Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reading, Writing And Service Learning, National Helpers Network, Inc.

School K-12

Cross-age tutoring programs, like the National Helpers Network's "Helpers Promoting Literacy" model, in which middle and high school students serve as reading tutors to younger children, have been popular fixtures in many school service learning programs in recent years. Described by many as "win-win" programs because both the "tutors" and the "tutees" improve their reading skills as a result of participating, these programs are often integrated into English and language arts curricula and give students the opportunity to learn by teaching. But a look at programs throughout the nation shows that service learning practitioners are expanding on that idea and …

Service Strategies And Programs To Help Incarcerated Youth: A Training Program For Volunteers, Teresita Bolivar

Special Topics, General

For more than thirty years, AmeriCorps*VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members have been serving disadvantaged communities. The program is dedicated to increasing the capability of people to improve the conditions of their lives.

Foster Grandparents are part of the National Senior Service Corps, a network of more than a half-million seniors who are making a difference as volunteers. Since 1965 the Foster Grandparents Program has tapped the experience, skills, talents, interests and creativity of seniors age 55 and older. They serve 20 hours a week in: schools, hospitals, day care centers, homes for abused and abandoned children, Head Start, …

Service-Learning Is A Feminist Issue: Transforming Communication Pedagogy, Eleanor M. Novek

Service Learning, General

How do we "do" emancipatory feminist teaching when we have not observed it or experienced it ourselves? The author argues here that service-learning is a useful strategy for feminist communication educators to begin challenging the power relationships of traditional pedagogy. Pioneered in the 1960s and '70s, this pairing of traditional course work with community service is now used as a learning model in schools around the nation. Because service-learning allows educators to forge relational links between ourselves, our students, our neighbors, and the communities in which we live, it deserves careful consideration from feminist educators.

Guidelines For Local Calserve Evaluation Reports, California Department Of Education

Evaluation/Reflection

The 1999-2000 Guidelines for CalServe Evaluation Reports are based on the local evaluation process that was initiated in the winter of 1998. The general purpose of the guidelines is to assist each partnership in the writing of its evaluation report. The overarching questions and the content of this year's guidelines are much the same as last year's, as are the mechanisms by which each partnerships to submit information about the outcomes of service-learning for students, teachers, school.school districts, and the community.

Service Learning And Assessment: A Field Guide For Teachers, Susan Bonthron, Rick Gordon

Evaluation/Reflection

Recent advances in understanding the human brain, intelligence, and how we learn¹ indicate that successful schools need to provide
• rich, safe learning environments that address multiple realms of intelligence;
• opportunities for experiential learning to promote construction of knowledge and understanding;
• opportunities to develop both intelligence and skills through mediated learning;
• opportunities to transfer learning through reflection; and
• balanced assessment measures that include portfolios and performance assessments as well as more conventional standardized tests.

Comparing Views Of Broadcasters And Student Interns About Career Preparation, Michael L. Hilt, Jeremy Harris Lipschultz

Communication Faculty Publications

Broadcast news professionals appear to understand the value of internships as one way to train students for a career in the industry (Davie, Fleisher, & Rochiguez-Gillman, 1999). Internships have become an integral part of many journalism and broadcasting curricula. More than 95 percent of journalism and broadcasting programs report that they offer internships (Becker, 1990; Meeske, l988b). The industry's mandate that even entry-level employees should have experience in the field (Basow & Byrne, 1993· Parcells, 1985) has led colleges and universities to help place students in internships. The programs provide students an opportunity to grow in a professional environment, while …

Service-Learning And Community Service In K-12 Public Schools, Bernie Green, Rebecca Skinner, Chris Chapman

Special Topics, General

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education used the Fast Response Survey System (FRSS) to conduct the National Student Service-Learning and Community Service Survey in spring 1999. This is the first survey to provide reliable national estimates of the percentage of public elementary, middle, and high1 schools incorporating service-learning into their course curriculum, as well as providing the most recent data on school engagement in community service.

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1999 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society, Volume 3, Anming Zhang, Brent D. Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 99-7

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1999 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society, Volume 2 , Anming Zhang, Brent D. Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 99-6

The Conference Proceedings Of The 1999 Air Transport Research Group (Atrg) Of The Wctr Society, Volume 4 , Anming Zhang, Brent D. Bowen, Uno Aviation Institute

Faculty Books and Monographs

UNOAI Report 99-8

Characteristics Of Environmental Restoration, Service-Learning Projects In Selected California Watersheds, And The Perceived Gains By Participating At-Risk High School Students And Their Teachers (Volume Ii), Peter Scott Moras

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

This chapter presents conclusions drawn from the data analysis, implications for future research, and recommendations for action based on the results of the study.

The primary purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of environmental restoration service-learning projects in selected California watersheds that produced gains for at-risk high school students who were I I enrolled in the programs. A second purpose was to describe the characteristics of service-learning programs that at-risk students and their teachers perceived to be most helpful in making gains in school attendance, sense of connectedness to I I community, sense of social responsibility, sense …

Characteristics Of Environmental Restoration, Service-Learning Projects In Selected California Watersheds, And The Perceived Gains By Participating At-Risk High School Students And Their Teachers (Volume I), Peter Scott Moras

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

The number of at-risk youth in California public high schools has steadily increased over the last forty years, challenging school administrators to find I effective educational strategies to help them succeed academically and flourish I as contributing members of society. This need for effective educational options I is compounded by the demands of modern society (California Department of Education 1995) and a 1 percent annual population growth within the state (California Legislative Analyst's Office 1998).

National Service And The Internet: Building Bridges To Collaboration, Anne M. Ostberg

Service Learning, General

The national service fellow examined how Unified State Plans proposed using the Internet to facilitate collaboration, and how existing state service Web sites reflected the collaboration discussed in Unified State Plans.

Forty-eight states have Unified State Plans for National and Community Service. These plans include as partners several entities: the state commission for national and community service, the Corporation for National Service state office, the state education agency, representatives of higher education, and other representatives of volunteer and service programs. The majority of Unified State Plans (79 percent) propose using the Internet to accomplish goals toward achieving a broad vision …

Service-Learning In Social Work Education: Building Democracy Through Informed Citizenship, Ryan Tolleson Knee

Thesis, Dissertations, Student Creative Activity, and Scholarship

Longitudinal studies spanning the last three decades have indicated that incoming college students have become increasingly concerned with individual gain, competition, and materialism. This, coupled with 1996's lowest voter turnout in 70 years and declining levels of participation in civic groups are indicators that citizens are relatively uninterested in, or lack the capacity to engage in activities that strengthen the democracy. To address this concern, faculty in social work education have been encouraged to reconsider traditional pedagogy and structure curricula so community service is combined with structured reflection; commonly known as service-learning. Undergraduate social work programs typically offer community service …

Trait Anxiety As A Moderator Of Problem Structuring Effects On Solution Generation, Judith A. Wightman

Student Work

This study investigated the effects of problem structuring and anxiety on the quantity and quality of solutions generated for ill-structured, complex problems. Trait anxiety, the tendency to feel anxious across a wide variety of situations, has been shown to impair problem solving performance in certain conditions. Trait anxiety was examined as a possible moderator of the relationship between problem structuring and solution generation. Participants were 184 undergraduate psychology students. Participants completed a trait anxiety measure (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory; Spielberger, 1983) and generated solutions to an ill-structured problem, with varying levels of structuring (no objectives, one-objective-at-a-time, conflicting objectives). The quantity and …

Developmental Changes In Verbal And Imaginal Mnemonic Techniques For Serial Recall, Michelle L. Rupiper

Student Work

Children’s ability to use mnemonic techniques was investigated in first, fourth and sixth graders. Children in each age group were assigned to one of three conditions: method of loci, story mnemonic or elaborative control group. Subjects were given three recall tests. Each test was scored with and without regard to the order in which subjects recalled the words presented. Relative to the control group, both mnemonic conditions showed an advantage in memorizing lists of 20 words. However, all conditions, including the elaborative control group showed significant increases in the number of words recalled between the baseline test and recall Test …

A Kinder, Gentler Student Body, Linda Jacobson

Special Topics, General

Monica Viega describes what went on in her classroom earlier in the school year as "Jerry Springer fights." Displays of anger and incivility among the 5th graders sometimes grew so intense that furniture would get tossed across the room. But the scene in Ms. Viega's classroom no longer resembles a raucous daytime talk show. Every morning, her Blalock Elementary School students sit in a circle and discuss how they treat one another. They talk about what they see on the television news and about keeping drugs and violence out of their neighborhoods. "This amazes me," Ms. Viega, a first-year teacher, …

Service Learning: The Right Thing For The Wrong Reasons?, Gary K. Clabaugh

Special Topics, General

It is a deep and abiding truth that in helping others we help ourselves. Among the many benefits is knowledge. We learn things about others, life, and ourselves that are enriching, even ennobling.

Recruiting Male Volunteers: A Guide Based On Exploratory Research, Stephanie T. Blackman

Special Topics, General

The decision to recruit male volunteers is not one that you should make lightly. Adding men to your pool of volunteers could have a variety of implications for your program, not all of which are positive. Understanding the potential impacts of a greater number of male volunteers may add to your excitement about this cause. The same understanding, however, should also call attention to the possibility that recruitment of male volunteers may not suit your program, may generate additional work for you or your co-workers, or may harbor unforeseen consequences. Legal discrimination or organizational policy issues must also be taken …

The Progress Of Education Reform 1999-2001: Youth Violence, Suzanne Weiss

Special Topics, General

Three strategies to stem the tide of youth violence: Prenatal and infant care; small schools; and service-learning.

Missing Pieces In The Service Learning Puzzle, June R. Chapin

Special Topics, General

The increasing popularity in the schools for sponsoring service learning or community service reflects the grave concern that more has to be done to teach youth to participate in a democratic society. The declining voting turnout and the reported low involvement of adults in community groups are often cited as a need for the schools to counter the current apathy and cynicism about government and political leaders. Whether there really is a decline in civic involvement is open to question but the national debate on promoting civic education and social responsibility is reflected in state and local communities requiring students' …

Service As Learning: One School's Story, Deborah L. Bright

Special Topics, General

Cole Porter first alerted us in 1934, and three decades later, Bob Dylan reminded us: times are definitely changing. Too true. A5 we stand with one foot balanced precariously on the ledge of a new millennium, the world around us seems different almost from day to day, from moment to fleeting moment. The pace of this change quickens not arithmetically, but exponentially, and the students we see before us in our classrooms are preparing themselves to inherit from us a world we may not even recognize.

Service Learning As Democratic Action, Joel Westheimer, Joseph Kahne

Special Topics, General

It is often said that today's youth will be called on to solve tomorrow's problems. Schools provide essential preparation for this task. Despite the rhetoric, curriculum that considers the nature of social problems and ways youth might respond as citizens rarely gets center stage. Rather than focusing on ways youth might participate through democratic institutions to foster a better society, curricular discussions focus on the acquisition of academic and vocational skills. To the extent that the democratic purposes of education are raised, educators emphasize conveying knowledge regarding U.S. history and government structures and exercises in which students simulate the operations …

How Can Service-Learning Strengthen Tutoring Partnerships?, Jennifer Arndt, Bob Seidel

Service Learning, General

Tutoring is usually volunteer service done to benefit learners and their communities. Tutoring should be a partnership between tutor and student. The partnership should also include the teacher, the student's family or household, the school, the tutoring program, and other tutors and students. All of these people and institutions have an interest in the success of the tutoring endeavor. All have something to contribute and something to gain. These relationships might not always be apparent to everyone involved. But if tutoring programs see all involved as learners and teachers, they can illuminate these relationships and strengthen them.

Summary Report: National Evaluation Of Learn And Serve America, Alan Melchior, Joseph Frees, Lisa Lacava, Chris Kingsley, Jennifer Nahas, Jennifer Power, Gus Baker, John Blomquist, Anne St. George, Scott Hebert, Joann Jastrzab, Chuck Helfer, Lance Potter

Evaluation/Reflection

In 1993, the Nalional and Community Service Trust Act (PL. 103-82) established the Learn and Serve America School and Community-Based Programs to support school and Community-Based efforts to involve school-aged youth in community service. The Learn and Serve program is administered by the Corporation for National Service and funded through grants to states and national organizations, and through them to individual school districts, schools, and community organizations. In 1994-95, the first year of the program, the Corporation awarded approximately $30 million in grants supporting over 2,000 local efforts involving over 750,000 school-aged youth.

The Blossoming Of Service Learning Quality In Maryland Or "How Do We Know It's Getting Any Better?!", Luke F. Frazier

Evaluation/Reflection

It's almost 9:20 on a February morning and the parking lot at Edmondson-Westside High School is mostly quiet. Only a faint thump-thump-thump of the latest urban anthem wafts from a Nissan Sentra double-parked at the entrance. The sky threatens rain as our visiting group of Chicago educators steps from the van and hurries inside. The Chicagoans are here to examine urban service learning in all its glory. And although we have carefully selected sites for our visitors based on their reputations, I am still nervous. Nervous about the quality of what they will see. Nervous that the students won't really …

Effects Of Service Learning On Student Retention And Success, Trish Axsom, William Piland

Higher Education

Southwestern College (SWC) students who participated in service learning were significantly more likely to complete their English composition course and report greater agreement with statements about learning as it related to career and civic awareness. However, student success rates were not significantly different for service learni11g students.

African-American, Latino, And Hispanic Youth In Service Topic Bibliography, Charles C. Cook

Bibliographies

African-American, Latino, and Hispanic communities have been among the least discussed, least researched, and under-reported groups in the area of community service. Traditions of these cultures have a history of building and enriching their environments by involving youth. Over 80% of African-Americans, Latino, and Hispanic people populate the nation's 100 largest cities. Therefore African-American, Latino, and Hispanic youth who are engaged in community service are involved in strengthening and revitalizing our country's urban centers. Today organizations such as the National Urban League, ASPIRA, and the National Council of La Raza, as well as schools and local community organizations help mobilize …

Traits Of Instrumentality And Self-Concept As Related To Mathematical Ability In Pre-Adolescent Girls, Bridget Lee Toon

Student Work

This study examined whether the androgynous trait of instrumentality, (otherwise known as having an androgynous gender-type), and having a positive self-concept is related to higher mathematical ability in pre-adolescent girls in the seventh and eighth grades. Since participants were in both honors and average math classes, the additional variable of being in honors math versus regular math was also analyzed. There were 39 participants that were selected from Norris Middle School, which is in the Omaha Public School System. From these 39 participants, 18 were in honors math classes, while 21 were in regular math classes. The Piers-Harris Self-Concept scale …

Youth Teaching Youth Survey, Angela Hauer

Evaluation/Reflection

The Youth Teaching Youth workgroup surveyed Minnesota's 87 counties in February and March of 1999 (Appendix A). 68 of the 87 counties responded, 78%. Of those that responded, 44% (30) currently have 'Youth Teaching Youth' programming and 56% (38) do not. Of those that responded to the survey as currently not having 'Youth Teaching Youth' programming, 35% said that it has occurred in their county in the past. In previous years Alcohol Decisions had been done in ten counties, Project 4 Teens had been done in six counties, and Talking with TJ and Self Kare for Kids have both been …