What are we investigating and how are we doing it?
	What are the goals of the study?
	What are the pros and cons of joining the initiative?
	How can you get involved?

	How does match relationship quality vary across different mentoring programs (e.g., BBBSA, Mentoring USA, etc.) and different mentoring models (e.g., school-based, community-based, etc.)?
	What is the minimal level of match relationship quality that is necessary for youth to benefit from mentoring?
	How does match relationship quality promote outcomes such as academic achievement, improved self-esteem, etc.?

	Including traditionally studied programs such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as well as smaller programs that have not typically been included in rigorous research;
	Assessing match relationship quality at each program with the highly regarded instruments we developed expressly for that purpose;
	Administering surveys that measure changes in self-esteem, social connectedness, and outlook on the future; and
	Analyzing students' entire academic histories with a cutting-edge statistical method called growth modeling that shows how students' academic trajectory change as a result of mentoring.

	Generating a comprehensive inventory of the factors that influence match quality;
	Identifying the aspects of match quality that are most relevant to particular outcomes;
	Comparing match quality and outcomes across programs and approaches; and,
	Establishing minimum standards of match quality that can be applied across programs and approaches.

Here are some of the benefits and costs of participating in our national research:

	Participating in the national research can make programs more competitive for funding. Participating in a Harvard-affiliated study shows potential grantors that a program takes research seriously and that serious researchers believe it is worth investing immense amounts of time and energy to study it. Grantors prefer to fund programs that demonstrate that level of commitment to accountability.
	Participating in the research requires a major commitment. This research requires a greater commitment from participating programs than would be necessary for entry- or mid-level evaluations. Programs must be willing and able to partner fully with us, helping ensure that we can collect enough data and that the information we receive about matches is highly accurate. This type of research requires strong staff buy-in and a capable staff member who is willing to facilitate our work.
	Participating sites must be large enough to support the research. We will need to collect usable data on at least 50 matches from any program that participates in the national research. To make that possible, most sites will need to manage closer to 100 active matches.
	To participate in this research, most programs will need to apply for a grant. This type of rigorous academic research is expensive, but programs should experience little or no financial burden. Funding for the research, about $15,000 - $20,000 per site, typically comes from large federal, state, or private grants rather from the program itself. Frequently, funding for the research is included in a larger grant to support the matches we will study.
	Our research provides participating sites with proof of successes and insight on what helped produce them (and what did not). Our research will provide participating programs with abundant insight on how much youth benefited from their matches and how the program can repeat successes or address problems. Our investigation will assess match quality and outcomes related to academic achievement, self-esteem, social connectedness, and outlook on the future. Our reporting will satisfy any grant requirements, and we will also make sure that participating programs have what they need for their own purposes. We will seek to publish worthwhile findings in peer-reviewed journals and elsewhere.

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