The study focused on the critical incidents that occurred to instructional design students when they were involved in project-based service-learning as part of a curriculum that lead to a master's degree. The study provided an illustration that the workplace application of skills, knowledge, and understanding are enhanced through utilization.…

Character education is integral to the educational enterprise. Recent character education endeavors across the educational landscape have originated from a variety of different organizational sources. This article provides a review of the progress character education from the 18th century up through the 21st.

Changes in the demographic composition of the United States relative to the increase in English language learners (ELLs) in newcomer and refugee populations generate the need for cultural brokers, particularly in the ranks of educators and teacher candidates. Applied learning, especially as used in service-learning opportunities in teacher…

The term service-learning is used frequently these days, but confusion remains as to what it is and why it matters. More importantly, are there any measurable benefits? This issue of "The Progress of Education Reform" looks at four research studies that explore the impact of service-learning on student achievement and civic engagement. A…

This article outlines the importance of Community Engaged Research, and how it can be embedded into an existing Master of Science in Education degree program at Dominican University of California. Community Engaged Research rejects the traditional research model, opting instead for a dialogic approach to research. Both the community and the…

The concept of civic-efficacy, as well as its role in post-school outcomes for high school students with disabilities is explored. Service-learning is introduced as a possible intervention for improving the civic-efficacy of high school students with disabilities. The existing literature regarding civic engagement, service-learning, and students…

The purpose of independent schools, from the very beginning, over 300 years ago, was to take young students and prepare them academically, spiritually, and constitutionally to serve the community. So the "public purpose of private education" has a long and consistent history in the missions of independent schools. In the United States today,…

At Southern Utah University (SUU), service-learning is a priority. For the past few years, the campus has joined the national movement toward an engaged student body by dedicating faculty released time, resources, and finances to develop the Center for Service-Learning and Civic Engagement. The family and consumer sciences (FCS) faculty embraced…

The author describes how the Understanding by Design (backwards planning) lesson plan format was used by his preservice K-12 students to develop service-learning lesson plans. Preservice teachers in a multicultural education course were given an assignment to develop service-learning lesson plans using the Understanding by Design planning process.…

Cross-generational learning teams that bring together novice teachers with veteran teachers would address problems at both ends of the teacher pipeline--and benefit student learning at the same time. In this cross-generational learning team, each member brings different skills to support a child's learning--some bring deep science content…

This article illustrates how community service-learning can be defined and implemented as a group inquiry project in which students apply academic knowledge and social problem-solving skills. The authors examined eleven different community service-learning projects put into practice by elementary and middle school teachers who participated in…

The Serve America Act was signed into law in April 2009. The Act provides for many opportunities to serve and learn for pre-college youth, college students and graduates, and even baby boomers. It dramatically increases intensive service opportunities by setting AmeriCorps on a path from 75,000 positions annually to 250,000 by 2017, focusing that…

There is a case to be made for the integration of the Project Based Service Learning (PBSL) process and the design and construction of educational facilities. A growing body of research supports the notion that the formulaic educational system of the last hundred years may no longer serve the learning styles of new and future generations. Their…

Although the title of the course, Combating Loneliness among Older People in Contemporary Society, states a clear goal, our service-learning class was shaped by five guiding parameters. By avoiding certain things, we allowed the course to self-organize and evolve into a learning experience beyond the one originally envisioned. This paper…

A comentoring project paired students in a lifespan developmental psychology course with older adults to conduct a life review. The intergenerational paring was designed to increase students' knowledge of older adults, the aging process, and development across the lifespan. Students developed a paper that included their partner's life history, a…