Mentoring Programs

At Rockman et al Cooperative, we are dedicated to advancing the understanding of effective and equitable mentoring practices through independent research and evaluation. We evaluate a wide range of mentoring programs, such as industry internships for high school students, undergraduate research experiences, post-baccalaureate apprenticeships, and teacher professional development. Grounded in evidence-based methodologies, our work focuses on how programs support the personal growth, academic learning, and career aspirations of participants. As part of our approach, we work with our clients to explore the pedagogical frameworks that guide mentor-mentee relationships that are unique to their programs. In addition, we analyze skill development provided by mentor-mentee relationship, which may include specific knowledge and laboratory techniques, as well as leadership, collaboration, and problem-solving abilities. Furthermore, our evaluation findings are used to provide insights and feedback to help our partners and clients maximize their impact and better serve their communities. We invite you to learn more about our projects and how we are helping to enhance mentoring experiences across various contexts.. Contact Us to schedule a free 30-minute Q&A session with a consultant.

Selected Projects Include

  • Photo courtesy of Mael Balland on Pexels

    Bridgewater State University: SPARCnet

    The SPARCnet Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates in Biological Sciences (RaMP) program at Bridgewater State University is NSF-funded. This intellectually and geographically distributed network brings together a diverse group of scientists, educators, along with university, federal, state, and non-profit partners. The project seeks to understand how range-wide dynamics emerge from individual-level responses to environmental variation by focusing on terrestrial salamanders within the genus Plethodon. SPARCnet links researchers from more than a dozen universities and federal partner agencies to mentor ten mentees per year for each of three years. REA’s role is to study the impact of the SPARCnet RaMP research and mentoring model on both post-baccalaureates and mentors and to evaluate the extent to which the project is on track to meet its proposed deliverables and create inclusive and equitable learning environments for participants.

  • Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels.

    Northwestern University: ESTELE

    Northwestern University received an NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) for project ESTELE: Developing the Next Generation of NGSS Elementary Science Teacher Leaders. ESTELE is a practicum-based approach to train 3rd through 5th grade elementary Science Teacher Leaders (STLs) to support NGSS instruction in the Chicago Public School District. ESTELE provides STLs training on NGSS pedagogy, while developing teachers’ skills in leadership, collaboration, peer coaching, and the use of NGSS assessment tools as measures of student learning. As part of the year-long training, STLs mentor 3rd through 5th grade colleagues within their school buildings. Our evaluation focuses on measuring how the ESTELE program impacts science teaching instruction for STL mentors, mentee teachers, and the larger school community.

  • Photo courtesy of Tekla Sanders Program Manager for ProjecTEST

    Jackson State University: ProjecTEST

    The Toward Equity in STEM (ProjecTEST) program and initiative at Jackson State University (JSU) is a multi-year program designed to enhance the success of STEM students and faculty through innovative, continuous, and evidence-based assessment practices. ProjecTEST is funded by the National Science Foundation and led by JSU faculty, with a mission to improve the effectiveness of STEM education by offering professional development opportunities and new assessment tools that address cultural, social, and historical factors influencing student interest and engagement. The program’s goals include enhancing faculty implementation of evidence-based approaches, increasing student learning outcomes and sense of belonging, and supporting the dissemination of project findings to develop equitable assessments. Using participatory and culturally responsive evaluation approaches, REA is currently leading a formative and summative, mixed methods design study.

  • Photo courtesy of NeONBRAND on Unsplash via CC licensing.

    Biotech Partners

    Biotech Partners (BP) is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities for socio-economically and culturally diverse youth in the Bay Area to explore and participate in the biotechnology and bioscience fields. BP’s mission is to mentor underrepresented youth in STEM, and facilitate students’ personal, academic, and professional development experiences with personalized learning support through in-school instruction, laboratory-based instruction, and paid industry internships. Through NSF ITEST funding, we are studying program implementation and stakeholder impacts of BP’s industry internships. In particular, we are exploring the local context of cross-sector partnerships, and the roles and ways bioscience educators and business and industry workforce members motivate students from diverse underrepresented populations to become aware of, interested in, and prepared for careers in the STEM workforce.

  • Photo by Devin Avery on Unsplash

    Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County: UNLAB

    The Understanding Nature and Los Angeles Biodiversity (UNLAB) through museum collections and field-based research, is an NSF-funded Research and Mentoring for Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) program based at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC). Each year for three years, UNLAB supports mentored research apprenticeships for 8 to 12 post-baccalaureates, who are paired with curators to conduct research related to the impacts of urbanization on Los Angeles biodiversity, utilizing NHMLAC’s collections. Most program participants have not had prior research experience and bring lived experience to the work that has not been historically represented in museums or western science. REA has taken a participatory approach to the evaluation, inviting program participants and leaders to co-create instruments and help make meaning of findings through an iterative process.