In service learning, students learn skills and apply their knowledge while addressing an identified community need. Service learning is especially powerful in special education as students with disabilities are allowed the opportunity to give, instead of receive, help and support, and therefore gain independence and self-esteem. This article…

Service learning is a form of experiential learning designed to engage students, faculty, and community partners in a mutually beneficial experience. Specifically, it "is a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflects on the service activity…

Discusses the work the author did at the Children's Museum of the Arts with a parents' group with the intention of creating a healing place within the SoHo community after the September 11th attacks. Examples of the art produced, comments made by participants, and suggestions made to these parents concerning their own healing and that of their…

This study is a survey of the town of Springfield, Vermont and an evaluation of its library resources and services developed as Phase II of the Institute on Developing Dynamic Public Library Services Responsive to Community Needs. Long range plans were developed to meet discovered community needs and techniques learned from participation in the…

This paper explores what service-learning is and how it is intended to benefit both the community and the student participants. Service-learning is a combination of community service and experiential education. The primary goal is providing for a community need, even as the experiential education aspect advances student learning and academic…

Service-learning in the mathematics curriculum provides a rich opportunity for students to learn while contributing to their communities. Service-learning in higher education integrates community service with academic instruction. Students participate in organized curricular projects, such as tutoring middle-school math students, while enhancing…

Emerging community issues and concerns were identified in focus groups of 104 Defiance County (Ohio) citizens and survey responses from 180 of 380 households. The research demonstrated the usefulness of capacity assessment as a participatory process in which community members are actively involved in identifying community assets as well as…

New Mexico Cooperative Extension Service home economics agents rated perceived technical knowledge and client needs for 144 family and consumer sciences concepts. Six areas in which they needed more training were identified: gerontology, health, employment, parenting, family dynamics, and child development. (SK)

Examples of creative programming to meet community needs in State College, Pennsylvania, are described: summer arts and crafts for K-6, intensive English courses for Russian refugees, brown-bag parent education seminars for employees of a local business, and a summer reading initiative. (SK)

This study addresses the fundamental question, "Are Kentucky's public community and technical colleges training enough students with the relevant skills to fill job openings in Kentucky's middle-skill jobs?" By examining student interests in occupational programs, labor market demand for trained middle-skill employees, and their…

The "Core Indicators of Effectiveness Report" delineates the performance of Wyoming's community colleges as measured by the 14 indicators set forth by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and adopted by the seven Wyoming community colleges and the Wyoming Community College Commission in 2002. These indicators, while…

Although medical education has long recognized the importance of community service, most medical schools have not formally nor fully incorporated service learning into their curricula. To address this problem, we describe the initial design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a service-learning project within a first-year medical…

Although the phrase "holistic approach" is increasingly used in reference to vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, there appears to be a paucity of literature which extensively conceptualises or details its practical application. Existing references to an "holistic approach" appear indicative of an integrated…

Historically, American institutions of higher learning have embraced community service as a necessary component of students' learning experiences. Recent initiatives through the Corporation for National and Community Service emphasize the idea that civic responsibility is an important element of an adequate education at all levels of learning. In…

An important part of a community strategy to reduce substance abuse is a communications plan. The plan is meant to guide efforts as the targeted message is communicated and information is disseminated. Part 1 of this paper provides an introduction to the basics of a communications plan and helps providers think about different ways to get the…