Making the Transition to Middle School Fact Sheet

Description of Resource:

This fact sheet, created by the U.S. Department of Education’s Mentoring Resource Center, offers recommendations to mentoring practitioners and mentors themselves for engaging mentees in school-based mentoring programs, and suggests strategies for maintaining mentoring relationships during mentees’ transition from elementary to middle school. It highlights developmental considerations for early adolescence that can inform mentoring approaches as well as different options for program models that support students during this transition. Finally, this resource offers specific tips and tools for mentors of students in this age range, and a list of additional resources for mentors and program staff.

Goals:

To educate mentors and program staff about the needs of students as they transition from elementary to middle school.

Target Population/Eligibility of Target Sites:

School-based mentoring program staff and/or mentors, serving students transitioning from elementary to middle school.

Corresponding Elements of Effective Practice:

Training, Monitoring and Support, Closure

Key Personnel:

N/A

Additional Information:

Additional research on school-based mentoring has been published since the development of this resource. Three large scale studies of the effectiveness of school-based mentoring programs are reviewed and summarized by Wheeler et al. (2010). Please also note that several of the web links included in the fact sheet are no longer active.

This publication was funded by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools at the U.S. Department of Education under contract number ED04CO0091/0001 with EMT Associates, Inc. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. See page 10 of this resource for more information about its publication.

Resource Name:

Making the Transition to Middle School Fact Sheet

Publisher/Source:

U.S. Department of Education Mentoring Resource Center

Author:

U.S. Department of Education Mentoring Resource Center

Date of Publication:

September 2008

Resource Type:

Program Management Resources

Evaluation Methodology:

Resource has not been evaluated for effectiveness

Evaluation Outcomes:

Resource has not been evaluated for effectiveness

Evaluation Validity:

Resource has not been evaluated for effectiveness

Accessing and Using this Resource:

This resource can be accessed freely online in PDF form, at: http://educationnorthwest.org/sites/default/files/making-the-transition-to-middle-school.pdf

References:

Evidence Base: N/A

Additional References: N/A