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

Second, many youth, having been defined as at-risk for exhibiting certain behaviors, are living up to the label. As parents or
other elders are often unavailable to children, the responsibility for building character and self-esteem has gradually been turned over
to the schools. Whereas churches and families were once the teachers of values and interpersonal skills, schools are now assuming a
greater role in this.
Finally, as many students are graduating without the skills necessary to function in the economy or without the inclination to
participate in community and national decision-making processes, many adults stress the need for students to understand and become
active in the community. Whereas once the learning of intellectual concepts was adequate preparation for democracy and the
workplace, now these preparations seem to no longer be adequate.
It is for these primary reasons that schools are now expected to introduce, promote, and practice concepts such as citizenship,
character, career readiness, social skills, community, and prevention. Initiatives such as Character Counts, School-to-Work, conflict
resolution training, Safe and Drug Free Schools, Communities in Schools, and the Improving America’s School Act “title” programs
are testament to this shift in school purpose over the past 30 years. Of course, this is in addition to the primary goal of increasing
student academic achievement. The schools are charged with ensuring that students leave high school prepared to enter the “real”
world, able to attain higher levels of education and a role in the economy while also having good values and attitudes.
Educators have recognized that they simply cannot do this task alone. Teachers in particular have a difficult time as it is
addressing academic content, and so it is not surprising that they are overwhelmed by the expectation of also adopting the roles of
social worker, therapist, parent, clergyman, advocate, and job trainer. Therefore, many citizens and educators alike have called for a
blurring of the distinctions between schools and communities, redistributing the responsibility of helping youth, and redefining the
schools to serve a more civic purpose. The underlying goal is to help young people to develop a place of leadership within their
communities, so that they will feel connected to where they live and therefore see the relevance of their studies. Schools have been too
isolated from their contexts, people suggest, and communities are so dissatisfied with what’s happening in schools that they are now
interested in being of assistance. Out of this crises there seems to be an emerging opportunity for positive change.
Thus, to improve academic performance and self-esteem while making a difference in communities, service-learning has
emerged during the past 12 years as a primary strategy for achieving educational and community goals simultaneously. Its ability to
stack these functions explains why there are over 250 expert service-learning advocates in the country today. Service learning can
build character, expose youth to careers, facilitate cooperation, cultivate healthy lifestyles, and transform the school into community
centers, while assisting all learners, even the most disadvantaged, in succeeding at school. Service-learning addresses all academic
areas, and is proving to improve performance in these areas as well. It builds self-esteem and a sense of belonging. It motivates many
students to pursue higher education to achieve their dreams. Service-learning is a method used to improve academic performance;
perhaps more important is its capacity to bring out the quality of caring in people. For the world needs love, and as long as society is
giving the schools additional responsibilities, spreading love certainly deserves to be at the top of the list.
The Process of Educational Reform
Service-learning is not the only method of educational reform actively being promoted in this country, and as such, it must
compete for attention with numerous initiatives to improve teaching, school design, and academic performance. Service learning is not
a major focal point of any of the major restructuring initiatives in the United States. Service-learning has not been driven by the US
Department of Education (DOE), and so has faced an uphill battle finding its place as a serious pedagogical approach among policy
makers, practitioners, and researchers. While this is shifting, thanks in part to recent research and joint statements by the DOE and the
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