This introductory article in a special issue on mentoring as a means to prevent school failure looks at the beginnings of mentoring in the United States, recent growth of mentoring programs, similarities and differences in mentoring programs, sources of funding for mentoring programs, what works and what does not, and the future of mentoring…

A professor of special education specializing in students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) reviews her career from 1966 to the present noting the influence of the literature, authorities, and Public Law 94-142. Changes during this time identified include more effective interventions and increasing danger from student weapons. She urges…