Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

20 Exemplary Service-Learning Projects, Chicago Public Schools Service-Learning Initiative

Project Summaries

In 1998, Chicago Public Schools became the largest school district in the country to require that students do service to their community as a graduation requirement. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of students have provided millions of hours of service to Chicago's neighborhoods and communities.

Learn And Serve America Year (3 Progress Report For Period Of September 6,2008 - June 30, 2009), Learn And Serve America

Project Summaries

At the end of Year 3, there were a total of 1,748 economically disadvantaged youth beneficiaries and 502 college students who were served through the LSA supported activities as reported through our LASSIE data. These figures both exceed our annual targets. Our cumulative figures to date are as follows: Disadvantaged youth beneficiaries, Year 1: 1334 and Year 2: 1775 and Year 3: 1748 for a total of 4857.

"From Troubled Ground To Common Ground": The Locust Grove African- American Cemetery Restoration Project: A Case Study Of Service-Learning And Community History, Steven B. Burg

Project Summaries

This article chronicles a movement to restore Shippensburg, Pennsylvania's Locust Grove Cemetery, a historic African-American burial ground. The cemetery faced persistent troubles exacerbated by changing demographics in the surrounding neighborhood, its caretakers' limited resources, and the community's history of racial discrimination. Beginning in 2003, Shippensburg University applied history students assisted with research, grant writing, and interpretative materials. By 2005, a community coalition formed that built on the students' efforts, ultimately mobilizing the resources needed to finish the restoration. This case study illustrates the complex dynamics of a community preservation campaign and ways Public History programs can support such efforts.

Virginia Learn And Serve Evaluation: Evaluation Report, Rmc Research Corporation

Project Summaries

Virginia Learn and Serve, funded by the Corporation for National and Community Service, is intended to support efforts to involve young people in meaningful service to their communities, while simultaneously building their academic and civic skills. In 2003-2004, the Virginia Department of Education provided subgrants to 12 K-12 school-based service-learning programs. Priority was given to those programs that implemented high quality service-learning projects that support high academic standards, specifically Virginia's Standards of Learning.

Out Of The Classroom And Into The Community: Service Learning Reinforces Classroom Instruction, Roy Bonnette

Project Summaries

Technology students successfully developed four complete sets of house plans including floor plans, framing plans, and elevations. Because Habitat relies on donations of doors, windows, and cabinets, detail drawings and schedules vary and were not included. Unskilled persons who volunteered time and labor for Habitat needed concise and unambiguous directions from supervisors. The students' drawings of floor and elevation plans provided these workers with a clear and graphic representation of the construction goals. As noted above, students were held to professional and technical accountability. This process was put in place to replicate real-world practices and to give students a sense …

Assessing The Impact Of The Kids Consortium Kids Living Democracy And First Year Kidscan Programs: First Year Findings, Center For Youth And Communities

Project Summaries

KIDS Consortium is a New England based non-profit organization that works with teachers, administrators and students to involve students in addressing real challenges faced by their communities. It provides tools and training around its KIDS As Planners service-learning model for educators and community organizations, and conducts student Apprentice Citizenship leadership programs. Together teachers and students identify, research, and work to address local community needs. KIDS provides funding, guidance and training to teachers who match community projects to school curricula, with the ultimate goal of promoting positive outcomes for students, teachers, schools and communities.

Transportation Mural, Cesar Chavez Foundation

Project Summaries

10th-12th grade identified graffiti as one of the main problems in their community; in order to combat this in a creative way the students decided to paint a mural to discourage tagging. As a part of the Transportation Academy at Franklin High School their mural depicted a timeline of transportation in the American West—from walking, to horses, to trains, and finally the local Gold Line Metro rail. The students partnered with a local mural artist to create a vibrant and colorful mural. 100 students participated in the design and painting and so far the wall has remained graffiti-free.

Homelessness Service-Learning Project, Cesar Chavez Foundation

Project Summaries

11th grade U.S. history students determined that homelessness was a problem in their community. The project partner was the Los Angeles Mission, a multi-service homeless service center in Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles. The Mission was in great need of socks, underwear, and toiletries, so prior to volunteering at the Mission the students held a drive at school and collected more than 30 boxes full of these items. We hand-delivered the items on the day of our field trip to the Mission. Students and teachers spent 2.5 hours working in the morning doing tasks such as folding clothes, cleaning, …

7th Annual Cesar E. Chavez Walk, Cesar Chavez Foundation

Project Summaries

K-12 students throughout Los Angeles County learn about Cesar E. Chavez and the Farm Worker Movement through age appropriate in-class curricula, student activities, and video presentations. Students learn about the living and working conditions of migrant farm workers, the importance of agricultural, and current efforts to bring about changes in the lives of migrant farm workers. Students then plan school-based assemblies and events, including student-generated art, theater, spoken word, music etc. to educate the entire school about the contributions of Cesar E. Chavez and other important civil rights leaders and to get students involved in the 7th Annual Cesar E. …

Model Chavez Service-Learning Project, Cesar Chavez Foundation

Project Summaries

The Volunteer Center of Orange County and 4th grade teachers from Santa Ana, Newport and other parts of Orange County worked together to develop the “Educating the Heart” Cesar E. Chavez service-learning project. The “Educating the Heart” project is a multi-faceted service-learning experience that supports the Academic Curriculum and provides 4th grade students with a unique hands-on perspective of California History. This experience brings to life Cesar E. Chavez, his values, and his efforts to reform conditions for migrant farm workers in California. Using service as a vehicle for learning, students will also gain a sense of civic responsibility and …

Growing To Greatness: The State Of Service-Learning Project 2004 Executive Summary, National Youth Leadership

Project Summaries

This report is the first of a series of annual Growing to Greatness (G2G) reports by the National Youth Leadership Council. Inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words and life, G2G documents the capacity of all youths to be great - to serve, learn, and change the world. Growing evidence, shared by several disciplines and collected across a diverse range of settings, documents young people actively learning and making real differences in communities.

The Impact Of Service-Learning On Academic Outcomes: A Statewide Study Of Michigan Learn And Serve Grantees, Stephen Meyer

Project Summaries

Service-learning is a teaching strategy that involves students in service projects that are connected to the curriculum. Service-learning has its roots in the ideas of philosophers, such as Piaget and Dewey, who argued that students learn more when they are actively involved in their own learning and when learning has a distinct purpose (Anderson, Kinsley, Negroni, & Price, 1991; Conrad & Hedin, 1991; Kinsley, 1997). A body of evidence is building in support of the positive academic outcomes of service-learning (see Billig, 2000 for a review). However, the conclusions that can be drawn from many of these research studies are …

Wai'anae High School Service-Learning Study, Rmc Research Corporation

Project Summaries

Located on the leeward coast of the island of O, ahu, Wai' anae High School serves a rural community with the largest population of native Hawaiians in the world. The school also serves a high concentration of students from low-income families and students who receive special education services. The Hawaiian Studies Program (HSP) at Wai'anae High School is a school within a school that began in 1997 with 30 students. During the 2002-2003 school year, the program included 60 students in Grades 10 through 12. The program is open to all students and includes wide racial, ethnic, and academic diversity

Colorado Department Of Education Service-Learning: Evaluation Report, Rmc Research Corporation

Project Summaries

In 2001, the state of Colorado received three federal grants to provide service-learning opportunities for students. Service-Learning Colorado at the Colorado Department of Education, in turn, distributed funds to a total 27 grantees. There were three types of grantees: Community, Higher Education, School Partnership (CHESP), School- or District-Based grantees, and Community-Based grantees.

The Impact Of Service-Learning On Meap: A Large Scale Study Of Michigan Learn And Serve Grantees, Rmc Research Corporation

Project Summaries

Service-learning is a teaching strategy that involves students in service projects that are connected to the curriculum. Service-learning has its roots in the ideas of philosophers, such as Piaget and Dewey, who argued that students learn more when they are actively involved in their own learning and when learning has a distinct purpose (Anderson, Kinsley, Negroni, & Price, 1991; Conrad & Hedin, 1991; Kinsley, 1997). A body of evidence is building in support of the positive academic outcomes of service-learning (see Billig, 2000 for a review). However, the conclusions that can be drawn from many of these research studies are …

Service-Learning Leadership Development (Slld), Valerie Sorgen

Project Summaries

The Service-Learning Leadership Development (SLLD) program is a comprehensive professional development initiative, designed to increase the Service-learning leadership capacity in schools or districts that are committed to: (a) implementing school-wide or grade-wide service-learning, (b) developing new service-learning practice and policy, or (c) improving existing youth service programs to reflect high-quality service-learning practices.

The program is funded by the California Department of Education CalServe Initiatives, as part of a statewide effort to develop effective, replicable models of service-learning professional development (for more information see: http:/ /www.cde.ca.gov/calserve). The SLLD model developed by Youth Community Service, a non-profit based in Palo Alto, California, …

Cityworks Evaluation Summary, Joseph Kahne, Bernadette Chi, Ellen Middaugh

Project Summaries

This report summarizes findings from our study of the Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) CityWorks curriculum. This high school government curriculum was designed to respond to growing recognition of the need to promote commitments and capacities associated with civic engagement. Our data consists of pre/post surveys from CityWorks classes and control classrooms. We also observed classrooms and collected interview data through focus groups.

Outcomes In Research In Out-Of-School Time Program Design, Nancy Peter

Project Summaries

Overview
• "After-school programs keep children of all ages safe and out of trouble." (Safe and Smart)¹
• "Community-based youth development programs promote positive academic and social outcomes among teenagers."(Children's Aid Society) ²
• "Children who spend time in after-school programs are better behaved and more respectful toward others." (The After-School Corporation) ³
• "After-school programs have been shown to reduce the use of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol among adolescents. "(The After-School Corporation) ⁴
• "Quality youth development programs can cut crime immediately and transform this prime time for juvenile crime into hours of academic enrichment, wholesome fun and …

From 19th Century Social Reform To 21st Century School Improvement: A Community Service-Learning Quilting Project For Middle School Students, Irene S. Laroche, Leslie Kelly, Cindy Tuttle

Project Summaries

"From 19th Century Social Reform to 21st Century School Improvement" is an interdisciplinary teaching unit built around a community service learning quilting project. It is designed for use by middle schoolteachers who want to integrate lessons from United States history (19th Century social reform), English/ Language Arts (writing of school improvement plans), and mathematics (scale drawing and measurement in quilt design). The unit includes approximately two weeks of academic work; an additional period of time is needed in school or after school if students are going to sew their quilts.

The New Majority 2000, Cesar Chavez Foundation

Project Summaries

9th-12th grade students enrolled in a month-long Intersession class organized by members of their faculty and service-learning coaches from the Cesar E. Chavez Foundation. For three hours a day for four weeks, students learned about The New Majority 2000 and planned various community projects that would help address the needs of this new majority. They planned an assembly for the senior students at school where they were informed of important political issues such as the environment, military, the Patriot Act, gay marriage, and education and were given the opportunity to register to vote. The culminating project was a community focused …

Peace Crane Earring Project, Meg Clayton

Project Summaries

This service learning project was conducted with a group of seventeen sixth-graders during the 1998/99 school year. It evolved out of another service learning project, which several of these students had participated in the previous year. As with the best of learning experiences, it ballooned and carried both students and teacher in exciting new directions.

Strengthening And Supporting Service-Learning Objectives, Ins

Project Summaries

In the fall of 1994, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation gave a pilot grant to the Institute for Global Ethics to develop and demonstrate a methodology that incorporates a values-based orientation and reflection component into a selected number of service-learning programs across the country. A continuing two-year grant to expand the initiative got under way in December, 1996.

Connecting The Learning: 4-H Extension And Graduation Standards, Tamie Bremseth, Jan Hively, Jim Mitchell

Project Summaries

The 1998 Minnesota Graduation Rule defines what students should master during their school years. Going beyond paper-and-pencil tests, the rule requires students to demonstrate what they can do as well as what they know. As the rule has been developed, teachers and school districts have been scrambling to adjust their programs to address the individualized learning requirements that emphasize experiential, project-based learning.

Youth Act! For Human Rights, Youth Act! For Human Rights

Project Summaries

This pilot project, funded by The Ford Foundation, establishes Youth Act! For Human Rights initiatives in two locations (Washington, DC and Vancouver, W A), conducts social justice activism training for young people within these communities, challenges youth to put their newly learned human rights education into action, and provides a vehicle, via community advocacy summits, for them to showcase the results of their human rights activism.

Youth Act! For Human Rights presents a unique opportunity for young people to analyze and work to solve community problems from the root level. The comprehensive approach- through application of the human rights framework …

The Impact Of Integrating A Structured Ethical Reflection Program Into High School Service-Learning Experiences On Students' Socio-Moral Development (Executive Summary: Final Report), Ins

Project Summaries

This evaluation reports the effects on students' socio-moral development of the implementation of a program that integrates training in ethical decision making skills and service-learning programs. Because the program blends the development of ethical reasoning with service learning experiences for students, it represents a new direction for both service-learning and moral/ ethical/ character education.

Professional Digital Portfolios And Academic Community Learning (Service Learning), P. Elizabeth Pate

Project Summaries

Academic community learning is an educational experience characterized by:

a. active participation in an extended, thoughtfully organized learning experience that meets actual community and student needs;
b. collaboration among student, school, and community;
c. integration of community learning experiences into the student's academic curriculum;
d. provision of structured time for reflection and evaluation; and
e. enhancement of what is taught by extending student learning beyond the classroom and into the community (College of Education Academic Community Learning Taskforce, 1998).

Ollye B. Conley, The Academy For Science And Foreign Language, Education's Unsung Heroes

Project Summaries

The Alabama African American Historic Project has as its objective to research and document the history and culture of Huntsville, Alabama's 19th Century African Americans. This project originated from a question asked by students during a field study to Huntsville's historic Maple Hill Cemetery. While at the cemetery, students located graves of Civil War veterans and former governors of Alabama. Magnificent stories about their lives and outstanding contributions to the city were told. "Where were the African Americans?" was the question asked. This question evolved into Field Studies, Pictorial and Artifacts Exhibits, and Interdisciplinary Units.

Learning Adventures Middle School: Guidebook For Our Expedition Of December 1998, Learning Adventures Middle School

Project Summaries

This guide follows our expedition of December 1998, as we all worked together to make our floor reflect the values and beliefs of our program. Students created individual reports and research to help document this expedition. Portions of their writing appear here to describe our trees.

North Carolina K-12 School-Based Learn And Serve America Program, North Carolina State Board Of Education

Project Summaries

General Goal: To engage school-age youth in service-learning activities to help address the educational, public safety, human and environmental needs of North Carolina

Civic Works, Inc. The Environmental And Pal After School Mentoring Teams - Final Evaluation Report, Allison H. Fine, Jim Baird

Project Summaries

Civic Works is a youth service corps program based in Baltimore, Maryland. The program operates a number of activities in which teams of corps members perform community service work in urban neighborhoods. Several of its teams are funded by AmeriCorps. Civic Works commissioned Innovation Network, Inc. (InnoNet) to design and conduct participatory assessment activities with two of its AmeriCorps service teams: the Environmental Team and PAL After School Mentoring Team.