Service Learning in State Legislation: A State-Wide Citizenship Effort

A Forum — June 23, 2000

Some education leaders believe that the values of our society are being eroded and this problem may be linked back to how our youth are being educated in school. Over the last decade, schools have moved away from the traditional mission of preparing the next generation of citizens to a hyper-focus on standards and testing. It may be argued that this shift has contributed, in part, to a steady decline of youth involvement in civics and citizenship, resulting in a dearth of young people participating in elections and other important civic duties. To address these issues, some education leaders have sought out service-learning as a way to engage students, to build students' interest in the world around them, and to help educators develop meaningful experiences that help young people acquire the values, knowledge, skills, efficacy and commitment necessary for citizenship.

John Benson, Superintendent of Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction, described two initiatives enacted in his state to prepare students for citizenship. Building Citizenship is a task force consisting of representatives of Wisconsin's citizenry, including state legislators, students, parents, and community members. The members of the task force worked together to identify key concepts on citizenship and developed a citizenship toolkit to help guide schools. "Developing citizenship means becoming a productive, responsible, caring, and contributing member of society." The tool kit "provides a basis for working together with key partners, including the students themselves, to recreate communities that nurture and value citizenship." It includes tips, surveys and a variety of worksheets on: seven characteristics of successful citizenship in schools; how to assemble a citizenship team; how to link with existing school improvement initiatives such as standards, Goals 2000, Site-Managed Schools and Strategic Planning; and a list of national organizations as resources. In addition to the Building Citizenship task force, Benson helped to develop the Civics Action Task Force. This taskforce was established in 1999 to address Wisconsin students' lack of proficiency in civics. When tested, only 25% of young people were prepared to effectively participate in civic life. The taskforce was able to use $100,000 from the State Goals 2000 funds to increase the focus on civic education including teacher education.

Mr. Benson said a major part of being able to instill service-learning and citizenship values in youth is being able to educate teachers about the value and principles of service-learning. He believes that teachers should be trained in the skill of integrating service-learning effectively into their curriculum. Benson believes that service-learning must be effectively presented to the teachers as beneficial to the students and to the community rather than just another requirement in the curriculum. He also feels that service-learning should be integrated into all courses at all grade levels.

There is no universal definition of service-learning. However, some basic components of service-learning, as seen in Wisconsin's toolkit, Citizenship--Building a World of Good, include: instilling core values, creating safe schools, addressing local societal issues, building positive relationships between the school, families and the communities, fostering parental and community involvement, engaging students' minds, and raising expectations of students. The task force's concept of successful citizenship is described by seven characteristics of successful schools in developing caring, contributing, productive, and responsible citizens:

Safe and Orderly Places: Students and staff feel respected, and the climate and culture of the school is drug free and safe from any form of violence. Children and adults learn constructive ways to settle differences, and peaceful conflict resolution is the norm. Family and Community Involvement: The contributions of all who make up the school community are honored and celebrated. Parents, caregivers, and community members have a variety of opportunities to make meaningful contributions to school programming and student citizenship development. Address Societal Issues: Prevention of risk behaviors such as violence, alcohol and other drug abuse, AIDS/HIV, and teen pregnancy are a valued part of the school's programs. Services are available to students and staff who may be facing such issues in their own lives. Positive Relationships: Students feel personally known and cared for by at least one adult in the school. Students and community members are viewed as resources for supporting one another. Engage Students' Minds: Schools use many strategies and approaches to make learning relevant for students. Classrooms are interactive places that often take learning beyond the schoolhouse door. High Expectations: Students are expected to do their best and experience success. All students and staff are expected to model positive behaviors that embody good citizenship.

In discussing the absence of civic duty in young people, Terry Pickeral, project director for the Compact for Learning and Citizenship, Education Commission of the States, focused on the connection between civics, citizenship, and service-learning. Although there are students involved in community-service and service-learning, they may not be involved in other aspects of citizenship including knowledge of the political process, democratic values, skills, and commitment. Students need to be shown that service is just one facet of citizenship. According to Pickeral, when teaching students about civics and citizenship, it is important to distinguish from civic education and education for citizenship. He feels that it is not enough to teach students about civics in a classroom setting. Instead, schools should involve the community and seek to engage students in civic work in the hopes of instilling in them the "habit" of being a good citizen. This "habit," Pickeral believes, will then carrying on into their adult lives.

In implementing service-learning programs, Terry Pickeral stated that many factors have to be considered. First, effective service-learning programs require effective leadership. Parent, community, and youth leaders are all needed to implement service-learning programs and to ensure that they are run properly. Also, the capacity for service-learning in schools and the community should be assessed. Existing policies, those that support and those that impede, should be examined. Because policy influences practice, both must be considered. Pickeral and Benson believe that if implemented properly, service-learning initiatives can help students learn skills equally in academics, civic life, and social life.

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