ABSTRACT
An estimated 2.5 million American youth have an adult volunteer involved in their lives-a number that is rising rapidly. Despite the current popularity of mentoring, important questions about its effectiveness remain unresolved. In this chapter, we outline current knowledge about mentoring relationships, including a synthesis of our own and others’ research on the topic. Many of our findings on mentoring are based on secondary analysis of data from the national evaluation of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (Grossman & Tierney, 1998). We also draw on conclusions from a recent qualitative study of mentoring (Spencer, 2002). In synthesizing these findings, we intend to bring both complexity and words of caution to discussions about the role of mentoring programs in after-school lives of youth.
