MAKE IT LAST FOREVER: THE ... - National Service Resource Center

(5) Schools should have service-learning coordinator for the first few years of operations, when it should no longer be
necessary.
(6) Schools should collect data on the impact of service-learning on students, teachers, and school culture.
(7) Schools should only retain teachers who believe in and use service-learning as an instructional method.
(8) Schools should match novice teachers with experienced service-learning mentors.
(9) Schools should identify innovative ways of assessing project and student success.
(10) Schools should create schedules and procedures that facilitate service-learning practice during school hours.
(11) The size of schools should be small enough to empower teachers and students to have more control over how learning
occurs.
Call for More Research
Additional service-learning research would be valuable in the following areas:
(1) Long-term examination of individual schools and districts over 5 or more years.
(2) How pre-service instruction in service-learning methodology translates into its use in schools.
(3) The impact of service-learning on school culture.
(4) Effective professional development strategies.
(5) The relationship between service-learning and graduation rates.
(6) The impact of student control of project development and implementation on academic performance, behavior, and selfesteem.
(7) How media coverage of service-learning affects the public’s perception of young people.
(8) The status of service-learning in schools and districts which are three or more years removed from Learn and Serve
funding.
(9) The effectiveness of state Unified State Plans in building capacity and support for service-learning.
(10) The role of civic and community organizations (e.g., Kiwanis, Rotary, 4-H) in facilitating service-learning in
schools.
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