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)

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…

Describes community-connected learning, an approach where community members become teachers and mentors in their local schools. Highlights include examples of projects; use of technology, including the Web; project-based curriculum; understanding the importance of community-responsive organizations and volunteerism; internships at local…

This article focuses on a model for incorporating academic service learning into a teacher preparation program intended to enable preservice teachers to develop an understanding of social justice and diversity through school and community relationships. Linked to the theme of knowledge construction, diffusion, and transformation, this article…

The second in a series on service-learning in the community college, this monograph presents 14 essays by community college faculty, chronicling their experiences in developing service-learning activities. Following two introductory essays describing the current status of service-learning and the purpose and organization of the monograph, the…

Based on the premise that school reform efforts must consider the needs of at-risk children, this paper discusses parallel reform efforts that focus on community service. The first part discusses logical linkages between community service and "at-risk" education and describes how Arizona is attempting to formalize these linkages within…

This curriculum guide discusses civic responsibility, how it is tied to service learning, how faculty can integrate concepts and exercises in a practical way, and how faculty can assess the development of civic responsibility in their students. Civic responsibility is defined here as active participation in the public life of a community, in an…

This volume is part of a series of 18 monographs on service learning and the academic disciplines. These essays highlight some of the benefits and problems of service-learning in the college composition curriculum and present further areas for study. Following the Introduction, "Service-Learning and Composition at the Crossroads," by…

This paper argues that service learning and learning communities can be key to student retention. Anderson (1998) argues that service learning reflects the belief that education should develop social responsibility and prepare students to be involved citizens in democratic life. Service learning blends service activities with the academic…

This booklet provides information for creating an oral history project as part of a service learning program in schools. It shares a user-friendly approach to oral histories using one practitioner's experience during several years of classroom practice and a year as a Christa McAuliffe Fellow. The following topics are discussed: (1) the richness…

This guide provides Maryland teachers with information regarding how to evaluate and improve service-learning. Seven suggested practices for school-based service learning were derived from interviews with 80 Maryland teachers actively engaging their students in service learning. These seven best practices, which might provide a framework for…

Offers a compendium of advice, case studies, teaching and organizing suggestions, and lists of resources. Addresses issues of concern to parents and educators alike such as liability, cooperation with social agencies and organizations, curriculum development and design, and locations to find instructional materials. (MJP)

Examines human qualities that undergird citizens' commitment to the common good in diverse societies, suggesting that community service fosters such qualities. Planned interactions across social barriers are necessary to develop qualities of citizenship for pluralistic nations. (SM)

Service learning can help students learn specific skills and concepts, particularly in social studies. The article examines characteristics of good middle school service learning projects, explains how to begin a project, discusses the benefits of service learning, presents an example of service learning in Wren Middle School, Piedmont (South…