Q: A January TV segment on National Mentoring Month got me thinking: I'd like to mentor young people. So many teens don't seem to know how to set and achieve goals. I don't have "social worker" skills, but I've started businesses and know how to help people develop their talents. Are there programs where I can make a positive contribution?

A: You bet. Many national and local organizations will welcome your experience and skills. Your local high schools may partner with these groups because of the benefits to students.

"Teens tell us that adult role models are important," says Stephen Wallace, director of the Center for Adolescent Research and Education (CARE) at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa. "Studies clearly show that mentors can inspire a teen's educational achievement, shape careers, influence social and emotional well-being, and promote health and safety.

"Mentoring can improve relationships with parents and peers, reduce initiation of drug and alcohol use, and decrease incidents of youth violence," he adds. "The Search Institute finds that young people need at least three nonparent adult mentors in their lives to reach their full potential."

Before you jump in, ask yourself two questions, Wallace suggests.

One, how much time can you commit? "Effective mentoring requires getting to know your mentee and developing trust," says Wallace. "Good mentoring relationships often take a year to evolve."

If you don't have a lot of time, you can still support a youth mentoring organization through special events, strategic advice or fundraising.

Two, are you more effective as an informal or a formal mentor? "A formal mentor is part of an established program and abides by its guidelines," says Wallace. "Informal mentoring often evolves from friendships or situations where an adult sees an opportunity to help."

For example, high school guidance counselors often call on committed volunteers to informally coach first-generation college applicants through the complicated college search and applications process.

Others join formal mentoring programs, such as training to coach for Girls Inc. or for One Million Degrees, a Chicago organization that guides low-income, highly motivated community college students.

Chip Block, a retired Florida entrepreneur, has been both types. He is currently a formal mentor for Young Entrepreneurs Academy (yeausa.org). "Most programs have a structure," he says. "You have to decide if you can be effective within it."

There are many excellent programs looking for qualified adults with good sense and a good heart to volunteer, says Wallace.

They range from Oregon's ASPIRE (Access to Student Assistance Programs In Reach of Everyone), a program that matches adult mentors with students to develop their education goals beyond high school, to the Million Women Mentors (MWM) initiative, whose goal is to engage one million science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) mentors -- male and female -- to increase the interest of girls and young women in pursuing STEM degrees.

To find a mentoring program that's right for you, do a local search of school, college, community, business, service and faith-based organizations. Talk to volunteers involved with the programs to see if their roles appeal to you. For more information, go to serve.gov and mentoring.org.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: Our district cut arts programs during the recession. A parent group wants to get them restored. Our parent-teacher organization will pay for a teacher's salary, but the principal says that the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) teacher training is a higher priority. How can we make the case? Arts can put joy in learning for many kids.

A: Integrating the arts into instruction can put the joy back in teaching, too. The arts and the CCSS are not mutually exclusive.

David Coleman, architect of the CCSS and president of education nonprofit the College Board, says, "The great news is that the (Common Core) standards call on so many things the arts do well. The tradition of careful observation, attention to evidence and artists' choices, the love of taking an artist's work seriously lies at the heart of these standards."

Many educators are delighted that schools are incorporating arts into CCSS training. For example, arts integration specialist Susan Riley shows teachers how to change STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) instruction to STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) through workshops and CCSS-aligned projects at educationcloset.com.

While it's wonderful that the PTO is stepping up, "The best way to get the arts back is to be proactive, strategic and build a constituency willing to spend the financial and political capital to keep an arts program alive over time," says Nancy Roucher, a Florida art educator who helped build the volunteer Sarasota Community/Schools Partnership for the Arts. Created in 1996, the alliance is now a national model.

To bring the arts back to stay, Roucher suggests:

-- Research ways the arts benefit students, such as developing cognitive skills that lead to mastery of other core subjects. The Arts Education Partnership is a good place to start (aep-arts.org).

-- Share that research in plain language with parents, policymakers, curriculum specialists, business and civic leaders. Discuss why arts skills are important to your community and workforce. Interview professionals who use the arts in their careers.

-- Choose a small, dedicated advisory group to take your plan forward.

-- Meet with curriculum experts to discuss what you want children to know and be able to do in the arts upon graduation, and show how these goals correlate to the CCSS.

-- Build momentum with a communications campaign. "We used everything from slides in movie theaters, to kids' posters in stores, arts teachers talking to civic groups, and an administrator who spoke about how learning the violin was as important for him as playing on the football team," says Roucher. Make social media a key component.

-- Don't rest on your laurels. "You have new boards and constituencies to convince each year," says Roucher. "Take a cue from the athletic department. Generate excitement by giving awards and showcasing student talent. Maintain your focus to retain your hard-won gains."

-- Include arts in afterschool and summer programs. Encourage parents to enjoy arts-related activities with children. Promote visits to museums, theaters, libraries, galleries and art performances. When buying for kids, consider gifts such as art supplies as well as play, dance or concert tickets.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)

Q: We're looking at schools to enroll our 5-year-old in kindergarten. One school we like "loops" students. The kids have the same teacher for two years. The school has good test scores and a high GreatSchools rating. What are the downsides?

A: When looping works, there's a lot to love. Also known as teacher rotation, two-cycle teaching or multiyear placement, looping moves a teacher along with his or her class to the next grade for a year or more.

Looping isn't widespread, but research shows benefits: Instructional time is saved during the second year because the teacher doesn't have to learn each child's personality and proficiencies. Kids already know the teacher's rules and style. Parents understand the expectations.

"The first day back at school is really the 181st day of school for a multiyear class. You get right down to business," says Pam Bierly, a respected Oregon educator who "looped" with students for much of her career.

Bierly explains why looping can help kids come out ahead.

One, teachers get to use their knowledge of each child over a longer period. "It takes months to learn enough about students to get the best from them," Bierly says. "To know their family, friends, how much they can be pushed, when to say, 'Please sit down' because they're not really sick, and when to send them to the nurse."

Two, teacher, students and parents build stronger relationships. "Parents are often more engaged the second year," says Bierly, "and you use what you know to accelerate kids' learning. At the start of the second year, I could tell Jennifer, 'Your mom expects more.'"

Three, you give kids the gift of time. "Looping is a godsend for late boomers and shy kids," says Bierly. "It takes time for children to trust their teachers and not be afraid to make mistakes, take chances, ask for help. This is especially true for at-risk kids with rocky home lives."

Four, it provides flexibility. Teachers can make decisions knowing they can reteach a concept the following year. "You already know you can give Bradley a needed refresher on his math facts," says Bierly.

Parents typically have three worries about looping, says Bierly. What if there's a teacher/child conflict? What if the class is packed with special-needs kids? What if there is a bad teacher?

"Principals handle personality conflicts the same way they would in a traditional model, by changing a child's class placement," says Bierly. As for class composition, she says, "All principals or teacher committees take special care to create classes that aren't overloaded with too many challenging students."

As for poor teachers, there's evidence that educators who volunteer to teach in looped classrooms are often among the district's top performers. They like a challenge and the benefits to kids. "It would be horrible if a class were stuck with a bad teacher for two years, but with new teacher rating systems and more poor teachers being counseled out, principals and parents have an obligation to make sure that doesn't happen," says Bierly.

(Do you have a question about your child's education? Email it to Leanna@aplusadvice.com. Leanna Landsmann is an education writer who began her career as a classroom teacher. She has served on education commissions, visited classrooms in 49 states to observe best practices, and founded Principal for a Day in New York City.)