A four-week global interdisciplinary service-learning project to Botswana, was developed to increase cultural humility and cross-cultural communication skills in 12 current and future educators of children with autism and developmental disabilities. Participants worked alongside peer educators in eight different special education units across…

Educators and schools have a responsibility to ensure that young people become engaged and knowledgeable citizens. A recent report on high school civics education nationwide, "The State of Civics Education," finds a wide variation in state requirements and levels of youth engagement. Only nine states and the District of Columbia require…

Graduates of the John Stanford Public Service and Political Science Academy at Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington, leave school with self-confidence and a fiery sense of civic duty, giving back to their communities in crucial ways. Students tackle civic and ethical issues daily in the classroom, and the service-learning projects they…

In the twenty-first century, learning and the definition of education is changing. New digital, online, and social tools have the ability to transform the classroom and engage learners like never before. In the midst of this technological revolution, it is crucial for educators and administrators to be able to gauge the impact of digital tools on…

When done well, service-learning has strong value for all of its participants. But doing service-learning well is not easy since it relies on research from multiple domains, including: how people learn, how people develop social-emotional skills, and how people become civically engaged. This article discusses how to do service-learning well, as…

Discusses the prevalence of service learning, growing public support, definitions, quality standards, and salutary research evidence. Service learning positively influences students' personal and interpersonal development, lifestyle choices, appreciation for cultural diversity, sense of civic and social responsibility, motivation, attendance,…

Service learning has become a prominent feature of the K-16 educational landscape. Service learning is seen to enhance student outcomes, foster a more active citizenry, promote a "scholarship of engagement" among teachers and institutions, support a more equitable society, and reconnect K-16 schools with their local communities. Yet…

The National Student Service-Learning and Community Service Survey was conducted in spring 1999 to determine the percentage of public K-12 schools that incorporate service learning into their course curriculum. Some of the findings of the study are the following: (1) 64 percent of public schools, including 83 percent of high schools, had students…

Presents a rationale and definition of service learning. Discusses the reasons why service learning is important for students in social studies education, particularly in relationship to citizenship education. Focuses on the benefits that service learning offers to students learning social studies. (CMK)

This theme issue explores the connection between service learning and standards-based education. In the lead article, "Service Learning and Standards: Are They Compatible?" (Brian Loney), an educator applies his extensive experience with Active Citizenship Today, a successful social studies service-learning program, to a representative set of…

This issue paper describes a professor's and a teacher's experiences with Project Connect, an ongoing collaborative service-learning project between preservice teachers at Western Washington University (WWU) and eighth-grade students at Fairhaven Middle School in the Bellingham (Washington) Public School District. The paper explains that for both…

A study used data from the 1996 National Household Education Survey, Youth Civic Involvement component, to determine how students in grades 6-12 were involved in community service activities and how schools might encourage community service participation and integrate it with classroom learning. Some of the results are as follows: (1) about half…

There have been two traditions of outdoor education in Great Britain. Field studies focus on science, while outdoor pursuits focus on physical skills and technical knowledge or personal and social development through challenging situations. These two approaches have much in common and much to offer each other. Although both approaches use the…

Provides a description of the growing public policy of national and community service as a solution to the declining health of the United States. Addresses how religious education and community service can enrich each other. (CMK)

Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound (ELOB) is a framework for comprehensive school improvement that uses the philosophy and pedagogy of Outward Bound to make learning more hands-on, project-based, and adventurous. One of the 10 ELOB design principles is service and compassion. This book by teachers in ELOB schools contains accounts of students'…