Service Learning Commons^™

Moving Beyond Apathy To Environmental Action, John Fallis

Special Topics, General

It's so nice here compared to Toronto. The air is fresh and the water is so clear. You people don't have any problems.

The city is such a polluted mess. I'd like to help out but I don't know where to start, plus, it seems hopeless!

These are comments of frustrated, environmentally aware high school students who have participated in residential school programs at the Boyne River outdoor and environmental education centre. During their stay of up to a week, their lives have been enriched through a range of outdoor, hands-on, learning experiences. They may have gained a new perspective …

A Mandate For Liberty: Requiring Education-Based Community Service, Benjamin R. Barber

Special Topics, General

The extraordinary rise in American interest in community service has inspired widespread participation by the nation's young in service programs. It has also provoked a profound and telling debate about the relationship of service to voluntarism on the one hand, and to civic education and citizenship on the other. Two complementary approaches to service have emerged that are mutually supportive but also in a certain tension with one another. The first aims at attracting young volunteers, particularly students, out of the classroom and into service projects as part of a strategy designed to strengthen altruism, philanthropy, individualism, and self-reliance. The …

Making A Case For Collaborative Problem Solving, Christopher T. Gates

Partnerships/Community

As the number and diversity of actors expecting to be part of any community decision increase, so must the process for making those decisions become more open and accessible. Bringing diverse/layers together- finding common ground, defining share interests - is a process of self-realization whereby all community members can discover that they have the talent and ideas necessary to improve community life for themselves and their neighbors.

Involving Older Volunteers, In Public Schools, Kristen J. Amundson

Intergenerational

Each day, 5,000 Americans celebrate their sixty-fifth birthday. As this age group becomes larger, it will also become more powerful. As voters, seniors make up the most conscientious of the voting group in our society.

Researching Student Community Service: An Opportunity To Promote Reflection?, Cecil D. Bradfield, R. Ann Myers

Service Learning, General

In recent years there has been a growing interest in student community service. It is suggested that the students of the 1980's and 90's are returning to an ethic of community service. Organizations have developed to promote service from both the student and the academic perspectives. The Campus Outreach Opportunity League (COOL) is a student movement promoting community service. Campus Compact represents the academic administration interest in promoting student community service with presidents of institutions forming the membership in the organization. A third organization, the National Society of Internships and Experiential Education (NSIEE), includes student community service as a form …

The Role Of Service-Learning In Today's College Curriculum, Dwight E. Giles

Higher Education

When I am given a topic or question to address I find that playing with the topic produces intellectual stimulation, helps to develop a clearer focus for my thoughts, and provides a respectable form of procrastination. This topic has been no exception in providing all three of the above; I'd like to begin by suggesting some ways we might play with the topic together over the next few minutes.

Community Service And Critical Thinking: An Exploratory Analysis Of Collegiate Influences, Eric L. Dey

Higher Education

Interest in encouraging undergraduates to become involved in community service has grown rapidly over the past several years. In addition to the formation of groups such as the Campus Compact, this interest can be seen in the curricula of numerous colleges which have instituted community services requirements for graduation. Interest in critical thinking has increased as well, with widespread agreement among educators that critical thinking should be an important, if not central, goal of education. Although critical thinking has long been valued by educators at all (Siegel, 1980), the importance placed upon the development of critical thinking has recently been …

Student Involvement In Community Service: Institutional Commitment And The Campus Compact, Alexander W. Astin

Higher Education

Although interest in involving students in community service has been growing rapidly among higher education institutions, there has so far been little systematic study of who the volunteers are and of which institutional practices actually encourage student participation in community service. The study reported here presents some provocative new findings concerning factors that contribute to student participation in, and institutional commitment to community service. The data on which the study is based were recently collected in connection with a large-scale national study of undergraduate education that we have been conducting with support from grants by the Exxon Education Foundation and …

The Next Literacy: Educating Young Americans For Work And Citizenship, David Fleming

Civic Engagement

The emerging global economy presents the American workforce with many challenges. As national economic borders disintegrate and U.S. manufacturing jobs disappear, more and more opportunities are opening up in "complex services" (insurance, engineering, law, finance, computer programming, advertising) and "person-to-person service" (re- . tail, education, health care). Many of these new jobs offer high-skill, high-wage work; unfortunately, the majority of American workers lack the education and training for them. What those workers·are left with are an increasing number of low-skill, low-wage, nonunion jobs. One feature of this economy, then, is a growing split between the few who are benefiting from …

"...Something Shining, Like Gold--But Better." The National Indian Youth Leadership Model: A Manual For Program Leaders, Mcclellan Hall

Tribal Nations Documents

A lot of people are talking about education these days, including President Bush,who recently launched his America 2000 plan here in St. Paul. It hasn't been like this for many years, certainly not during the 1980s when the issue of young people dropping out, pushed out, or bored out was almost invisible on the national agenda.For McClellan Hall, however, concern for how children learn-especially Indian children, has been a lifelong mission. As national interest focuses on education, it is essential that credible voices such as McClellan's, voices which neither claim nor seek a national limelight, be heard amid the current …

Do Faculty Connect School To Work? Evidence From Community Colleges, Dominic J, Brewer, Maryann Jacobi Gray

Higher Education

Despite an emphasis in recent policy on connecting school to work, relatively little is known about how these connections are made and what they look like. In this article, we explore the relationship between community college faculty and their local labor markets.We use a unique national survey that provides the first systematic data from a large number of faculty on this issue, supplemented by case studies. We show that faculty engage in a range of relatively low-level connecting activities; stronger connections are rare. Faculty receive minimal institutional support for such efforts. There are several important barriers to improving linkages related …

The Volunteer Potential Of First-Time Entering Students: Interest Areas And Incentives, Victoria J. Balenger, William E. Sedlacek

Higher Education

First time entering students at a large, eastern university were given a survey assessing their interest In various campus volunteer opportunities. The relationship between incentives and volunteer interest was also studied. The findings suggested that, generally, students did not differentiate between "serving as a volunteer," "earning course credit as a volunteer," and "earning a monetary award as a volunteer." Overall, students were most interested in volunteering for the homecoming committee and the campus recruitment organization, and least interested in volunteering for the counseling center and the health center. Specific volunteer interests are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical …

Using Law-Related Education As An Intervention With "High-Risk" Youth, Drake Buzzell

Special Topics, General

During these times of scarce resources, policymakers are increasingly devoting more attention to areas where they feel they can make the greatest impact. Many local and state policy discussions are focusing on the relationship of "high-risk" youth, crime, and drug abuse Policymakers as well as social service program directors are particularly interested in the factors contributing to the likelihood that a young person will abuse alcohol or other drugs, and engage in delinquent behavior. We have known for some time that there is a significant correlation between these two behaviors. What is perhaps ironic is that we are back to …

Preliminary Review Of Research In Service Learning, James Krug, Richard J. Kraft

Special Topics, General

The following cursory review is taken from the Literature Review on Service Learning conducted by Mr. James Krug (1991) at the University of Colorado. Mr. Krug's research has been on the effects of service learning on four groups of high school young people: at-risk youth in a special program, student assistants (primarily minority) within the school, nature guides, and tutors at a primary school. Preliminary results indicate that, while all the experimental groups gained on measures of potency, activity involvement in the community, self-concept and other factors, the statistically significant growth at the .01 and .05 levels was found almost …

A Study Of The Impact Of Educational Reform On At-Risk Students In Texas, Texas Education Agency

School K-12

This report was prepared by the Texas Education Agency's Division of Program Evaluation in an effort to provide preliminary information about the impact of educational reform on at-risk students in Texas.

National Youth Service: A Democratic Institution For The 21st Century, National Service Secretariat

Conference Proceedings

Proceedings from a conference to explore issues in moving toward a new institution for national youth service are presented in this booklet. Chapter 1 presents a historical overview of youth participation in the United States, focusing on trends in the labor market, schooling, incarceration, and social problems. The assertion is made that due to population and technological influences on labor supply and demand, schools no longer effectively socialize or control youth. Therefore, the development of alternative institutions, such as a diverse and voluntary national youth service,must be considered. Chapter 2 defines a national youth service as the manifestation of mutual …

Reflection: At The Heart Of Experiential Learning, Robert D. Shumer

Evaluation/Reflection

Life is nothing but a series bf experiences. Many experiences pass us by, quickly forgotten. Others make an impact, for some reason, and we remember them well. How we deal with our experiences measures how much we can learn from them: whether we think or reflect on what has happened determines if an experience will be lasting and rewarding or simply slip into oblivion.

Field Experience And Cooperative Education; Similarities And Differences, Joyce K. Fletcher

Service Learning, General

Of all of the benefits associated with experiential education, those related to student development are of the most interest to educators. Those of us who work with students do not need to be convinced of the positive impact work experience has on participants. Anecdotally we share with one another our success stories - stories of individual students who have grown, matured, gained self-confidence or a new sense of direction and purpose because of exposure to what we like to call the real world. Yet, we recognize that these outcomes are not guaranteed, and that in fact, not all students achieve …

Community-Based Learning: A Study Of A Model Dropout Prevention Program, Robert D. Shumer

School K-12

Dropout prevention is a major concern of school districts throughout the country. In Los Angeles it is estimated that 39% of students fail to graduate from high school. Nationwide, the rate is not too much different, especially in inner city communities where large numbers of Hispanic and African-American youth attend school. While dropout rates have been traditionally high for decades, people continue to ask, why? Many billions of dollars have been spent trying to answer this question and many programs have been developed which attempt to address some of these problems. No one has come up with a comprehensive answer …

Democracy's Next Generation, Donna Fowler

Civic Engagement

A recent study conducted for People For the American Way recommends three ways schools can help students develop the values and habits of responsible citizenship.

Educating For Social Responsibility, Sheldon Berman

Service Learning, General

Schools must help students fight their feelings of powerlessness by developing their sense of community and their confidence that they can make a difference in the world.

Youth Policy: The Monthly Report On National Youth Programs And Issues (October/November 1990), Youth Policy Institute

Special Topics, General

This report features California Gets a "D"; 90% of American Students Don't Pass?; Volunteerism Up; Is Poverty a Reality in America?; and Girl Scouts: Programs Help Youth at Risk.

Student Service Learning And Student Activities -- A Perfect Fit, Deborah Craig

Higher Education

"A thousand points of light ... Lifetime national service ... Be part of the solution ... The volunteer initiative ... Corporate volunteerism ... " These and other slogans have become popularized during the past few years as the "Me Generation" is being replaced by the "We Generation." Yes, volunteerism is once more in vogue, but the issues of the '80s and '90s arc different from those of the '60s. Vietnam and civil rights versus illiteracy and homelessness. Today's issues are less personal for today's typical college students. Very few of them have personally experienced illiteracy or having been homeless. But …

Teaching Twenty-First Century Citizenship: Social Psychological Foundations, Allan R. Brandhorst

Civic Engagement

Effective American (U.S.) citizenship in the Twenty-first century may require a shift in the value orientation which currently characterizes American life. Two components of the American value system are becoming increasingly dysfunctional. American social science, and accordingly the social studies curriculum, has become narrowly focused on an economic model of human decision-making. Such a one-dimensional model of man, because it invalidates by omission justice-based models of decision-making, leaves American society with a reduced capacity for addressing social dilemmas, particularly commons-type problems. Secondly, American cultural life has been dominated by a heavy and one-sided commitment to primary control. Such an imbalance, …

Comprehensive And Integrative Planning For Community Development, Ronald Shiffman, Susan Motley

Partnerships/Community

Over the years, both the public and nonprofit sectors have moved away from comprehensive, community-based planning strategies, lured by "quick fix" of a project-by-project development strategy. Unquestionably, these projects have directly benefited some poor individuals and families. More often than not, however, they do little to increase the economic vitality of the community in which the project is developed. To deal effectively with the issues of community disorganization and poverty and to broaden participation in the community renewal process, we must examine in today's light the originally envisioned community development corporation model and its principles. We need to plan, initiate, …

Social Interactions Of Secondary-Aged Students With Severe Handicaps: Implications For Facilitating The Transition From School To Work, Janis Chadsey-Rusch

Disabilities

The social interactions of a group of 10 students with severe handicaps attending a junior high school campus were described with the use of narrative recording procedures. The students were observed when they arrived at school, during lunch, and when they were engaged in vocational training. In addition, teacher perceptions of behavior were measured, and parents were interviewed regarding their childrens' future vocational opportunities and their social relationships with their peers. The results from this study indicated that (a) these youth of transition age were involved in more task-related than nontask interactions, (b) they were engaged in more interactions with …

Differences In Interpersonal Values Among Students Involved In Volunteer Service, R. Thomas Fitch

Higher Education

A study of college students involved m. community service volunteer activities found that students' interpersonal values differed relative to whether they were involved through religious, Social Greek, or service organizations.

Legal Issues In Combining Service And Learning, Michael B. Goldstein

Special Topics, General

A basic guide to the legal issues involved in programs that combine educational goals with direct involvement in the community - essential reading for any program administrator. The term "school" is used throughout to indicate any educational institution -elementary, secondary, or postsecondary, public or private - which may sponsor a student service-learning program. The term "agency" denotes any public or private community-based organization which may provide work opportunities or training or supervision of students at work sites. Portions of this analysis of legal issues in internships and experiential learning first appeared in Legal Issues Resource Booklet, by Michael B. Goldstein …

Service-Learning Advances School Improvement: A Position Paper From The International Service Learning Initiative, Barbara Gomez

Special Topics, General

The base on which the United States is built is participatory democracy -achieved only when all citizens are included in choice and decision-making. Nothing could be worse for our nation than to have our children feel alienated from the communities in which they attend school. For more than 200 years the rest of the world has been watching our progress, and as we have succeeded they have made efforts to emulate our sense of individual freedom and collective responsibility for governance.

Bringing Old And Young Together, Jane Angelis

Intergenerational

"I just can't get it all done!" It is the classic lament of the teacher stretched too thin by the demands of the classroom. Imagine what educators could accomplish if we only had enough help...