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education folderbeyond the classroomtesting

Infobank: Education Folder: Beyond the Classroom File

Key questions       Programs       Story Contacts       Experts
Background       References       Related Coverage


Key Questions
How can adult women work with girls to strengthen their sense of self and leadership potential?

How do relationships outside the classroom impact school and life success?

How can watching more TV after school create critical thinking skills?

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Programs ("CFN contact" indicates people who have already been contacted by CFN and have agreed to speak with the press.)

Career and Life United in Boston (CLUB)
Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD)
Patricia Hilliard, Director
178 Tremont St.
Boston, MA 02111
(617) 357-6000 X512
Strives to increase positive self-sufficiency of African American and Latino young men.

Bell After- School Instructional Curriculum (BASICs)
The Bell Foundation
Earl Martin Phalen, Director
100 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02138
Aims to increase educational and life opportunities and achievements of urban youth.

Exploring the Leader Within
Center for Ventures in Girls' Education
(CFN contact) Joann Stemmerman, Executive Director
Wellesley, MA 02181
781-237-3358

City Links
(CFN contact) Sandra Canas, Director
Cambridge Community Services
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 876-5214
Introduces bilingual students to careers in public sector by placing them in internships.

Norwalk Mentor Program
(203) 854-4011
School-based program that pairs mentors with disadvantaged youth from grades K-12. It is both the oldest and the largest school-based mentor program in America.

The Youth Voice Collaborative
C/O of YMCA Boston
(CFN contact) Ann Manubay, Coordinator
140 Clarendon St.
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 351-7644
yvc@yvc.org
http://www.yvc.org

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Story contacts (The following is a list of people who have already been contacted by CFN and have agreed to speak with the press.)

Sandra Canas
Program Director
City Links
Cambridge community Service
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139

Susanna Barry
Mentor, City Links
Cambridge community Service
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 627-2078

Jenny Andre
Program Participant, City Links
Cambridge community Service
99 Bishop Allen Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617)494-8983

Katrina Smith
Seventh-grade student participant in the program Exploring the Leader Within.
Contact is to be through CFN.
Nancy Martland
Director
(617) 627-5314

Marybeth Kalafatas
Junior League muse in Exploring the Leader Within program
617-627-3487

Mary Lue Emmerson
Program Coordinator, Center for Ventures in Girls' Education
781-237-3358

Ann Manubay, Coordinator
The Youth Voice Collaborative
C/0 YWCA Boston
140 Clarendon Street, Boston, MA 02116
617-351-7644
email: yvc@yvc.org

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Experts (The following is a list of people who have already been contacted by CFN and have agreed to speak with the press.)

Lyn Mikel Brown, EdD
Co-chair, Education and Human Development
Colby College
4190 Mayflower Hill
Waterville, ME 04901
207-872-3195
Email: lmbrown@colby.edu
Dr. Brown specializes in child and adolescent development and education with a focus on girls.

Joann Stemmerman
Harvard Graduate School of Education and Center for Ventures in Girls' Education
781-237-3358
Dr. Stemmerman is a specialist in girls' psychology and development and in outdoor and experiential education

Jessica Simon
National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth
P.O. Box 13505
Silver Spring, MD 20911-3505
(301) 608-8098
http://www.ncfy.com

Gail Nayowith
Executive Director of the Citizens Committee for Children of New York, Inc.
105 East 22nd St.
New York, NY 10010
(212) 673-1800
http://www.kfny.org

Lisa R. Jackson, PhD
School of Education
Boston College
Campion Hall
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
(617) 552-2482
lisa.jackson@bc.edu
Dr. Jackson has a strong background in psychology; she is presently studying theories of the self at Boston College.

Ann Vernon
Professor of Education
University of Northern Iowa
1227 West 2nd St.
Cedar Falls, IA 50614
News Phone: (319) 273-2761
Office Phone: (319) 273-2226
Ann.vernon@uni.edu

Barney Brawer
Tufts University
177 College Avenue
Medford, MA 02155
(617) 627-5317

Renee Hobbs, PhD
Professor of Communications, Babson College and Clark University
781-239-4975
email: ReneeHobbs@aol.com
Dr. Hobbs is an expert in media education for grades K-12

Julie Dobrow, PhD
Professor of Child Development
Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University
105 College Avenue
Medford, MA 02155
617-627-3355

Dr. Susan Weinberger, President
Mentor Consulting Group
3 Inwood Road
Norwalk, CT 06850-1017
telephone: 203-846-2244
fax:203-846-9608
sgweinbrgr@aol.com

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Background (The following is a compilation of research, statistics, and clinical data.)

Mentoring:
The Quantum Opportunities Program (1989-1991), funded by the Ford Foundation, showed that high school students from families receiving public assistance who had a mentor were more likely than those who did not to:
  • Graduate from high school
  • Enroll in college
  • Less likely to received food stamps and welfare
  • Become involved in the community
(Contact: One to One/National Mentoring Partnership, 2801 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202-338-3844.)

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America 1995 Impact Study showed that young people with mentors were:
  • 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
  • 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
  • 53% less likely to skip school
  • 37% less likely to skip a class
  • 33% less likely to hit someone, than children in the research control groups
(Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America. 230 North 13th St. Philadelphia, PA 19107. (212) 576-7000. National@bbbsa.org. http://www.bbbsa.org.)

In a 1989 Louis Harris Poll:
  • 73% of students said their mentors helped raise their goals and expectations.
  • 59% of mentored students improved their grades (Contact: One to One/National Mentoring Partnership, 2801 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202-338-3844.)

    Evaluation found that Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring had a significant positive effect on youths ages 10-16 yrs. Over the 18-mo follow-up period, 571 youths participating in Big Brothers Big Sister Programs were significantly less likely to have started using illegal drugs or alcohol, hit someone, or skipped school than 567 controls. They were also more confident about their school performance and got along better with their families. (Grossman, J. B. & Tierney, J. P. (Jun 1998). Does mentoring work? An impact study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Evaluation Review, 22(3) 403-426.)

    Mentoring as an intervention for at-risk teens is very popular despite scant evidence of its effectiveness. Research on 4-yr mentoring project developed specifically for African-American adolescents shows that no significant differences were found between the control and intervention groups in terms of self-esteem, attitudes toward drugs and alcohol, grades, school attendance, and disciplinary problems. (Royse, David. (1998). Mentoring high-risk minority youth: Evaluation of the Brothers project. Adolescence, 33(129)145-158.)

    Study of volunteer mentorship programs intended to support literacy in early elementary grades shows that the children in the program enjoyed reading and learning to read with the support of their mentors. The children's pride in their work with their mentors spilled over into increased confidence and participation in classroom activities. Results indicate that such programs are a promising direction for further development and research work. (Ellis, J., Small-McGinley, J., & Hart, S. (Sum, 1998). Mentor-supported literacy development in elementary schools. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 44(2) 149-162.)

    Media Literacy:

    Children in America spend more time watching television than attending school (Bushman, B.J. (1995) Moderating role of trait aggressiveness in the effects of violent media on aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol 69, no 3, pp950-960)

    On average, children ages 2-17 spend 2.1 hours per day watching television, more than any other activity than sleeping. (Television in the Home: The 1997 Survey of Parents and Children. The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania http://www.appcpenn.org

    54% of US children have a television set in their bedrooms (National Television Violence Study. Studio City: Mediascope, Inc. 1996 http://www.mediascope.org)

    A study of the effects of media literacy training on third graders' perceptions of alcohol advertising suggests that such training can have both immediate and delayed effects on children's use of TV portrayals of alcohol use to make decisions about alcohol. (Austin, Erica & Johnson, K.K. (1997) Immediate and delayed effects of media literacy training on third graders' decision-making for alcohol. Health Communication, vol 9 no 4, pp 323-349)

    The average child watches 20,000 commercials each year. (American Psychological Association, (1992) Myths and facts about television viewing in America http://www.apa.org

    A study of female high school sophomores showed that students who participated in a media literacy curriculum reported less internalization of the thin beauty standard and lower perceived realism of media images than those who did not participate in the curriculum. (Irving, Lori et al (1998) A media literacy program for high school females. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention vol 6, no 2, pp 119-132.

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    References
    Ellis, J., Small-McGinley, J., & Hart, S. (Sum, 1998). Mentor-supported literacy development in elementary schools. Alberta Journal of Educational Research, 44(2) 149-162.

    Gilligan, Carol (1982) In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women's Development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press

    Girls Incorporated
    A national non-profit organization that has provided informal educational programs for girls encouraging them to master intellectual, emotional and physical challenges for 52 years.
    http://www.girlsinc.org

    Girl Power
    A web site sponsored by the US Department of Health and Human Services to encourage and empower 9-14 year old girls to make the most of their lives.
    http://www.health.org/gpower

    Grossman, J. B. & Tierney, J. P. (Jun 1998). Does mentoring work? An impact study of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Evaluation Review, 22(3) 403-426.

    Henry, L.B., Roberts, W., Glendinning, A. (1992). Adolescents' perceptions of significant individuals in their lives. Journal of Adolescents, 15, 255-270.

    LoSciuto, Leonard et al (1996) An outcome evaluation of Across Ages: An intergenerational mentoring approach to drug prevention. Journal of Adolescent Research, vol 11, no 1, January, 1996. Pp116-129.

    National Mentoring Partnership. 1400 I Streeet, NW, Suite 850. Washington DC 20005. (202) 729-4345. http://www.mentoring.org
    A national mentoring website with general information on mentoring, recent stories, research and experts.

    One to One/National Mentoring Partnership, 2801 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007, 202-338-3844

    Philip, K., Hendry, L.B. (1996). Young people and mentoring--towards a typology? Journal of Adolescence, 19 pg. 189. "Young People experiencing important life evens value mentoring relationships to guide them from adolescence to adulthood."

    Pipher, Mary (1994) Reviving Ophelia. New York: Putnam

    Royse, David. (1998). Mentoring high-risk minority youth: Evaluation of the Brothers project. Adolescence, 33(129)145-158

    Stein, K.F., Roeser, R., Markus, H.R. (1998). Self-schemas and possible selves as predictors and outcomes of risky behaviors n adolescents. Nursing Research 47, 96-106.

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    Related coverage
    Goldberg, C. (April 23, 1998). After girls get the attention, focus shifts to boy's woes. The New York Times.

    Lewin, T. (March 12, 1998). All-girls schools questioned as a way to attain equity. The New York Times

    Bumiller, E. (November 9, 1997) From Carol Gilligan's Chair. The New York Times, pg.50.

    Daley, B. (March 2, 1998) preparing girls to be leaders: Programs help participants gain the confidence and self-esteem to speak up. Boston Globe. P. D12.

    Koziol, N (June 20, 1997) Mentors give students a big push in the right direction. Chicago Tribune, Education Today Section, p. 17.

    Pains of growing up, in girl's voice or a boy's. (April, 24, 1998). The New York Times.

    Redmond, SP. (Nov-Dec. 1990) Mentoring and cultural diversity in academic settings. American Behavioral Scientist . 188-200.

    Rodriquez, G., Enid, Y. (Summer 1995). Mentoring to diversity: A multicultural approach. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education. 69-77.

    Beckham, Laura (August 19, 1996) Teen Rap: Assignment Politics: Youth press corps gets an inside look at the GOP Convention. The Boston Herald.

    Farhi, Paul (June 21, 1995) Turning the Tables on TV violence: Media Literacy Earns Praise, Critics on Helping Children Cope With What They See. The Washington Post, p F1.

    Knight-Ridder (May 25, 1996) A,B,C,'s of Media Literacy: Kids becoming active viewers. The Arizona Republic, pA39

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