Federal Work-Study Community Service: a Win-Win Opportunity for Colleges, Students, and Communities

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(No Transcript)
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Federal Work-Study Community Service a Win-Win
Opportunity for Colleges, Students, and
Communities

• Presenters
• Bob Davidson
• Senior Advisor to the Director,
• Learn and Serve America, Corporation for National
  and Community Service
• Eryn Pearson
• Student Employment Coordinator
• Seattle University

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Workshop Learning Objectives

• Understand how Federal Work-Study (FWS) can and
  should be More than Financial Aid.
• Understand the benefits of FWS community service
  to students, colleges and communities.
• Identify opportunities and challenges in
  developing or expanding FWS community service
  partnerships.
• Leave with effective practice principles and
  tools for developing or expanding a FWS community
  service program.

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Different Formsof College Student Service

• Episodic/ co-curricular service activities
  (faith-based, fraternal, etc.)
• Service-learning (service integrated with
  courses)
• Internships, practicum, co-op ed.
• Work-Study community service
• Federal Work-Study
• State Work-Study
• Campus employment

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Federal Work-Study and Community Service

• Introduction to Federal Work-Study (FWS)
• FWS is a campus-based student aid program
  college financial aid office has significant
  discretion
• A multi-purpose program Not just financial aid
• FWS program purposes
• support college access by financially needy
  students
• provide community service opportunities, and
  develop students sense of civic responsibility
• support of students academic programs/ career
  goals
• source of taxpayer subsidized labor for colleges?
  (NOT a stated purpose but colleges are eligible
  employers)

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Higher Education ActCommunity Service Purpose

• to encourage students receiving Federal student
  financial assistance to participate in community
  service activities that will benefit the Nation
  and engender in the students a sense of social
  responsibility and commitment to the community.

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Community Services Definition

• identified by an institution of higher
  education
• through formal or informal consultation with
  local nonprofit, government, and community-based
  organizations
• as designed to improve the quality of life for
  residents, particularly low-income individuals,
  or to solve particular problems related to their
  needs,
• including such fields as health care, child
  care, literacy training, education, welfare,
  social services, transportation, housing

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FWS Institutional and Student Participation

• 3,300 higher ed institutions all sectors
• FWS Student participation 810,000
• Undergrads, plus graduate students
• Average award 1,447
• Average 11 hours/ week
• Students participating in FWS Community Service
  128,000
• National FWS Community service percentage (of
  Federal funding) 15.75

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Federal Work-Study 101

• Financial matching 25 employer/ 75 federal
  government (in general)
• Award amounts and wage rates set by schools
  Federal minimum wage applies
• Institutional allocation formula based on
  relative aggregate student need, with base
  guarantee linked to historic funding level
• Annual institutional application, allocation,
  re-allocation
• Administrative allowance (can cover community
  service admin. costs) generally 5 of Federal
  allocation.
• Schools assure non-displacement of regular
  institutional employees
• Schools assure that FWS jobs are to the extent
  practicable supportive of students academic
  programs or career goals

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FWS Community Service Features

• 7 community service requirement
• Waiver of institutional match (100 Federal
  funding) for reading and math tutors (America
  Reads and America Counts initiatives)
• Reduced matching (10 instead of 25) for needy
  nonprofits
• Travel and training hours covered by FWS pay
• Required notice to students re com service jobs
• Reallocation of unused funds for community
  service
• Job Location and Development Program

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Federal Work-Study Community Service Funding
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FWS Community Service Funding and Recipients
Growth
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FWS History and Trends

• FWS created by President Johnsons Economic
  Opportunity Act of 1964 (War on Poverty) first
  appropriation 57 million. Senate Report
  emphasis on anti-poverty community service by
  recipients.
• 1996 Heritage Foundation recommends zero
  funding President Clinton challenges colleges
  devote 50 to community service and launches
  America Reads waiver for reading tutors
• 1997 200 million appropriation increase in one
  year
• 1998 Community service requirement raised 5
  to 7 1998
• 2002 1.1 billion appropriation -- high-water
  mark
• 2004 President Bush challenges colleges devote
  50 to community service

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FWS Study FindingsEducation Department 1997-98
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FWS Study Findings Education Department 1997-98
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FWS Study FindingsEducation Department 1997-98

• Student appreciation of FWS Community Service
  jobs
• 88 would take such jobs in future
• 85 felt job provided interesting assignments
• 81 felt FWS job would stimulate future service
• Relationship to academic studies and performance
• 62 felt jobs supported academics or career goals
• Of these, 68 felt jobs had positive effect on
  their academic performance

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FWS Study FindingsEducation Department 1997-98

• Obstacles to FWS community service
• Awareness problem 14 of non-community service
  FWS students not aware of community service
  option
• Scheduling around courses
• Job location/ transportation problems
• Limited availability of community service jobs
  (11 of FWS non-community service students found
  all community service jobs already taken)

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Institutional Dataon FWS community service
2004-05 Reports

• Overall, 15.75 of FWS funds spent on community
  service, a decline from 15.89 in previous year
  first decline in history.
• Little variance in community service rates across
  institutional sectors
• Poor-performing schools 343 schools failed to
  meet 7 statutory requirement. Only 25 had
  Secretarial waivers.
• High-performing schools 22 of schools spent 20
  or more on community service
• Top-performing schools 163 schools had community
  service rates above 40
• For a complete listing of institutions and rates,
  go to www.nationalservice.org/about/volunteering/f
  ederal.asp and scroll down to Federal Work-Study
  program.

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Benefits to Studentsof Work-Study Community
Service

• Maximize use of time
• combine need to earn tuition with opportunity for
  community service and academic/ career-building
  experience
• Learn new, career-relevant skills
• Develop interpersonal and leadership skills
• Build a contacts network
• Career exploration strengthen resume
• Apply academic learning to real world problems
• Develop citizenship skills and habits

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Benefits to Colleges/Universitiesof Work-Study
Community Service

• Add real world focus to academic and student
  affairs programs, strengthen service-learning
• Strengthen campus-community relationships and
  partnerships
• Good public relations/ media exposure
• Help in recruiting students
• Help in retaining students

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Benefits to Community Organizationsof
Work-Study Community Service

• Affordable, reliable workers
• Available for longer periods of time than
  traditional volunteers or service-learning
  students
• Often with special skills and knowledge needed by
  agency
• Available for both direct service and admin./
  coordination
• Relationship with the college/ university can
  extend to other areas and improved access to
  college resources

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Challengesof Work-Study Community Service

• Meeting required employer matching requirement
• Need adequate staff to monitor students,
  coordinate projects, establish and nurture
  college/ community agency partner relationships
• Paperwork/ regulations/ reporting
• Paid students and true volunteers working
  together can create friction
• Competition with on-campus departments desire
  for Federally subsidized workers

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Seattle Univ. process for new FWS community
agency partnerships

• Outreach to community service agencies (may
  involve contacts between FWS/Student Aid Office/
  Student Employment Coordinator, community
  agency, student, campus department)
• Determine whether the agency is suitable, is
  addressing real community needs, and can provide
  appropriate experiences for FWS students
• Complete needed paperwork with community agency
  contract, form W-9, Job Description and
  supplement, program description
• Community agency approved hire paperwork and
  timesheets sent to agency.
• Post positions-- to recruit FWS students.

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Steps that can expand Federal Work-Study
community service programs

• Advertise/ market FWS community service
  opportunities to current and incoming/
  prospective students.
• Market/ outreach to local community service
  agencies
• Use Job Location/ Development staff to coordinate
  and trouble-shoot
• Coordinate with academic programs/ departments
  that have internship requirements (education,
  nursing, medicine, law, engineering, social work,
  public administration)
• Coordinate with co-curricular service
  (faith-based, etc.)
• Integrate with Service-Learning courses
• Integrate with AmeriCorps Ed Award Only programs
• Clarify understandings of FWS policies/ debunk
  myths

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FWS Community Service Policy Myths and
Misunderstandings

• On-campus jobs are not allowed (fact not true.
  Depends on purpose/ function of the job)
• FWS students must provide direct services (fact
  they can coordinate/ do admin work)
• FWS community service jobs are limited by the
  college (possible, but usually not true)
• FWS students cant earn course credit for time
  they earn FWS salaries (fact depends on school
  policy)
• FWS students cant earn AmeriCorps ed awards for
  same service hours (fact they canwithin program
  limits)

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FWS CS Policy Myths and Misunderstandings,
continued

• Transportation and training costs cant be met
  with FWS funds (true, but the time spent in
  training or travel may be paid for as part of FWS
  salaries
• FWS students cant work for government agencies
  (fact they can)
• FWS students must work during the school term
  (fact summer/ between term work is allowed, even
  promoted by some colleges)
• FWS students cant earn more than the Federal
  minimum wage (fact they can limits set by the
  college)

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Partnership StrategiesWorking With Higher
Education

• Identify a campus contact person
• Community Service (or similar) office
• Financial Aid or Student Employment office
• Education department
• Who else do you personally know?
• Prepare clear position descriptions
• identify needed skills and knowledge, identify
  skills, knowledge, experience that will be
  gained, and potential relationship with academic
  programs/ career goals

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Partnership StrategiesWorking With Higher
Education - continued

• Emphasize positive program qualities
• Quality supervision/ relationships with students
• Meaningful work addressing significant community
  needs
• Student learning and career exploration
  experiences
• Opportunities for student voice/ reflection
• Educate the campus re FWS community service
• Patience and persistence!

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Principles of Best Practicein Work-Study
Community Service (Developed by Erin Bowley and
Marsha Adler-- available at www.cacampuscompact.or
g)

• Integrate FWS community service program into the
  institutions mission and academic or
  co-curricular programs.
• Create program goals and an evaluation plan to
  measure progress.
• Create a formal structure to provide oversight,
  coordination, and optimal use of resources and
  capacityat both college and community agency.

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Principles of Best Practicein Work-Study
Community Service

• Offer a range of community service positions that
  are challenging, developmentally appropriate, and
  clearly contribute to real community needs.
• Actively and effectively market FWS community
  service/ internship opportunities to students.
• Ensure students receive a thorough orientation,
  are properly trained, and have opportunities for
  reflection and for connections to academic study
  and potential careers as encouraged in HEA.

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Principles of Best Practicein Work-Study
Community Service

• Contribute to student success through effective
  supervision and recognition of student
  contributions.
• Create college/ community agency partnerships
  built on trusting relationships, joint design and
  evaluation
• Prepare community partner supervisors to be
  effective in their role through a clear
  orientation, training as needed, and recognition
  of their contributions.
• Adhere to the spirit and specific rules of FWS
  program both statutory and U.S. Department of
  Education regulations.

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Support from the Corporation for National and
Community Service

• AmeriCorps Education Awards
• As grant or as student loan repayment.
• Ed Award Only program available to members while
  in college
• AmeriCorps State and National grants members
  may be college students and FWS recipientswhile
  earning Ed Awards
• AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to
  America) some 300
• VISTAs serve as college student service
  coordinators
• Learn and Serve America -- Higher Education
  grants participants
• may also be FWS recipients.
• Senior Corps/ RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteers
  Program) over 2,000 serve as college student
  volunteer coordinators
• Presidents Higher Education Community Service
  Honor Roll

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Additional Resources onWork-Study Community
Service

• Campus Compact Resources for higher education
  institutions striving to develop or improve their
  programs
• www.compact.org/national/FWS
• Frequently Asked Questions about Federal
  Work-Study and Community Service
• Provided by the Corporation for National and
  Community Service. www.nationalservice.org/areads/
  FWS/fwsfaq.htmlSERVICE
• Expanding Federal Work-Study and Community
  Service Opportunities
• Provided by the U.S. Department of Education with
  ideas for campuses incorporating community
  service into Federal Work-Study programs. Please
  visit http//www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/pubs/WorkStudy
  /.
• Federal Student Aid Handbook (for Financial Aid
  Professionals) Provided by the U.S. Deptartment
  of Education
• www.ifap.ed.gov/IFAPWebApp/currentSFAHandbooksPag.
  jsp
• Guidance on the relationship between AmeriCorps
  benefits and financial aid eligibility
• www.americorps.org/members/resource/education/bene
  fits.html
• National Student Employment Association
• The Work Book provides detailed information on
  work-study regulations and programs
• (no www) nseastudemp.org/publications.asp

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Resources for Literacy Programs

• LEARNS
• Provides technical assistance to Corporation for
  National Service and Federal Work-Study projects
  focused on literacy and education. Call them at
  1-800-930-5664 or 1-800-361-7890 or visit their
  website at http//www.nwrel.org/learns.
• Growing a Volunteer Tutor Program Engaging
  Communities to Support Schools
• Available from LEARNS (see above for their phone
  number and website).
• The National Service Resource Center (NSRC) is a
  clearinghouse for information on national service
  programs. Literacy resources may be found at
  http//www.etr.org/NSRC/amreads.html
• On the Road to Reading A Guide for Community
  Partners
• For tutoring children pre-school through grade 3.
  Available for download on National Service
  Resource Centers website (www.etr.org/nsrc).
  Also see Reading Partners at this website.
• Resources for Math and Reading Tutoring Programs
  Updated and expanded resource list for national
  service and federal work-study tutoring programs.
  Includes free publications, videos and websites
  www.etr.org/NSRC/pdfs/arlist/pdf