A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

"People who grew up in difficult circumstances and yet are successful have one thing in common...at a critical junction in their early adolescence they had a positive relationship with a caring adult."

-President Clinton

A Message from the Secretary

For young people to get--and stay--on the right track, they have to have hope and real options for success. Increasingly, being able to go on to some education beyond high school--at a two-year community college, or a four-year college or university--is a source of hope for students and their families. However, while surveys have found that more than 90 percent of secondary school students and their parents aspire to college, many young people and their families do not prepare for college academically or financially early enough to be successful.

Mentors can help teenagers stay away from trouble and prepare for going to college. Research shows that among high- and low-income students, those students who take challenging mathematics and science courses are much more likely to go to college. Yet low-income students are much less likely to take these courses. These students may also face many other obstacles on the road to college, including a lack of information about different college programs and the availability of financial aid. A mentor may be the person who makes the difference--by providing a role model for positive behaviors, like studying hard and staying away from trouble, by helping with academic work, by encouraging the student to take the right college-preparatory courses, or by providing extra moral support and encouragement--in short, by saying "Yes, you can do it--you can achieve your dream and go to college."

This book is intended as a guide for employers, community-based organizations, college students, senior citizens, or others who are interested in starting a mentoring program. In addition to practical information about starting and operating a program, interspersed throughout you will find examples of successful programs, as well as resources to call upon for more information and support. In many cases the experiences of these groups and organizations may be your most helpful resource.

Although mentoring alone cannot remove all of the obstacles that many of our neediest youth face, it can be an extraordinarily important part of the solution. So I say to you, yes--you can make a difference, by starting a mentoring program in your school or community. This book will show you how.

Sincerely, Richard W. Riley U.S. Secretary of Education

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[Yes, You Can]

[Some Questions and Answers About Mentoring Programs]