ScienceDaily (Nov. 5, 2009) — Two findings from a new national study reveal the power of mentors, particularly those in the teaching profession:

  • For all teen students, having an adult mentor meant a 50 percent greater likelihood of attending college.
  • For disadvantaged students, mentorship by a teacher nearly doubled the odds of attending college.

"Potential is sometimes squashed by the social environment, and the data show that mentors can overcome those forces," said Lance Erickson, a sociology professor at Brigham Young University and the study’s lead author.

The research will appear next week in the academic journal Sociology of Education. Study coauthor Steve McDonald, a sociologist at North Carolina State University, notes a harsh paradox evident in the numbers.

"Youth who are most likely to need mentors are least likely to have them," McDonald said.

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