How can parents help their children develop the sensitivity and compassion of people like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Rachel Carson, and Martin Luther King, Jr.? Participation for gifted students in service-learning programs, both in and out of school, may be one helpful method. In the last two decades, there has been a resurgence of…

Student Service Learning (SSL) provides students the opportunity to actively participate in the community and build the skills they need to be successful students and citizens. This booklet provides information about the Maryland State Department of Education SSL graduation mandate. Completing 75 SSL hours is a requirement for high school…

The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) documents dimensions of quality in undergraduate education and provides information and assistance to colleges, universities, and other organizations to improve student learning. Its primary activity is annually surveying college students to assess the extent to which they engage in educational…

Suggests how parents can help their children learn to be good and productive citizens, explaining why it is important and offering six ways to get started: listen to one's children and explore their interests, learn more about the cause one's children care about, participate, partner, be a leader, celebrate the good results of family stewardship…

Service learning can improve communities while preparing students for a lifetime of responsible citizenship. It helps students learn and develop through active participation in thoughtfully organized services that occur in and meet the needs of communities. Volunteering at a young age can lay the foundation for a lifelong commitment to community…

Discusses how parents can get their children to volunteer for community services, examining how volunteerism benefits children, how to choose a volunteer activity, and how to get children involved (e.g., having the parents serve as role models). Two sidebars focus on whether fund-raising teaches children about giving and how service-learning…

Yes We Can: Improving Urban Schools through Innovative Educational Reform is a empirically-based book on urban education reform to not only proclaim that hope is alive for urban schools, but to also produce a body of literature that examines current practices and then offer practical implications for all involved in this arduous task. This book is…

For young people, service to others can develop important habits and skills that help them become an asset to their neighborhoods. This guide was created to help adults teachers, parents, after-school providers, and members of community-based organizations to find and create opportunities for young people to answer President George W. Bush's call…