In the face of troubling public sentiment regarding the usefulness of college, this article shares a model for incorporating intentional and sustainable community-engaged learning (CEL) into the curriculum through a yearlong professional development faculty fellowship program. The authors share their experiences moving through the training,…

This Practice to Policy brief, based on insights from UnidosUS's Affiliate Network of community-based organizations and public charter schools in Illinois, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California, highlights the critical role of Out-of-School Time (OST) programs in supporting the Latino community, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19…

While place-based pedagogies and place-conscious education have received a great deal of attention in community literacy, these studies have often focused on classroom efforts at engaging students in their communities. This article articulates an extracurricular pedagogy of place through a historical study of a network of creative writing groups…

When schools closed their doors in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a scramble to adjust to remote learning. Over the summer and into the fall, the debate over reopening took center stage, as school leaders struggled to answer how and when it would be safe to return to the classroom. The Center for American Progress (CAP)…

Understanding factors that contribute to students' success is of great interest to educators. Research indicates that participation in extracurricular activities positively correlates with students' development both academically and personally. Students who participate in extracurricular activities have greater academic success, greater character…

For the past two decades, efforts to desegregate schools have largely failed (Orfield & Frankenberg, 2014). Communities across America continue to re-segregate across racial, ethnic, and class lines. Today, even many desegregated schools fail to provide an integrated schooling experience in the classrooms and in other programs and activities.…

Implementing service-learning is challenging in light of issues such as changes in student demographics and pressure from existing curricula goals. However, closer community engagement is increasingly important in the long-term goals of our universities. Members of a faculty learning community at an open-access college reflect on the process of…

This article, by Lynda Abbott and Richard Grayson, offers a fascinating example of collaboration between school and university, focused on the development of a community archive. The project--run as an extra-curricular activity--was originally inspired by a concern to preserve the personal stories of those whose lives were affected by the Second…

Describes the President's Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) program which encourages individuals, school classes, summer camps, public interest groups, and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness and community involvement. Describes the 10 projects that won the national award in 1994. Lists environmental education regional contacts.…

Research indicates that competition can be an important context whereby youth gain positive outcomes such as intrinsic motivation and engagement in the environment. However, other studies indicate that sports activities may also relate to negative outcomes such as aggression and cheating. One of the challenges for educators and youth development…

There is a growing conviction that out-of-school programs can play an important role in improving student achievement. Both government and private sources are investing in them. This report focuses on the expanding prevalence of after-school programs in California, and profiles their nature and the demands that they face. Funding has been…

By integrating community service projects and the academic curriculum, students can help their communities and put their learning into practice. Elementary school and secondary school programs in New York City, Orange (Florida), Los Angeles (California), and St. Louis (Missouri) illustrate the rewards of service projects. (SLD)

The Indian Education Program in the Osseo School District (Minnesota) serves approximately 200 American Indian students in grades K-12 from 27 schools and a variety of tribes. The Program's intergenerational approach reflects tribal traditions in that generations learn together and grandparents, parents, and students are involved in the…

The Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE), which is described in this report, is a co-curricular learning, non-profit agency offering over 16 programs to children, the elderly, special populations, and low-income residents in the Chico, California, area and in three state institutions in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Based at California…

A project entitled Relevant Experiences for Alternative Learning (Project REAL) was conducted to develop an exemplary experience-based career education program in Delaware. The project was designed to provide overall management and support staff for the program, develop the necessary instructional and curriculum materials for approximately sixty…