Curriculum strategies on social justice in education often focus on classroom management and technology integration, which may be surface-level approaches. Emerging trends include project-based learning and community partnerships for students to address real-world problems; as such, selected courses employ service-learning as a method of…

Environmental stewardship is an integral aspect of the Montessori curriculum. It usually includes care of the school's setting (classrooms, grounds, gardens, eating areas, etc.) and, depending on each school's unique situation, ideally extends into the larger environment in which the school is situated. Environmental stewardship is meant to help…

Many scholars and practitioners have asserted the value of opportunities for young children to participate in projects that inspire positive civic engagement. A National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Position statement stresses civic engagement as an important focus for powerful and purposeful learning in elementary social studies. The…

Contemporary trends in leadership education emphasize paradigms of learning and educational practices associated with developing responsible citizens, furthering higher education's civic mission. Yet, few introductory leadership courses include an explicit civic component (Johnson & Woodard, 2014). Service-learning is a high-impact practice…

Culminating projects offer a sharp contrast to predominant practice in civics education. Although many schools require students to volunteer for a certain numbers of hours, most leave it up to the student to find a broadly defined "community application" of their learning, and students seldom inform their action with rigorous research.…

This bulletin focuses on the method that teacher/authors use to connect curriculum with community: service-learning. The bulletin's introduction notes that, although service-learning projects can occur within any subject area, they have a particular suitability for the social studies, given the discipline's focus on the skills, values, and…

This packet contains lesson plans with real-life service projects that students can do throughout the school year, from September 2000 to August 2001. The lesson plans in the packet provide teachers with flexibility to offer them to students as young as grade 5 and as old as grade 12. The lesson plans, although essentially social studies, service…

Some educators contend that students who engage in activities related to school subjects learn more efficiently and more effectively, and remember what they have learned much longer than students who do not. Service-Learning (S-L) can provide a central focus around which educational change can occur. Moreover, S-L enhances the ideas promoted by…

This study compared more than 1,000 high school students who participated in service-learning programs with those who did not participate in schools matched for similar demographics and student achievement profiles. The intention was to estimate the effects of service-learning compared to more traditional ways of teaching similar subject areas.…

Explores community service learning as a way of revitalizing schools while integrating students into life in their communities. Service learning needs to be more than a single activity so that students see it in more than school terms. Several examples of student service projects are given. (SLD)

Presents 10 ideas for service learning projects designed for elementary schools. Includes having students do local history projects complete with interviews and artifacts, learn about community volunteering, interact with the elderly, care for the environment, recycle materials, and hold canned food drives. (MJP)

Outlines approaches for student evaluation in service learning projects. Maintains that most service learning project participants' goals fall into three broad areas: civic development, academic achievement, and personal or social development. Assessment in these areas can be accomplished through tabulation of service hours, student journals, and…

Describes the experiences of an elementary school resource room teacher in Staten Island (New York) in using community service learning (CSL) with special education and reading resource students. Students planned and carried out a cupcake sale to benefit UNICEF. Parent participation was an important part of the process. (SLD)

Profiles Active Citizenship Today (ACT), a social studies service learning program for middle and high school students. In ACT, students explore their community, identify problems, examine public policy, explore their options, and take action. Includes unit excerpts from the ACT teacher's handbook. (MJP)

Briefly describes a service-learning grant program and provides examples of elementary, middle, and high school projects awarded grants in 1996. Projects included efforts to educate the community about river pollution, multicultural murals, and a school activities news show. Includes application form and general guidelines and suggestions. (MJP)