A survey of 166 youth in the California Conservation Corps (CCC) examined the use of the CCC for career development. Thirty percent of those surveyed had not completed high school. About one-fourth of respondents hoped CCC would lead to a permanent career, but most had joined to develop their job skills and explore career opportunities. (TD)

Describes how "Implementing Urban Missions" mini-grants proved successful in encouraging personnel at Ohio Dominican College in Columbus to forge learning partnerships with community agencies and residents; the grants also served to identify future leaders in the ongoing implementation of the college's urban mission and leveraged support…

Inclusionary practices may appease critics, but have actually caused a decline in rigorous academic options for high achievers. Mainstreamed gifted kids have fewer chances to challenge one another. Full inclusion for all special-needs students is tomorrow's bad practice. Programs featuring flexibility, acceleration, and variety are promising…

Describes the evolution of DePaul University's (Illinois) efforts to build ties with its surrounding community through service learning and a week-long freshman immersion in issues related to Chicago. The institution's own history is chronicled briefly, and some of the inherent difficulties in establishing and sustaining meaningful community-based…

This article defines service learning and describes service learning as a distinct pedagogy from field-based professional programs. Fundamental components of service learning courses and guidelines for developing, implementing, and evaluating service learning courses in special education programs for majors and non-majors are presented. (Contains…

This article discusses the importance of affective education in fostering emotional development and leadership skills, interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences, and the affective needs of gifted and talented students. The teacher's role in integrating an affective component in the curriculum is described and strategies are provided, including…

Scholars recently have called for a more civic-based approach to education. In this article, we report on the use of a civic participation exercise in a large public speaking class. The assignment guides students to employ concepts from the course to organize a community event designed to productively affect a specific civic cause. Gaining…

The purpose of this case study was to examine the effects of a code-based reading tutorial in English for eight beginning at-risk readers who were English learners (ELs) and for their preservice teacher-tutors. Eight undergraduate preservice special education teachers tutored the ELs twice weekly for a total of 15 hr to fulfill a required service…

"Ivy-clad towers" in academia still exist today and always, they require their students to spend considerable time in community service to learn about social justice. The poor almost seem to exist so that academics can study them or so that university students can elevate their own consciousness by serving them for a short period. As…

Service-learning classes taught by professional middle school counselors and teachers can help middle school students meet comprehensive guidance program goals related to academic/learning development, life/career development, personal/social development, and multicultural/global citizenship. An example is provided of a service-learning class…

Prior to graduating from high school, the vast majority of youth in the United States will take part in at least one community service activity. Although it is frequently assumed that community service is inherently beneficial to those that take part, the activities and processes of youth service programs tend to be unsystematic and vary widely.…

Teachers and other school staff are overwhelmed with myriad concerns. As a result, many view positive youth development as just "one more thing" to add to an already full plate. This article assists educators in understanding how positive youth development (PYD) is inherent in good educational practice, and does not have to be one more thing.…

When university Spanish programs integrate a service learning pedagogy into their curriculum, they establish mutually beneficial relationships with the local Latino population. Indeed, all participants benefit: College Spanish students deepen their learning experience, Latino students in public school ESL programs receive individualized tutoring,…

Since 1999, pre-service teachers undertaking the Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) Program at the University of Western Sydney have participated in an alternate practicum called Professional Experience 3 (PE3). This practicum encourages students to engage in broader educational settings within local communities. Increasingly, a number of…

This article outlines one potential model for a graduate-level course in community literacy studies. Ellen Cushman and Jeffery Grabill taught this course for the first time at Michigan State University in the spring of 2007. In this article our colleagues with varying disciplinary backgrounds reflect on the course, its readings, and their…