervention for juvenile-justice outcomes. However it was not until relatively recently that researchers began exploring it from a social and emotional perspective. This research, which is explored in this guide, indicates that mentoring is a promising tool for achieving a wide variety of social and emotional outcomes.172 Consistently, research has shown that the strength of a students’ mentoring relationships affects their ability to achieve positive social and emotional outcomes. These findings suggest that existing mentoring programs would benefit from the incorporation of social and emotional learning practices into their work, and that schools and other youth-serving organizations can benefit from incorporating mentoring into their social and emotional learning curricula. • It has also been observed that due to its crucial role in childhood development, social and emotional learning may be a useful tool for the promotion of equity in school settings. It has been observed that social and emotional programming is a useful tool for teachers working with historically marginalized populations, as an effective means of promoting a supportive classroom culture and acknowledging and respecting cultural differences.173 Furthermore, meta-analysis reveals a significant positive effect by social and emotional learning programs and practices on general classroom atmosphere.174 More recently, CASEL has proposed that social and emotional programming be used as “a viable lever for justice-oriented civic/sociopolitical development trajectories,” and proposed the use of supplementary “equity elaborations” when using its five-part framework in the classroom.175 Likewise, the ASPEN Institute in May 2018 released a white paper detailing the utility of social and emotional programming in accomplishing equity-related goals.176

*Understood here as “the intentional implementation of programs and systems which explicitly support the social and emotional growth of youth.” 56 REFERENCES

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