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Summer research opportunities for undergraduates, such as those supported by the National Science Foundation's Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, can be critical experiences that help persuade students to pursue research through graduate studies. Studies analyzing the key actions of successful mentors are scarce. The goal of this study was to explore how hypothesized ''key actions'' of mentors correlated with student perceptions of mentoring and of overall program quality, students' scholarly output resulting from the REU, and the influence of the REU on students' decisions to pursue graduate school. Students who participated in 11 REU programs at a large Midwestern US university in summer 2012 were surveyed in spring 2013 about their experiences in the program and with their primary research mentor. Results suggest that the key factors hypothesized to be associated with good mentoring correlated with students' ratings of their relationship with their mentor, students' overall program ratings, students' scholarly output resulting from the REU, and the influence of the REU on students' decisions to pursue graduate school. The six ''key actions'' hypothesized to be associated with good mentoring were significantly correlated with student experience in an REU program. Although none of the six actions is particularly complex, taking these actions is crucial and non-trivial. Prospective REU mentors could be informed about these key actions during mentor training activities. Future research could examine these six dimensions across postsecondary institutions and in mentoring relationships outside of REU programs.

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This chapter examines exemplary practices and challenges of recruiting and retaining women in information technology programs in an Iowa community college context.

The almost 10% increase in elementary school foreign language programs in the United States in the past 10 years has resulted in a serious shortage of professionally prepared teachers for these programs. This study investigates the impact of a national institute on effecting change in the number of colleges and universities that prepare elementary school foreign language teachers. The institute provides professional preparation in early language education to teacher educators throughout the nation. Results of survey instruments and telephone interviews with the teacher educator participants indicate that the number of sites that prepare teachers for the early level of instruction did increase and that the institute resulted in many additional positive benefits. The profession is encouraged to work together to address the foreign language teacher shortage at the elementary school level to avoid repeating the crisis of the 1950s and 1960s.