Provides practical information for youth-serving organizations that want to implement new school-based mentoring programs or strengthen existing ones. While school-based programs have several advantages over community-based programs, including the ability to recruit greater numbers of volunteers and address the needs of children who are most at risk, they often are limited in the range of new experiences that mentors can provide to youth. Youth-serving organizations get basic information about: (1) building partnerships with schools, including demonstrating how the program will achieve existing educational objectives, getting buy-in from key school-related groups, and ensuring that there is a shared understanding of a mentor’s role; (2) establishing the program’s goals and scope, including defining the roles and responsibilities of program staff, teachers, and the school principal and addressing legal and liability issues; (3) setting up procedures for recruiting, screening, and matching mentors; (4) orienting and training mentors; (5) monitoring mentors and providing ongoing training and support; and (6) ensuring that the program and mentors make up a positive presence in the school, including recognizing the school’s culture, policies, and procedures and resolving problems as soon as they arise. Effective school-based mentoring programs can complement the experiences offered by more intensive community-based programs.
