A case study model of assessment was developed at Portland State University (Oregon) to measure the impact of service-learning on four constituencies (student, faculty, community, institution). The case studies blend qualitative and quantitative measures to assess impact and provide feedback for continuous improvement. Insights from the design…

Describes development of the first community service-learning program for democratic education in South Africa, based on the Swarthmore College (Pennsylvania) Democracy Education Project at a black high school near Capetown (South Africa). Notes that successful transposition of the model requires recognition of complex historical and cultural…

Discusses some of the cultural and logistical challenges faced by service learning projects. Theses challenges include a predisposition toward individualism over collective action, lack of time and emphasis on traditional learning. Provides strategies and approaches for overcoming these challenges. Includes a sample questionnaire for parents and…

Introduces the range of goals that service learning promises to achieve, noting specific principles that can help meet those goals. Information is based on a six-year study of experiential education combining academic and field research. A conceptual framework for organizing the planning, development, and evaluation of service and experiential…

The content, skills, pedagogy, and structure that should guide the design of service learning curricula for citizenship education are examined. For service learning to teach youth about their responsibilities as citizens in a democratic society, content and strategies must model and support democratic principles. (SM)

To promote empowerment, student teachers participated in service learning projects. They had received training for service learning and thus knew more about it than did their cooperating teachers. So they were empowered as leaders in the student teacher setting. Factors contributing to successful empowerment included student teacher initiative and…

Presents six service learning lesson plans from the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Each lesson plan represents a step in a larger service project. The plans include "Defining and Assessing Your Community"; "Choosing and Researching a Problem"; "Examining Policy"; "Exploring Options"; and "Taking…

Examines factors contributing to youth violence and suggests ways that service learning can mitigate their influence. Community-based programs can fill the void of unstructured, unsupervised time tempting many youth. Peer education and cross-age teaching can help create positive attitudes towards cooperation and responsible behavior. (MJP)

Briefly describes resources that educators and students can use to design service learning projects. These resources include free materials, books, web sites, information on grants, videos, journals, and organizations. The resources cover a broad range of approaches, projects, and methods. (MJP)

Describes an undergraduate sociology course where college students helped develop and teach multicultural lesson plans to high school students in a multiethnic district of Los Angeles (California). Discusses the origin and organization of the project and addresses some of its inherent structural and substantive challenges. (MJP)

Examines how to translate health education's current shift to a community orientation into practical, replicable action steps forward in college peer health education, describing four assumptions in peer health education and explaining a curriculum to reshape the philosophy of peer health education programs into a community and service oriented…

Restructuring middle-level education calls for broad, fundamental, and multifaceted changes in schooling. Such changes must be based on a clear articulation of how early adolescents learn and supported by congruent practices and expectations. Forward-thinking middle schools stress interdisciplinary teaming, active learning, responsible…

The case study of community service learning (CSL) by an interdisciplinary team at a middle school in Springfield (Massachusetts) provides information about what happens when teachers integrate community services into the curriculum as an instructional strategy. Community theater management and environmental lobbying projects illustrate issues in…

Describes a collaboration between Kutztown's College of Education and an urban elementary school, which responded to both institutions' needs by integrating community service learning into expanded opportunities for preservice teacher training, professional development, and research. The collaboration also joined several other university…

Argues that community, field-based, service-oriented projects can be a powerful way to address concerns of scientific literacy. Based on a case study of two ninth-grade students, it is recommended that an ethic of care and responsible action be an exemplar for schools and teachers. Contains 22 references. (DDR)