Published on Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning clearinghouse
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse has prepared this service-learning media guide with brief answers to frequently asked questions about service-learning. We are also happy to assist journalists by providing more detailed information on service-learning or on specific related topics or access to experts in the field. Call the Clearinghouse toll-free at 866-245-SERV (7378) or email .
- What is service-learning?
- What are the goals of service-learning?
- How does service-learning differ from community service or volunteering?
- Who are the partners with the community in service-learning?
- Can service-learning occur in community based settings?
- What are some examples of service-learning projects?
- Is service-learning a new idea?
- What do we know about the impacts of service-learning?
- What is Learn and Serve America?
- Where are current Learn and Serve America projects?
- What is the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse?
- Who are the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse expert advisors?
- What is the Corporation for National and Community Service?
- How many college students do service-learning in the United States? How many universities offer service-learning for their students?
- How many K-12 students do service-learning in the United States? How many schools offer service-learning for their students?
- How many states require service-learning for graduation from High School?
- Where is research on service-learning published?
- Where can I find information on other service-learning organizations?
- What advocacy groups are promoting service-learning?
- Where can I find information on service-learning conferences and events?
- What are some of the awards and recognitions in the field of service-learning?
- How can I get individual assistance with service-learning questions?
For more information about the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: About NSLC
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: Brochure (377K pdf)
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Program Advisors: K-12, Higher Education, Community Based, Tribal
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse: Staff
What People are Saying About the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
For more information about Learn and Serve America
Learn and Serve America: About Service-Learning
Learn and Serve America Fact Sheet (685K pdf)
Learn and Serve America: Research
For more information about the Corporation for National and Community Service
Corporation for National and Community Service: Website
Corporation for National and Community Service: Fact Sheet (506K pdf)
For more service-learning media resources
Corporation for National and Community Service News
National Youth Leadership Council Pressroom
Points of Light Foundation Media Center
USA Freedom Corps Newsroom
Youth Service America Media Resources
Answers for the FAQs
What is service-learning?
Service-learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities.
What are the goals of service-learning?
Service-learning combines service to the community with student learning in a way that improves both the student and the community. As they participate in their community service projects, actively meeting the needs of communities, youth develop practical skills, self-esteem, and a sense of civic responsibility.
How does service-learning differ from community service or volunteering?
Community service is volunteer action taken to meet the needs of others and better the community as a whole. Service-learning is integrated into and enhances the academic curriculum of students engaged in service, or the educational components of the community service program in which the participants are enrolled. Service-learning provides structured time for thoughtful planning of the service project and guided reflection by participants on the service experience. Overall, the most important feature of effective service-learning programs is that both learning and service are emphasized.
Who are the partners with the community in service-learning?
Service-learning partners can include elementary schools, secondary schools, institutions of higher education, community service programs, government agencies, non-profit organizations, faith-based organizations, and tribal nations.
Can service-learning occur in community based settings?
Yes. The YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA , Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and many other large and small community organizations offer service learning through school partnerships and after school programs. The "Community-Based Service-Learning Starter Kit," a CD-ROM developed by Learn and Serve America, the Points of Light Foundation, and the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse provides practical tools and information to help community-based organizations and others plan, develop, and assess service-learning projects and programs. Copies can be obtained from the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse.
What are some examples of service-learning projects?
Service Learning In ACTION: Young Poets Fight Bullying
The worst thing about being bullied isn't the abuse itself, but the feeling of helplessness.As a group of young people in New York City proved, a particularly resonant rhyme—combined with teamwork—can be the best defense against bullies.It all started with a discussion among Bronx middle-schoolers enrolled in the Teen ACTION (Achieving Change Together In Our Neighborhood) program at Middle School 218. After much back-and-forth, MS 218 students identified bullying as the issue they wanted to tackle for their Teen ACTION project. And because the pen is mightier than the sword, they decided to organize a poetry slam where their peers could raise a united voice against physical and emotional bullying. Some 150 students, parents and community members attended the slam, which featured poetry and skits exposing the fears and insecurities that motivate most bullies.
For more information about this project, please contact: Ryan Dodge, Deputy Chief of Staff, New York City Department of Youth and Community Development, 156 William St., 6th Fl., New York, NY 10038, rdodge@dycd.nyc.gov, http://www.nyc.gov/dycd.
To read the rest of the story, go to www.servicelearning.org/nslc/success_stories/k-12.php#17.
See all Success Stories here.
Is service-learning a new idea?
The practice of service-learning dates back much further than the term itself, beginning with educational movements and social change in the late 1880s. The intellectual foundations of service-learning in the United States trace back to the early 1900s with the work of John Dewey, William James, and others who promoted models of "learning by doing," and linked service to personal and social development. The term "service-learning" was coined by two educators in 1967 to describe the combination of conscious educational growth with the accomplishment of certain tasks that meet genuine human needs. History
What do we know about the impacts of service-learning?
A national study of Learn and Serve America programs* suggests that effective service-learning programs improve academic grades, increase attendance in school, and develop personal and social responsibility. Whether the goal is academic improvement, personal development, or both, service-learning can help students learn critical thinking, communication, teamwork, civic responsibility, mathematical reasoning, problem solving, public speaking, vocational skills, computer skills, scientific method, research skills, and analysis.
[*"Impact of Service-Learning on Civic Attitudes and Behaviors of Middle and High School Youth: Findings from Three National Evaluations," by Alan Melchior and Lawrence Neil Bailis, 2002]
Additional Examples:
- Impacts of Service-Learning on Participating K-12 Students (Fact Sheet)
- At A Glance: What We Know About the Effects of Service-Learning on College Students, Faculty, Institutions, and Communities, 1993-2000: Third Edition
What is Learn and Serve America?
Learn and Serve America is a national service grant program that supports service-learning across the country by providing funding to schools, colleges, and nonprofit groups that engage students in community service linked to academic achievement and the development of civic skills. Learn and Serve America , a program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and USA Freedom Corps, was established in 1990 and celebrates its 15th Anniversary in 2005. Annually, over 1 million students participate in projects supported by Learn and Service America.
Where are current Learn and Serve America projects?
- Learn and Serve America Program Directory (2006-2009) or
- List of Learn and Serve America Grantees (206K pdf)
What is the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse?
As the nation's primary repository of service-learning resources, Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) supports the service-learning community in higher education, kindergarten through grade twelve, community-based and tribal settings. NSLC serves Learn and Serve America grantees and all others interested in strengthening schools and communities using service-learning techniques and methodologies. The Clearinghouse maintains a website with timely information and relevant resources to support service-learning programs, practitioners, and researchers. The Clearinghouse operates national email discussion lists to encourage discussion and exchange of ideas. The Clearinghouse also maintains an ever-growing library collection that is available to Learn and Serve America grantees and subgrantees. The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse (NSLC) is a program of Learn and Serve America since 1994 and has been managed by ETR Associates since 2001.
Who are the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse expert advisors?
Program Advisors to the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse provide sector-specific guidance and expertise to insure a responsive, contemporary, and vibrant NSLC. Each agency was selected to serve as an NSLC Program Advisor because of the high quality research, practice, and advocacy it brings to the service-learning community.
What is the Corporation for National and Community Service?
The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Members and volunteers serve with national and community nonprofit organizations, faith-based groups, schools, and local agencies to help meet community needs in education, the environment, public safety, homeland security, and other critical areas. In 2002, the Corporation for National and Community Service became part of USA Freedom Corps, a White House initiative to foster a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility, and help all Americans answer the President's Call to Service.
How many college students do service-learning in the United States? How many universities offer service-learning for their students?
A rough estimate is available from the Campus Compact annual service statistics. These statistics reflect only Campus Compact member institutions and do not distinguish between community service and service-learning.
For more information on service-learning in higher education, contact the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse or our program advisor, Campus Compact.
How many K-12 students do service-learning in the United States? How many schools offer service-learning for their students?
According to a 2004 study, an estimate 4.7 million K-12 students in the US are engaged in service-learning. The Corporation for National and Community Service recently released a study on the prevalence of Community Service and Service-Learning in America's Schools, which showed that of the schools that are currently involved in service-learning, the percentage of student participating has remained the same or has grown over recent years.
http://nationalservice.gov/pdf/08_1112_lsa_prevalence_factsheet.pdf
For more information, contact the Clearinghouse, or contact our program advisor for K-12 service-learning, RMC Research Corporation.
How many states require service-learning for graduation from High School?
Maryland is currently the only state that requires service-learning as a requirement for graduation.
For more information on states, standards, and service-learning read our Policy: K-12 Service-Learning fact sheet http://www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/k-12_facts/policy/.
More policy news can be found at the State Education Agency K-12 Service-Learning Network (SEANet Online).
Where is research on service-learning published?
There are two excellent guides from the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse on this topic.
- Publishing & Presenting in Service-Learning
- Opportunities for Service-Learning Research and Scholarship
You can search for articles in the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse library collection by using our advanced search feature.
Visit our useful collection of links to service-learning journals, newsletters, and journals with articles on service-learning.
Contact us for individual research assistance at 1-866-245-SERV (7378) extension 272.
Where can I find information on other service-learning organizations?
This resource from the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse provides links to many service-learning organizations and organizations doing service-learning as part of their mission.
What advocacy groups are promoting service-learning?
National Service-Learning Partnership. The Partnership is a national leadership organization dedicated to advancing service-learning as a core element of the educational experience of every elementary, middle, and secondary school student in the United States . Membership is free and provides access to advocacy resources, teaching resources, and more.
Learning in Deed. Their Service-Learning Policy Toolkit (227K pdf) was created for service-learning advocates interested in helping inform policymakers. Provides information and strategies for service-learning practitioners, and assists them in understanding how policymaking at the district, state, and federal levels can help to expand the overall scope and quality of the service-learning field.
Where can I find information on service-learning conferences and events?
The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse maintains an extensive searchable calendar database of service-learning conferences and events.
What are some of the awards and recognitions in the field of service-learning?
This resource from the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse provides links to many awards that recognize excellence in service-learning.
How can I get individual assistance with service-learning questions?
Contact the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Toll-free at 866-245-SERV (7378) or email
Liberty Smith, Ph.D., Associate Director, National Service Resources and Training
Erin Lee, MLIS, Librarian
Larry Hardison, Webmaster
Erica Marsh, Resource Specialist
Suggestions for this Media Guide? Send them to .
