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

FUNCTION #2: PROFICIENCY
support or hinder students in learning activities. beautification. While these are
leaving campus. Clear school worthwhile, students miss out
and district policies, together on meaningful off-site contexts
with district financial support, for learning.
can alleviate teacher concerns
and make it easy for classes to
engage in community-based
learning.
STRATEGY DESCRIPTION WHEN IT’S THERE: WHEN IT’S NOT THERE:
Professional Development: The training of current
educators, students,
administrators, school boards,
department of education
personnel, school staff, and
community members helps
people to link service to
academic learning. This can be
accomplished through
scheduled or on-demand
introductory and advanced twohour
to five-day workshops,
conferences, meetings, college
courses, and consultations, and
it can be conducted by students,
teachers, administrators,
professors, or non-profit
experts. In many cases,
teachers train one another
within a given school
informally, without any
funding or recognition.
Stipends and the prospect of
mini-grants can also be
provided as an incentive.
Once trained, people
understand service-learning as
an instructional strategy rather
than an extra add-on program,
and they see how it meets
educational standards. Training
clears away misconceptions
and reinvigorates educators
about the meaning of their
profession.
People may not integrate
service into academic curricula,
nor might they learn some of
the innovative projects and
project development strategies
that have been tested over the
years. Project quality, as well
as teacher success with the
approach, may suffer as a
result.
Strategic Planning: Schools, districts, and states People have a map of where Service-learning is likely to
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