Tiers 1, 2 & 3 Intervention: Service Learning & Community Service

Authors

Shir palmon, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Ana Cathcart, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Paige T. Lembeck, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Reece L. Peterson, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Learning Object

Date of this Version

1-2015

Citation

Strategy brief

Building and Sustaining Student Engagement series (Janary 2015)

Barkley Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States

Abstract

Conclusion

It is clear that service learning and community service programs in schools may promote student engagement and bolster attempts to reduce school dropout, particularly for at risk or struggling students. Additional benefits include improved leadership skills and increased appreciation for community needs and civic responsibility and engagement. However, offering service learning or community service opportunities is not a common practice in schools today, and many question the relevance it has to students’ academic achievement needed for postsecondary education. Moreover, the push towards schools spending more time on academic instruction seems to diminish opportunities for service learning in schools. More rigorous research methods are needed to establish a causal relationship between service learning and positive student outcomes, which may lead the way for policy initiatives that explicitly incorporate service learning into the typical school day. Given that community service is less structured there is even less rigorous evidence supporting its use. Nevertheless, strong community values which support volunteerism and contributions to the community as well as anecdotal and testimonial evidence do tend to strongly support the value of these programs, particularly for students who are at risk of school failure or who have disabilities.