Online mentoring or online tutoring takes many forms, everything from one youth matched with one mentor, to a group of students in one classroom matched with a group of mentors from one company for a specific curriculum-based activity. It can be a program of just a few weeks or one that lasts an entire school year. It may mean an online volunteer sending one or two e-mails a week, or spending several hours a week reviewing a student's project for class. It can be school-based and curriculum-focused, or conducted through a nonprofit organization that serves young people.

Below is an index of selected organizations and online mentoring/teletutoring projects and materials, as well as general mentoring resources, that we feel could be helpful to an organization exploring the idea of online mentoring or teletutoring.

• Electronic Emissary Project
  A very successful and well-documented national telementoring program, online since February 1993, based at the University of Texas at Austin. The Emissary helps teachers with access to electronic mail locate experts in different disciplines, for purposes of setting up curriculum-based, electronic exchanges among teachers, their students and the volunteer experts. This site includes sample project descriptions, summaries of past Emissary activities, and numerous research papers on the Emissary Project.

• Telementor.org
  "The International Telementor Program (ITP) facilitates electronic mentoring relationships between professional adults and students worldwide, and is recognized as the leader in the field of academic based mentoring. Since 1995 over 15,000 students throughout nine countries have received support, encouragement, and professional guidance. ITP serves students in K-12 and home school environments as well as college and university settings."

• Guidelines for School Officials, Volunteers and Mentors Participating in Public School Community Partnerships
  Includes an excellent document offering guidelines for partnerships involving public schools and faith-based communities.

• Peer Centered
  An ongoing online forum for and about writing tutoring, produced by Salt Lake City Community College. Primarily conducted in real time "chat" programs. Includes transcripts of previous online gatherings, links to Web resources and online discussion groups about writing tutoring and writing centers in general, and links to other means to contact writing center people and tutors.

• Intercultural E-Mail Classroom Connections
  At last count, more than 7650 teachers in 82 countries were participating in one or more of the IECC e-mail discussion groups. These online groups are for specific audiences and topics, such as for teachers and "50+ volunteers" seeking intergenerational exchanges, and teachers in different grade levels seeking partner classrooms for international and cross-cultural electronic mail exchanges. Includes an archive of selected posts, that serve as a kind of FAQ (frequently asked questions and their answers) file. Sponsored by St. Olaf College in Minnesota.

• "YES, YOU CAN: A Guide for Establishing Mentoring Programs to Prepare Youth for College"
  Offers practical information that employers, college students, senior citizens, community-based organizations, & others can use to create & run mentoring programs. The guide supports 3 Department initiatives: "America Counts,", which aims to help all students master the fundamentals of algebra & geometry by the 8th grade; "GEAR UP," which is designed to encourage more young people to have high expectations, stay in school, study hard, & go to college; and "Think College," which provides information on educational opportunities beyond high school for learners of all ages. Includes tips & suggestions on:

  • program planning,
  • assessing needs & potential resources,
  • developing program goals & objectives,
  • recruiting & selecting mentors,
  • training mentors & matching them with students,
  • working with parents,
  • keeping mentors in the program
  • evaluating the program
  • profiles of 11 mentoring programs
  • a checklist for mentoring programs
  • a list of national organizations involved in mentoring.

• National Mentoring Partnership
  An advocate for the expansion of mentoring, and an outstanding resource for mentors and mentoring initiatives nationwide. Its Web site includes an online diagnostic to help organizations identify areas for improvement in mentor programs, a list of products and technical experts to help with mentoring programs, a list of mentoring programs across the U.S., and links to a variety of evaluation studies and mentoring advice.

• Mentoring Myths and Tips
  By Nancy Henry, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, for the National Service Resource Center (NSRC), a training and technical assistance provider to programs funded by the Corporation for National Service.

• Telementoring Young Women in Science, Engineering, and Computing
  This was a three-year project of EDC/Center for Children & Technology and was funded by the National Science Foundation, Directorate of Education and Human Resources. This project has been discontinued, but the Web site is still up and includes extensive online resources for both mentors and teachers.

• Scientopia
  An online community consisting of students, mentors, and advocates who are interested in actively discussing issues in education, research, careers, and news developments with a special emphasis on the sciences and disability; the Math Mania Contest; Science Serendipity Contest; and Student Cyberfairs.