Community Service

1
Community Service Service-Learning
Differences, Evidence Quality

• Shelley H. Billig, Ph.D.
• RMC Research Corporation
• 2008

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Activity 1 Describing the Situation

• Turn to your neighbor and paint a written,
  verbal, artistic, or other picture of a
  disengaged student.
• Describe
• how you can tell that the young person is
  disengaged, using at least some of the senses,
  e.g., what does the person look like? what does
  the person sound like? how does the person feel?
  
• What are the key cues to notice?

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Activity 2 5 Whys

• Team with another person. Describe your
  disengaged student. Then ask the question
• Why is the student disengaged?
• No matter what the answer is, ask why again.
• Repeat three more times see if you can
  determine the root cause of the disengagement.

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Common Answers From the Research

• Lack of challenge (too easy)
• Lack of success (too hard)
• Lack of relevance (cant see the point)
• Lack of relationships (dont care about the
  people)
• Lack of value in what is being learned (dont
  care about the information)
• Other factors are interfering (e.g., safety,
  hunger, lack of sleep)

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Some Facts About Engagement in the United States
(Steinberg, 1996)

• Over a third of students do not take school
  seriously and get through the day by fooling
  around with classmates
• Half said their classes were boring
• Two-thirds say they cheated on a school test
• 90 copied homework from someone else
• 80 say it is not important to get good grades in
  school
• 20 say they do not try hard in school because
  they are worried what their friends may think
• 20 say disengagement is a result of confusion or
  difficulty of subject matter, particularly in
  math and science.

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Engagement Research

• Ames, (1992), Strong, et. al., (1995) and
  Anderman and Midgley, (1998) show that teachers
  who are most successful in engaging students
  develop activities that address intellectual and
  psychological needs, including work that
• develops their sense of competency
• encourages self-expression and originality
• allows them to develop connections with others
  and
• gives them some degree of autonomy.

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Engagement Research (continued)

• Other researchers (Brewster Fager, 20007)
  recommend
• Ensure course materials relate to students lives
  and highlight ways learning can be applied in
  real-life situations (Lumsden, 1994 Skinner and
  Belmont, 1991)
• Help students feel that schoolwork is
  significant, valuable, and worthy of their
  efforts (Policy Studies Associates, 1995)
• Allow students to have some degree of control
  over learning (Brooks, et. al., 1998)

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Engagement Research (continued)

• Assign challenging but achievable tasks for all
  students. Tasks that seem impossible and those
  that are rote and repetitive discourage learners
  (Dev, 1997 Policy Studies Associates, 1995)
• Stimulate students curiosity about the topic
  being studied (Strong, Silver, and Robinson,
  1995)
• Design projects that allow students to share new
  knowledge with others. Projects are more
  engaging when students share what they are
  learning in reciprocal relationships, as in
  collaborative projects where each students
  knowledge is needed by others in the group to
  complete an assignment (Strong, Silver, and
  Robinson, 1995) and
• Develop caring and trust between teachers and
  students (Nodding, 2000 36).

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Community Service Connected to Education

• Community service - Students perform actions in
  the community to benefit the community in some
  way.
• Mandatory service Students must perform
  community service or face penalties, including
  denial of graduation
• Service is mandatory in some states and cities in
  the U.S. (e.g., Maryland, Atlanta), but many now
  mandate service-learning rather than service
  (e.g., Philadelphia Chicago).

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Service-Learning

• Service-learning is an instructional approach
  whereby students learn important learning
  objectives as they address a genuine community
  need.
• .

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By definition, K-12 service-learning

• is linked to curriculum and content standards
• is a structured experience that includes
  planning, action, and reflection (at a minimum)
• brings the community experience back into the
  classroom to be placed in context and
• is often explicitly and intentionally linked to
  other important outcomes such as character
  development, civic engagement, and career
  exploration.

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Research on Community Service

• Mixed for both voluntary and mandatory service.
• Generally found positive impacts on later
  volunteering social responsibility caring and
  trust.
• Appears to be generational, with more recent
  studies (of Millennials) finding more positive
  outcomes than studies of young people in the 80s
  and 90s (Gen X and Gen Y).

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Some Sample Studies

• Metz and Youniss (2003) studied a Boston school
  before and after mandate for service was passed.
  Found that those who were predisposed to service
  made and retain gains those who were not
  predisposed to service made greater gains and
  sustained ethic of service over time.
• Planty, Bozick, and Regnier (2006) found all
  students sustained ethic of service two years
  after completion of service, but those who served
  voluntarily sustained commitment more often over
  time.

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Community Service Research

• Body of research shows that three variables
  appear to make the most difference, and these
  differences superseded the variable of mandatory
  v. voluntary. The variables were
• Structure of the programming how it was planned
  and delivered (related to social development and
  commitment to community)
• Role of the community organization determines
  whether the experience was meaningful and
  supportive, both of which predict outcomes
• Opportunity to share experiences and identify
  learning or character development outcomes
  (making results visible).
• See, McLellan Youniss, 2007 Stukas Dunlap,
  2002 Loupe, 2002 Foster Meinhard, 1999

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Common Impacts of High Quality Service-Learning
on Students/Youth

• Increase in academic engagement including
  affective, behavioral, and cognitive
• Increase in valuing school
• Increase in academic achievement
• Increase in social-emotional outcomes such as
  resilience, managing conflict, respect for
  diversity and character development (caring,
  bonding, social responsibility)
• Increase in civic outcomes including knowledge,
  skills, and dispositions.

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Sample Studies Test Scores

• High school students in service-learning in
  Philadelphia scored higher on state reading
  achievement tests than nonparticipants (Billig
  Jesse, in press)
• Writing and Social Studies scores on the Michigan
  Educational Achievement Program higher for 5th
  grade service-learning students than for
  comparison group no differences in scores for
  grades 7 or 8 (Billig, 2003)
• Math achievement scores on Metropolitan
  Achievement Test statistically higher for
  students randomly assigned to service-learning
  group than for students in control
  (non-service-learning group). (Santmire, Giraud,
  and Grosskopt, 1999)
• Gains in students reading and language arts
  scores on California Test of Basic Skills
  significantly higher for students participating
  in service-learning. (Weiler et al., 1998)

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Sample Studies Other Academic

• The attendance rates among service-learning
  students were higher than peers at the school who
  did not participate in service-learning.
  (Shaffer, 1993 Melchior and Orr, 1995)
• Florida schools that offered service-learning
  showed a rise in overall student attendance rates
  over a three-year period. (Follman, 1999)
• Middle and high school students participating in
  service-learning showed higher learning of math
  content than comparison group. (Melchior, 1999)
• High school students who served as tutors as part
  of a service-learning program were less likely to
  drop out of school than comparable students not
  participating in the program. (Supik, 1996)

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Sample Studies Character and Civic Outcomes

• Philadelphia service-learning middle and high
  school students had significantly higher scores
  than nonparticipating peers on resilience
  prosocial behaviors and citizenship (Billig
  Jesse, 2006 2007 Billig, Jesse Grimley, in
  press Billig, Jesse Brodersen, in press)
• Wisconsin studies showed growth in all areas
  measured (next two slides)

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WI Learn and Serve Overall Results for Grades 3-5
Service-Learning Student Subscale Increases
20
Overall Results for Grades 6-12
Service-Learning Student Subscale Increases WI
Learn and Serve
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Many more studies available

• See the impacts summary.

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Canadas Conclusions

• What does seem clear from the research is that
  the distinction between mandatory community
  service and service-learning is more than one of
  semantics. Without the features that distinguish
  service-learning from mandatory community
  service, the latter seems far less likely to
  generate intended outcomes. There are important
  lessons in the research literature that point to
  how programs ought to be developed and
  structured, and program structure is the only
  variable that seems to consistently influence
  success. Graff, 2006, p. 17 (Volunteering and
  Mandatory Community Service Choice-Incentive-Coer
  cion-Obligation)

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Overall service-learning does better than
community servicebut outcomes are provisional

• Research showed repeatedly that without high
  quality, there was limited student benefit.

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What is Quality?

• Research studies within service-learning
  identified key variables by testing Essential
  Elements and other hypotheses
• Variables were compared to those in the greater
  body of research on what works in education
• Expert practitioners tuned the variables into
  statements of standards and indicators
• Results were compared back to the literature to
  ensure they were supported, measurable, and
  actionable.

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New Standards for High Quality Service-Learning
Practice

• Duration and intensity
• Link to curriculum
• Mutually beneficial partnerships
• Meaningful service
• Youth voice
• Diversity
• Reflection
• Progress monitoring.

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Service-Learning Components

• Investigating a Community Issue Through Research
  and Community Needs Assessments
• Planning the Ways Students Will Address the Issue
• Action Performing the Service Activity
• Reflection Thinking About Impact on Others and
  Self, What Worked and What Did Not, Relationship
  of Oneself to the World
• Demonstration Showing Impact on Others and Self
• Celebration of Impact

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Duration and Intensity

• Standard
• Service-learning has sufficient duration and
  intensity to address community needs and meet
  specified outcomes.

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Duration and Intensity Indicators

• Service-learning experiences include the
  processes of investigation of community needs,
  preparation for service, action, reflection,
  demonstration of learning and impacts, and
  celebration.
• Service-learning is conducted during concentrated
  blocks of time across a period of several weeks
  or months.
• Service-learning provides enough time to address
  identified community needs and achieve learning
  outcomes.

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Link to Curriculum

• Standard
• Service-learning is intentionally used as an
  instructional strategy to meet learning goals
  and/or content standards.

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Link to Curriculum Indicators

• Service-learning has clearly articulated learning
  goals.
• Service-learning is aligned with the academic
  and/or programmatic curriculum.
• Service-learning helps participants learn how to
  transfer knowledge and skills from one setting to
  another.
• Service-learning that takes place in schools is
  formally recognized in school board policies and
  student records.

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Partnership

• Standard
• Service-learning partnerships are collaborative,
  mutually beneficial, and address community needs.

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Partnership Indicators

• Service-learning involves a variety of partners,
  including youth, educators, families, community
  members, community-based organizations, and/or
  businesses.
• Service-learning partnerships are characterized
  by frequent and regular communication to keep all
  partners well-informed about activities and
  progress.
• Service-learning partners collaborate to
  establish a shared vision and set common goals to
  address community needs.

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Partnership Indicators (continued)

• Service-learning partners collaboratively develop
  and implement action plans to meet specified
  goals.
• Service-learning partners share knowledge and
  understanding of school and community assets and
  needs, and view each other as valued resources.

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Meaningful Service

• Standard
• Service-learning actively engages participants in
  meaningful and personally relevant service
  activities.

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Meaningful Service Indicators

• Service-learning experiences are appropriate to
  participant ages and developmental abilities.
• Service-learning addresses issues that are
  personally relevant to the participants.
• Service-learning provides participants with
  interesting and engaging service activities.
• Service-learning encourages participants to
  understand their service experiences in the
  context of the underlying societal issues being
  addressed.
• Service-learning leads to attainable and visible
  outcomes that are valued by those being served.

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Youth Voice

• Standard
• Service-learning provides youth with a strong
  voice in planning, implementing, and evaluating
  service-learning experiences with guidance from
  adults.

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Youth Voice Indicators

• Service-learning engages youth in generating
  ideas during the planning, implementation, and
  evaluation processes.
• Service-learning involves youth in the
  decision-making process throughout the
  service-learning experiences.
• Service-learning involves youth and adults in
  creating an environment that supports trust and
  open expression of ideas.
• Service-learning promotes acquisition of
  knowledge and skills to enhance youth leadership
  and decision-making.
• Service-learning involves youth in evaluating the
  quality and effectiveness of the service-learning
  experience.

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Diversity

• Standard
• Service-learning promotes understanding of
  diversity and mutual respect among all
  participants.

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Diversity Indicators

• Service-learning helps participants identify and
  analyze different points of view to gain
  understanding of multiple perspectives.
• Service-learning helps participants develop
  interpersonal skills in conflict resolution and
  group decision-making.
• Service-learning helps participants actively seek
  to understand and value the diverse backgrounds
  and perspectives of those offering and receiving
  service.
• Service-learning encourages participants to
  recognize and overcome stereotypes.

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Reflection

• Standard
• Service-learning incorporates multiple
  challenging reflection activities that are
  ongoing and that prompt deep thinking and
  analysis about oneself and ones relationship to
  society.

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Reflection Indicators

• Service-learning reflection includes a variety of
  verbal, written, artistic, and nonverbal
  activities to demonstrate understanding and
  changes in participants knowledge, skills,
  and/or attitudes.
• Service-learning reflection occurs before,
  during, and after the service experience.
• Service-learning reflection prompts participants
  to think deeply about complex community problems
  and alternative solutions.

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Reflection Indicators (continued)

• Service-learning reflection encourages
  participants to examine their preconceptions and
  assumptions in order to explore and understand
  their roles and responsibilities as citizens.
• Service-learning reflection encourages
  participants to examine a variety of social and
  civic issues related to their service-learning
  experience so that participants understand
  connections to public policy and civic life.

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Progress Monitoring

• Standard
• Service-learning engages participants in an
  ongoing process to assess the quality of
  implementation and progress toward meeting
  specified goals, and uses results for improvement
  and sustainability.

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Progress Monitoring Indicators

• Collect evidence of progress toward meeting
  specific service goals and learning outcomes from
  multiple sources throughout the service-learning
  experience.
• Collect evidence of the quality of
  service-learning implementation from multiple
  sources throughout the service-learning
  experience.
• Use evidence to improve service-learning
  experiences.
• Communicate evidence of progress toward goals and
  outcomes with the broader community, including
  policy-makers and education leaders, to deepen
  service-learning understanding and ensure that
  high quality practices are sustained.

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What Next?

• Support through professional development
• Support through assessment
• Support through research
• Support through policy
• Support through certification
• Support through exemplars

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Resources

• Research papers and standards
• www.nylc.org/standards
• Research summaries, lesson bank, standards
• National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
• www.servicelearning.org
• Questions/answers
• billig_at_rmcdenver.com