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The current study examined the role of natural mentoring relationships in the academic performance of urban, diverse, Latino high school students. Participants reported up to three mentors in their lives, and they were asked about their mentors' demographic characteristics and the characteristics of their mentoring relationships. The presence of a mentor was associated with fewer absences, higher educational expectations, and greater expectancies for success and sense of school belonging. Further, the number of reported mentors predicted fewer absences, higher educational expectations and a greater sense of school belonging. Mentors' educational level, frequency of contact, relationship duration, and total form of support provided by mentors were related to participants' academic outcomes. Mentor type also made a difference in youth's academic outcomes. Implications for future mentoring research and programs are discussed. C

The aim of the current study was to examine the role of familial and economic context in the decisions and behaviors of low-income, urban Latinos during the transition from high school. Thirty-two Latino emerging adults who graduated from a public high school participated in one-on-one in-depth interviews about their transition. Participants discussed family obligation attitudes as a central theme in the decisions they made about life after high school and in the multiple responsibilities they assumed during this period. Furthermore, financial circumstances played a role in whether they worked and/or attended college and in their multiple responsibilities. Participants discussed familial and financial responsibilities on top of school and/or work responsibilities. Another theme discussed by participants was the transition as a stressful period. Implications and future directions in research on emerging adulthood are discussed.

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The purpose of the current study was to examine the roles of acculturation, economic value of education, and gender in the academic achievement of Latino adolescents. Participants (N = 143) were 12th-grade students at an urban public high school. Analyses revealed that a higher economic value of education was related to higher academic achievement. In addition, female participants reported higher levels of economic value of education and had higher grade point averages (GPAs) than male participants. Significant associations were found among aspects of acculturation and academic achievement. Gender differences were also found on acculturation variables. Language preference, an acculturation variable, and economic value of education were found to explain why girls had higher GPAs than boys. This study's findings shed light on factors that contribute to Latinos' educational performance. Future directions and implications are discussed.