Describes a brief, pre-internship, observation assignment that has increased student awareness and provided some of the same benefits as internships. Finds that student reactions and other data support pre-internships as an effective learning tool. Concludes that pre-internships are most beneficial when used in combination with long-term,…

A principal with a facilitative leadership style explains how his high school in Colorado Springs transformed itself from undesirable to noteworthy via required community service, partnerships with businesses, participative governance, and positive media relations. Staff sought grants and outside resources to fund the transformation. (MLH)

Describes service-learning program with opportunities for students to make a difference. Notes four core areas of the service-learning model: (1) preparation, including identifying, choosing and planning activities; (2) action; (3) reflection, both individual and group; and (4) recognition, both individual and group. (LBT)

Service-learning is a pedagogy that promotes an action research philosophy in early childhood teacher education. Components of meaningful service-learning programs include: (1) clear interrelation with academic goals of the course; (2) student participation in the assessment process; (3) students and faculty becoming part of the community to be…

Students participating in Need in Deed's "My Voice" program perform community service while engaging in a self-discovery process. Exercises focus on what kids care about, what they would like to change, and five social issues they would like to study and report on to others. (MLH)

This article describes using service learning to provide inclusive community-based instruction and functional skills training to students with disabilities. The history of service learning, types of service, and components of service learning are addressed, and a case study of service learning in an inclusive classroom is provided. (Author/CR)

An oral history project on the coal mining heritage of southwest Virginia's New River Valley developed from a partnership between Radford University and a grassroots community group interested in cultural preservation. Publication products, benefits to participating college students, and reasons for the project's success are discussed. Contains 26…

This article poses three scenarios for national personnel preparation initiatives that would parallel the structure of the former Deans' Grants: a national initiative on the intersection of disability and diversity, a national initiative on school-university partnerships and disability, and a national initiative on service learning and disability.…

Offers solutions for faculty working to educate colleagues and administrators to support their use of service learning or who want to access campus resources and support for service learning. Discusses solutions to challenges such as "We already do that,""It takes too much time and effort," and "We're not here to teach…

Describes a service learning project in which students addressed the public health problem of rural sanitation in Alabama, which is related to socio-economic status, by researching, designing, and constructing a pit latrine. Focuses on four levels of inquiry and resolution (the social problem, developing and implementing an intervention strategy,…

In three related studies, (1) a corporation gave management students a workplace problem for solution; (2) management students conducted a service-learning project in the nonprofit sector; and (3) students consulted on a small business supervisory problem. Experiential learning resulted in more student satisfaction, higher realism, and greater…

Oakland High School's Lady Wildcats basketball team has three goals: winning the league, qualifying seniors for the University of California, and serving the community. Academic study tables are key. Schools' sports culture can be changed by supporting and training coaches, supporting teams, and setting higher standards (MLH)

Educating newcomers to help themselves provides the knowledge and security they will need to function better in the community, but it can also be a learning experience for students. This article describes an integrated curriculum at Community High School in West Chicago, Illinois, that combines Spanish native speaking (SNS) students and child…

Continuing a decade-long trend, findings from recent annual surveys of first-year college students have documented their participation in community service as high-school seniors at record high levels (Higher Education Research Institute, 1999, 2000, 2001). Eighty-one percent of the 2000 respondents reported volunteering during senior year,…

A Head Start volunteer project was designed for a college-level child development course and implemented in three different sections of the class across two semesters. Overall, 70 students participated (65 females and 5 males) with assessment data collected from student volunteers and Head Start teachers and administrators. Students reported a…