Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Philadelphia Story: A Guide To Service-Learning System Building, Kenny Holdsman, David Tuchmann

Guides

In June 1998, the Board of Education of the School District of Philadelphia passed a resolution mandating that all students demonstrate citizenship competencies by completing a service-learning project for promotion to grades 5 and 9 and for high school graduation. This resolution, part of Children Achieving–– Philadelphia’s education reform plan––launched an initiative supporting service-learning practice on an unprecedented scale for one school district.

Four years later, the District had formed partnerships with over 250 community agencies, trained 2,400 teachers in the philosophy and methodology of service-learning, and leveraged approximately $20 million per year in financial and in-kind resources to support …

Journal- Based Reflection In Undergraduate Service Learning And The University Therapeutic Riding Center, A. A. Pyle, H. A. Brady, D. E. Lawver, C. L. Akers, N. T. Cepica

Evaluation/Reflection

Principles of Therapeutic Riding, Animal Science 3309, is a service- based learning course that gives undergraduates the opportunity to participate in hippotherapy sessions. This course first offered in 1998, has been held for 12 semesters. A total of 233 students from over 15 majors have been trained in this discipline. Advanced Therapeutic Riding, Animal Science 4001, is a continuation of the Principles class that allows students to participate in the sessions and serve in leadership roles. This class has been active for 8 semesters and has included 51 students.

Perceived Effects Of A Correctional Health Education Service-Learning Program, John Amtmann

Higher Education

The Montana State Prison (MSP) Wellness Program was designed to provide educational and service activities to male inmates for the purpose of improving health status and increasing knowledge on significant health issues relevant to contemporary society. The Applied Health students at Montana Tech of the University of Montana aided in the delivery of the MSP Wellness Program. These services and activities were designed to meet the goals of Healthy People 2010, a national prevention agenda written in a collaborative fashion by governmental agencies and highly regarded health educators.

The Development Of Mexican Nonproliferation Export Controls Cits Special Report, Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado

Latino/Latin American Studies Reports

This report by OLLAS assistant director Jonathan Benjamin-Alvarado is part of a developing research and outreach project with the Center for International Trade and Security at the University of Georgia. It involved working with Mexican government officials to design and implement national responses to international agreements and obligations to ensure command and control of critical nuclear, biological, and chemical materials in Mexico. Dr. Benjamin-Alvarado conducted a comprehensive survey, which he administered in Argentina and Cuba previously, later in 2005 to assess Mexican export controls.

The Institutionalization Of Service-Learning As A Pedagogical Tool For Campus Engagement At Public Versus Private Higher Education Institutions, Gwenda R. Greene

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

Historically, higher education institutions have charged departments such as Academic Affairs with students' academic growth, and Student Affairs with their social and emotional development. Where and how these two come together to engage the holistic development of students will differ widely among institutions. This research premise was to investigate a method that could help bridge Academic Affairs and Student Affairs areas. A comprehensive review of the literature on educational reforms in higher education delineates service-learning as an innovative pedagogy for impacting the holistic development of students while enhancing the scholarship of engagement throughout the institutions. This research outlines theories, principles, …

Shap'n & Shak'n Institutions Of Color, Peter Szto

Social Work Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The aim of this paper is to present an analysis of institutional racism for higher education. The paper outlines a critique of the race construct as a strategy to advance campus diversity and multicultural learning. The critique provides conceptual clarity and organizing strategies to advance antiracism within institutions.

Time Capsule Discourse, E. Hughes Shanks

History Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

The purpose of this presentation is to encourage participants to develop a deeper sensitivity toward different perceptions of historical events. Attendees will participate in a forum that invites free expression of cultural values, and encourages participants to keep an open mind when encountering values and perspectives different from their own.

Does The Job Matter? Comparing Correlates Of Stress Among Treatment And Correctional Staff In Prisons, Gaylene Armstrong, Marie L. Griffin

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The wealth of literature on stress in the correctional workplace focused on correctional officers, frequently ignoring treatment personnel employed in these same institutions. This study advanced the literature on correctional workplace stress by: (1) testing for differences in workplace stress between correctional officers and treatment personnel, (2) examining personal and environmental factors to determine whether distinct precursors to stress existed for these two groups, and (3) utilizing multiple measures of stress. Self-report survey data from 3,794 employees in ten adult prisons in a southwestern state demonstrated that both groups of employees reported moderately high levels of job stress and stress-related …

The Third Way, Richard M. Freeland

Higher Education

Liberal education and professional education have traditionally been considered opposites. According to received academic wisdom, students seeking broad exposure to the arts and sciences should not be burdened with acquiring workplace skills, and students preparing for careers in fields such as business and engineering should not be diverted by more than a token engagement with "irrelevant" liberal arts content.

Moral Education In The Digital Age, Edward E. Tywoniak

Special Topics, General

Our natural human inclination to seek a moral understanding of the world is one of the oldest cultural narratives handed down since the beginning of recorded history. Much has been written on the ontic nature of moral absolutes and the rhetorical discourse of what makes a good citizen, but neither metaphysics nor politics has been totally prepared for the instantly ubiquitous nature of digital technology and its effect on societies in the contemporary age of the networked world. This paper reflects both a philosophical inquiry into the nature of technical systems through a set of anecdotal observations on civic engagement, …

Service Learning In An Fcs Core Curriculum: A Community-Campus Collaboration, Carol Friesen, Sue H. Whitaker, Kay Piotrowicz

Partnerships/Community

The new core for the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences at Ball State University was designed to provide students with a better understanding of the integrative nature of the family and consumer sciences (FCS) profession. The resultant 9-credit core includes an introductory course, a capstone course, and one student-selected course. The content in the introductory class centers around the conceptual framework and cross-cutting threads described by Baugher et al. (2000) in the "Body of Knowledge for Family and Consumer Sciences." Topics covered in the course include professional ethics, public policy, technology, systems theory, critical thinking, diversity, communication skills, global …

Storm Water Management For Society And Nature Via Service Learning, Ecological Engineering And Ecohydrology, Theodore A. Endreny

Higher Education

A framework for urban storm-water management that moves beyond flood control to improve societal and ecological services will maximize the functions and benefits of water resources management. Theoretical constructs for such work originate from the integration of ecological engineering, ecohydrology and service learning paradigms. Implementation consists of simulating, monitoring and reporting how storm-water design decisions to infiltrate or directly discharge runoff result in a complex set of linked adjustments to the dynamics of the water table, soil chemistry concentrations, plant stress/viability, terrestrial habitat, river loads/flows, and aquatic habitat patterns. Coordination of a socio-ecological-based urban storm-water management programme is discussed using …

Unhappily Ever After: Effects Of Long-Term Low-Quality Marriages On Well-Being, Daniel Hawkins, Alan Booth

Sociology and Anthropology Faculty Publications

The present study shows that long-term low-quality marriages have significant negative effects on overall well-being. We utilize a nationally representative longitudinal study with a multi-item marital quality scale that allows us to track unhappy marriages over a twelve-year period and to assess marital happiness along many dimensions. Remaining unhappily married is associated with significantly lower levels of overall happiness, life satisfaction, self-esteem, and overall health, along with elevated levels of psychological distress, compared to remaining otherwise continuously married. There is also some evidence that staying unhappily married is more detrimental than divorcing, as people in low-quality marriages are less happy …

Recent Dissertations On Service And Service-Learning Topics: Volume Iii (2001-2003), Katrina Norvell

Bibliographies

Bibliographic information for 127 dissertations on service learning topics.

Educating The "Good" Citizen: Political Choices And Pedagogical Goals, Joel Westheimer, Joseph Kahne

Special Topics, General

At the level of rhetoric, most educators, policymakers, and citizens agree that developing students' capacities and commitments for effective and democratic citizenship is important. When we get specific about what democracy requires and about what kind of school curricula will best promote it, however, much of that consensus falls away. For some, a commitment to democracy is a promise to protect liberal notions of freedom, while. for others democracy is primarily about equality or equality of opportunity. For some, civil society is the key, while for ()!hers, free markets are a great hope for a democratic society. For some, good …

Service-Learning Projects Enhance Student Learning In Strategic Management Courses, John Angelidis, Igor Tomic, Nabil A. Ibrahim

Service Learning, General

Academia has been criticized for Its supposed isolation from society and its lack of emphasis on practical applications and hands-on experience. Institutions of higher education are responding to this criticism by incorporating experiential service-learning in their curricula. One business course which is particularly appropriate for integrating service-learning into the curriculum is Strategic Management.

Impact Of Service Learning On Physical Therapist Students' Knowledge Of And Attitudes Toward Older Adults And On Their Critical Thinking Ability, Janna Beling

Service Learning, General

As the number and proportion of elderly people rapidly increase in the next few decades, there will be increased demands for physical therapists to work with older clients. Although the availability of physical therapists to work with elderly people will be determined, in part, by their personal preferences,¹ most physical therapists will be routinely required to work with elderly clients and clients' aging family members.² In order to provide effective services, it is imperative that physical therapist students possess adequate knowledge about the aging process and recognize the individuality of older clients, as well as their capacity for …

Service Learning And International Business Education, Ilan Alon

Intergenerational

In recent years, business schools have come under increasing scrutiny for teaching relevant and practical skills to their students. Experiential and service learning- learning by doing- has been one area in which business schools were able to complement their traditional classes to enhance their students' learning outcomes. International business is an area in which the growth of experiential learning has been slow. This paper seeks to explain a unique model for providing international business experience to MBA students using a high-ranking small MBA program in Florida as a case study.

Middle School Service-Learning Instructional Framework, Maryland State Department Of Education

Curriculum

Students have enormous energy, enthusiasm, and intelligence that they will devote to our commlll1ities when they are asked and given the opportunity. Schools are now doing the asking and they are creating opportunities, both in courses and as part of their extracurricular activities. Students have weather stripped and rehabilitated houses and tended animals at the zoo. They have planted marsh grass to save the Chesapeake Bay and tested streams for pollutants. They have created plays about drug and alcohol abuse and put on fashion shows for senior citizens. These are not simply nice things to do. They contribute to an …

Next Steps: A School District's Guide To The Essential Elements Of Service-Learning, Maryland Student Service Alliance, Maryland State Department Of Education

School K-12

We are pleased to share a new tool for service-learning. Next Steps: A School District's Guide to the Essential Elements of Service-Learning is an excellent guide for state level or school district administrators as they create or improve their service-learning program, regardless of their previous experience in service-learning. Students make a tremendous difference in their schools and communities when they are given the opportunity to use their enthusiasm, energy and ideas to problem solve and contribute to the common good.

Maryland was the first state to require that all students participate in service-learning to graduate from public high school. Educators …

A Social Model For Health Promotion For An Aging Population: Initial Evidence On The Experience Corps Model, Linda P. Fried, Michelle C. Carlson, Marc Freedman, Kevin D. Frick, Thomas A. Glass, Joel Hill, Sylvia Mcgill, George W. Rebok, Teresa Seeman, James Tielsch, Barbara A. Wasik, Scott Zeger

Intergenerational

This report evaluates whether a program for older volunteers, designed for both generativity and health promotion, leads to short-term improvements in multiple behavioral risk factors and positive effects on intermediary risk factors for disability and other morbidities. The Experience Corps® places older volunteers in public elementary schools in roles designed to meet schools' needs and increase the social, physical, and cognitive activity of the volunteers. This article reports on a pilot randomized trial in Baltimore, Maryland. The 128 volunteers were 60-86 years old; 95% were African American. At follow-up of 4-8 months, physical activity, strength, people one could turn to …

Strategic Information Systems Planning In U.S. County Governments: Will The Real Sisp Model Please Stand Up?, Lyn M. Holley, Donna Dufner, B. J. Reed

Gerontology Faculty Publications

This paper is the second in a series of studies examining strategic information systems planning (SISP) in U.S. governments based on information technology performance data and ratings generated for the Government Performance Project (2000 re states and 2001 re counties). The first study examined SISP at the state level (PPMR, June 2002). This study investigates SISP in county government using data from the 40 largest U.S. counties in terms of revenue within regions. Findings suggest that structural features of county government inhibit translation to counties of successful business models for strategic use of information systems, and they support the conclusion …

Where Do We Go From Here? Boot Camps In The Future, Doris Layton Mackenzie, Gaylene Armstrong

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Boot camps have developed over the past two decades into a program that incorporates a military regimen to create a structured environment. While some critics of this method of corrections suggest that the confrontational nature of the program is antithetical to treatment, authors Doris Layton MacKenzie and Gaylene Styve Armstrong present research knowledge and personal discussions with community leaders that offer insight into both the strengths and weaknesses of this controversial form of corrections.

Correctional Boot Camps: Military Basic Training or a Model for Corrections? provides the most up-to-date assessment of the major perspectives and issues related to the current …

Chicagoland Youth And Adult Training Center: Building Strong Relationships Betweel1 Faithbased Organizations, Govemn1ent And Corporations To Transform Low-Income Communities, Jose Wilson, Brian Banks

Special Topics, General

President George W. Bush's faith-based initiative has sparked increased interest in the role faith-based organizations can play in the development of low-income communities. Government is increasingly relying on religious groups to provide economic and moral development in communities, advocates argue, because faith-based organizations are well-organized, well disciplined groups that know communities. I I The following report describes Chicagoland Youth and Adult Training Center (CYATC), a three-year-old workforce development initiative created by faith-based organizations located in low-income communities, with Ford Motor Company and its' Chicago-area dealerships, and local government, and educational institutions. CYATC was started to help employers address their needs …

The Value Of Work: A Case For Promoting Christian Service Opportunities To College Students, Glenn Bryan

Special Topics, General

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the historical evolution of attitudes toward work, the Protestant work ethic, a Biblical perspective on work, and to provide a rational for why Christian colleges should offer multiple service opportunities for students to help them integrate faith into their everyday lives.

Service Learning Through The High School Pyramid Model: A Case Study, Fawzia Al-Rashid, Kenyon Walker

School K-12

The intellectual and philosophical roots of service learning have been attributed to the conceptualizations of democratic society put forth by Alexis de Tocqueville in the 1830s and John Dewey in the early twentieth century (Kenny eta!, 2002). Dewey believed that students would learn more effectively and eventually become better citizens if they engaged in activities that linked service to the community and the curriculum. This idea of linking service to curriculum has been further embraced by advocates of service learning today.

Educator's Guide, Rahima C. Wade

Special Topics, General

In the fall of 2003, the National Council for the Social I Studies (NCSS) was awarded a teacher training grant I from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service to fund "CiviConnections: Constructing the past, creating the future." The NCSS proposal was one of just 8 chosen for funding in the new 2003 grant competition on "Linking History, Civics, and Service." From 2003 to 2007, CiviConnections will involve more than 297 teachers and 7,425 3rd - 12th grade students nationwide in linking local history inquiry with community service-learning activities. Teams of three teachers apply for $7,500 grants to cover …

Changing Landscapes: Enduring Values, Angela Bodino

Service Learning, General

The campus of Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) seems pastoral with 160 acres of woods, a pond, and gentle grassy slopes. Two miles to the west are two golf courses and farmland. Two miles east are homes built in the 17th and 18th Centuries close to the North Branch of the Raritan River, close to a colonial cemetery and the soaring spire of the Reformed Church. This setting reminds us of an early American ethic of hope and change, the promise of vast spaces, new destinies and new communities.

Research Matters, Shelley H. Billig

Service Learning, General

Many people are attracted to service-learning because they see what it does for students, schools, and communities. Students are more engaged in their studies, schools are revitalized, with a new sense of mission and focus, and community members, energized by working with students on service-learning projects, are more supportive of young people and their schools.

This rosy picture is the reality in some settings with well-implemented service-learning, but too often this is not the case. In fact, much service-learning practice is uneven in quality, and research shows that low-quality service-learning has little impact.

Three-Year Longitudinal Service-Learning Research Study: Preliminary Findings, Frank D. Aquila, L. Richard Bradley, Jennifer Dodd, Charlotte Jones-Ward

Service Learning, General

Using an experimental design, this study examines the contributions of service-learning to decreased at-risk behaviors, student cognitive, social, and personal development, and academic achievement over a three-year period. During the pilot phase and Years One and Two, teachers and students from eleven different Ohio schools have been surveyed. Preliminary findings are presented.