Recent research indicates that participating in service-learning programs appears to benefit youngsters, but there is scant evidence demonstrating the connection between service and particular educational objectives. Except for consistent evidence supporting a reflection component, researchers have failed to identify which program elements and…

By building a memorial to Edwin Pratt, a slain civil rights leader, Seattle sixth-graders learned valuable lessons in grantsmanship, public speaking, and public art. They also grew to understand the meaning of civil rights, commemoration, and community giving. Next year's class will work with the Shoreline Historical Museum to create an exhibit on…

Describes benefits students received from participating in a San Francisco high school's innovative outdoor adventure program. Service-learning programs such as this one give students the opportunity to contribute to their community and learn valuable social and life skills. Lessons and memories gained from service-learning experiences can help…

Describes how to set up service-learning courses (where students go out into the community and do writing projects for local businesses) and how to anticipate certain types of problems. Discusses benefits, both pedagogical and civic/humanitarian, that this real-world approach brings to the teaching of technical writing and professional writing.…

Responding to articles in the February 1997 "Educational Leadership" on "Rethinking the Purpose of Education," this article deplores worsening social inequalities and upholds the importance of the third sector and service learning in societal transformation. A simple checklist (the PECTS system) shows how politics, the economy,…

In recent years student affairs professionals have had well-documented success in organizing valuable learning experiences in the community for college students. An in-depth review of a community-based student leadership program at Northern Michigan University provides a model that benefits students and the surrounding community. (Author)

In an intergenerational service-learning project, occupational therapy interns provided wellness interventions for older adults residing in a community house. Occupational performance measures improved for six of eight clients. Students increased knowledge of wellness planning and programming. The program was consistent with the house's mission of…

Discusses why liberal and professional education must be reinvented to include socially responsive knowledge as a key component of every college student's education. Describes faculty attitudes toward civic engagement and faculty initiatives at Portland State University. (EV)

Describes the community involvement and redevelopment efforts of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, including the implications for curriculum, the importance of evaluation, and the need to institutionalize such efforts. (EV)

Asserts that juxtaposing traditional notions of liberal education with emerging views of civic engagement, captured most forcefully by the service learning movement, reveals common themes rooted in a democratic vision of society and the power of education to advance citizenship. (EV)

Based on a recent community-based research project with injured workers, identifies challenges faced when academics engage in community-based research based at a university, including dealing with the constraints and requirements of academic research funding, bridging the goals of academics and community members, and functioning within the…

The case of Colgate University is used to argue that community-based research can be a vibrant and effective form of service learning, especially in rural communities. However, community-based research is difficult to execute well. There is little flexibility and high consequences for failed projects. As such, community-based research requires…

Compares seven multi-institutional community-based research networks in Appalachia; Colorado; District of Columbia; Minneapolis-St. Paul; Philadelphia; Richmond, Virginia; and Trenton, New Jersey. After reviewing the histories of the networks, conducts a comparative SWOT analysis, showing their common and unique strengths, weaknesses,…

Describes a capstone course specifically designed for Environmental Geoscience majors that is a project-based course stressing small-group identification, analysis, and solution of real-world geo-environmental problems on a local scale. Prepares students for the immediate demands of post-college employment as well as developing lifelong learning…

At several intervals, 54 preservice elementary teachers in cohort learning groups depicted their images of a typical teacher, which became more realistic over time. Initial apprehension about cohort learning gave way to recognition of the benefits of peer support and collegial relationships. Students enjoyed service learning more than field…