Connecting Classrooms - Communities - Careers Through Service-Learning

An American Youth Policy Forum Field Trip — October 29-30, 2002

“Having the chance to get into classrooms and speak with teachers and students was the best part because it’s where policy and theory meet reality.” – Boston trip participant

On this two-day visit to Boston Public Schools (BPS), policymakers were introduced to collaborative developments in teaching pedagogy between service-learning and school to career in the classroom, its effects on youth development and academic achievement, and policies that support the collaboration. Service-learning is a teaching methodology that uses contextual learning, applied learning, problem-solving, and project-based learning to apply academic skills learned in the classroom to solve problems or build projects in the community. Trip participants met with students, teachers, school leaders, and district staff, and toured one elementary school, one middle school and two high schools. They also met with a representative from the Massachusetts Department of Education and community partners.

Boston Public Schools has established itself as a leader in leveraging the assistance of resources within the district as well as business and community partners to fuel initiatives. Through the district’s School to Career (STC) office, business and community partners have joined with teachers from the IMPACT II Teacher Network to develop relationships that strengthen the service-learning and school-to-career experience for students. Partners from within the district include the Office of Instructional Technology (OIT), and the Office of Bilingual Education and Language Services. City Year, a national service organization, offers support for service-learning activities throughout the district. TechBoston, a collaborative STC/OIT citywide initiative supported by local businesses including many large corporations in the Boston area, partners with BPS to prepare students for careers in Information Technology (PC Networking, Microsoft Office, Internet Web design, and PC Hardware Repair). Many other business, community, and university partnerships are actively involved. These partnerships are fostered from years of dedicated leadership within the district’s School to Career office. Teachers from elementary school to high school, in bi-lingual, non-bilingual, special education, and vocational education, develop service-learning units of study to help students get a well-rounded education with rigorous academics and practical application. Through the integration of service-learning and career exploration experiences, students see the purpose behind and build a respect for each other, the knowledge they learn in school, and the surrounding community.

According to School to Career Director Kathleen Mullin, service-learning is a major focus that has gained recognition since a Learn and Serve America (a program within the Corporation for National and Community Service) grant was implemented in 1991, by Service-Learning Director and Affiliate Director of IMPACT II (Instructional Materials and Programs Assisting Classroom Teachers) Teacher Network, Barbara Locurto. Boston’s IMPACT II is an affiliate of the national Teacher Network. Guided by the 1995 School Committee (district School Board) approved Plan to Integrate Service Learning in the Boston Public Schools, the 1996 Citywide Learning Standards and Curriculum Frameworks, and School-to Career Competencies, the teacher-to-teacher network supports colleagues with professional development and technology opportunities along with providing materials grants. The district named IMPACT II as the agent for implementing the policy supported teacher professional development and program dissemination. This district policy works in conjunction with grants from Learn and Serve America, AT&T Foundation, and other grants that involve over one thousand Boston Public School teachers, 30,000 students and numerous community partners in the district’s cross-curriculum, service-learning, and school-to-career initiative. Mullin cited a Phi Delta Kappan article that confirms that students in sustained service-learning projects enjoy greater academic achievement, career awareness, civic responsibility, interaction with diverse groups, and personal development.

In an effort to document and share examples of curriculum plans that demonstrate strong connections between classrooms, communities, and careers, Locurto and Mullin organized the development of a resource guide. Service Learning Standards Based Models: Connecting Classrooms, Communities and Careers compiles the district’s best standards-driven, service-learning models, or units of study, integrating English language arts, science, math, history, and social studies. According to Locurto, Service Learning Standards Based Models has codified the district’s movement to link service-learning and school-to-career. The guide is shared online through the Boston TeachNet Service Learning Network, a website of more than 400 pages of teacher designed projects maintained by high school students. “School to Career is integrated with service-learning more than ever before. We believe that service-learning provides opportunities for students to become real resources for the community,” said Locurto. In the guide, examples of units of study fall into five categories: citizenship, education, environment, human needs, and public safety. Each model/example is dedicated to a unit of study that is integrated across the curriculum, including a narrative followed by a resources section. On the same page, a table is divided into three columns, describing the district’s Learning Standards the model is linked to, Classroom Activities that are performed, and Service Activities that are planned. The guide was designed to make it easy for a teacher new to service-learning to understand and implement a standards-based, service-learning, and school to career driven unit of study. Teachers who decide to implement the service-learning units and projects in the guide may receive small grants, equipment, and training that provide them with technology and information to ensure success. The units were contributed by educators in the IMPACT II @ School to Career Teachers Network who received grants to share their promising practices in service-learning. Eight of the fifteen models/units were selected for inclusion in the Service-Learning Tool Kit, distributed nationally by the Education Commission of the States.

Four stages of service-learning are also detailed in the guide — preparation, service, integrated learning, and assessment. In the preparation stage, students and teachers prepare for the unit of study by introducing a rationale for service-learning and discussing its effects on participants and the community. Problems are observed and action plans are developed to solve the problem. Continued planning, scheduling of service and technology training begin. Students may write introductory letters, do role playing, and research by reading books, pamphlets, and view informative videos. They may also contact potential community partners, and prepare for observation and interaction with professionals that can help them with their service-learning activity, or project. In the service stage, students interact with community-based organizations and businesses in the community. The service project is woven into the school day by the teacher and is not left as an after-school activity. Students participate in service through classroom-based activities, and align service goals with career objectives. Service is integrated with learning as teachers lead students through activities that help them investigate scientific, historical, and social implications of community problems; address and share issues through interactive forums, debates, interviews, assemblies and multimedia presentations; use technology to collect, analyze and disseminate data for the project; and read and report on community issues and careers. Students then move on to design the service intended, complete it, and prepare to share background surveys and results of their research with other members of the school or community. The final stage, assessment, has students participate in quizzes, tests and peer review; produce collaborative performances, videos, websites, newsletters, displays for student portfolios; present at meetings, exhibitions or conferences; and apply life-long service and problem solving skills to other endeavors outside the service activity or project.

Some examples of BPS’ integrated service-learning, standards-driven models include:

Service-Learning, Standards-Based Model	Area of Focus
Honor Veterans	Citizenship
Get out the Vote for School Elections	Citizenship
The Not Forgotten – Lessons from Burial Grounds	Citizenship
Walk Her Way on a Women’s History Trail	Education
Learning Buddies Learn to Teach – Teach to Learn	Education
School Gardens	Environment
Reduce – Reuse – Recycle	Environment
Courage Connection 2 Kids, 4 Kids	Human Needs
I Remember It Well	Human Needs
Give Peace a Chance – Sharing Conflict Resolution Skills	Public Safety
Make Smoking History with a Quit Smoking Day	Public Safety

To comply with the district’s Technology Competencies, technology is embedded in each service-learning, standards-based model. The Technology Competencies require that students and teachers use technology to improve the four Ps: Product, Presentation, Portfolio, and Performance. The sample units in the guide include suggestions or opportunities for using word processing, desktop publishing, graphics, slide presentations, databases, software and the Internet. It is also expected that technology will be applied in some instances, including the development of websites. Teachers receive computer accessories (digital cameras, scanners, etc.) and are provided with opportunities for professional development and technical support.

After hearing an overview of the district’s plan to connect classroom, communities, and careers, AYPF trip participants visited schools where teachers were putting the guide to use.

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School

Madison Park Technical Vocational High School is located in a low-to-middle-income neighborhood of Boston called Roxbury. The school is divided into smaller units with a career focus called academies. Ninth grade students enter the Pre-Academy Division where they pursue curriculum that provides comprehensive academic and vocational exploration. Upon entering the 10th grade, students may chose to go into one of the following academies, Allied Health and Human Services Academy, Construction Design and Transportation Academy, or High-Tech Academy. Through the Academies, apprenticeships and internships are offered in selected fields.

With support from the district, Madison Park offers students a choice of career preparation programs that work in cooperation with the school’s Academies. School-Based Enterprises is a program that allows students to produce goods and services to market and sell. The ProTech program provides students with paid employment and career skills in the utilities and business areas. The Tech Prep program allows students to focus on a specific career area and to enroll in postsecondary education. College Prep is a program that assists students who wish to focus on a career path major with the intention of entering a four-year college. Boston community business partners such as AT&T Broadband, Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA, Department of Defense, Newbury College, Northeastern University, and Tufts School of Dentistry contribute their knowledge and support to students in these programs and academies.

With assistance from TechBoston, High-Tech Academy students are given options to focus their technical training and become certified in any of the following areas: CISCO Systems Networking, 3Com NetPrep, Oracle Database Administration, Microsoft Office User Specialist, and PC Hardware Repair. The TechBoston program combines classroom work aligned to state and district standards and work-based learning experiences during a student’s junior and senior year. In the classroom, students focus on basic skills using industry-approved curricula integrated into their worksite experiences. Students come to the program with one-to-two years of basic computer course preparation and many graduate prepared for certification. At the worksite, students develop career skills through a combination of paid after-school and summer jobs and work-based learning plans. Madison Park Technical Vocational High Headmaster Chuck McAfee applauds teachers who encourage students to apply classroom learning to solve real world problems. “At High-Tech Academy, some students are out working as part of their education. They may be working in the library, at the Federal Reserve, in the elderly affairs office, and other locations in Boston,” said McAfee. Students in the academy mingled with AYPF trip participants and gave an overview of their school to career experiences. Many of these students become CISCO certified and progress to promising careers.

AYPF visitors observed students in the High-Tech Academy as they explained service-learning activities that employ IT skills learned in the classroom. ESL students working with ESL teacher, Adelina DeSilva, in conjunction with programs in the High-Tech Academy, study English while learning about computers. Service-learning is integrated into the academy classes allowing students to exercise their technical skills on projects that help the community. For example, teachers Charlotte McCullough and Fred Slater’s students utilized their new computer skills by providing a service to the school to repair and rebuild school computers. Some students serve both younger students and the elderly to help orient them to computers. Some students revealed that they enjoy working with younger students because it is easier to impress them. Older adults are seen by some students as slightly intimidating, but the youth said they want to help make a difference in their lives. Through peer tutoring, a Brazilian student who came to the U.S. three years ago, speaking no English, now speaks fluently and assists other non-native English speakers as they learn computer skills. “Many teachers in Boston who use service-learning understand that when you connect classrooms and communities, and take the next step to connect to careers, you are helping kids to learn to become good citizens and to prepare for the real world through authentic learning,” said Barbara Locurto.

Students at Madison Park shared their opinion of service-learning experiences when tutoring younger students and older adults in English skills. Some students work with the elderly and with youngsters at nearby Dearborn Middle School. Students are serving as reading guides for elderly immigrants going through the process of becoming American citizens. Some cannot understand government forms, so Madison Park English as a Second Language (ESL) students answer questions and assist with the application process. “You learn how to get along with older adults. You can learn from their experiences. We help older people with their English skills. Therefore, when they go take the test for citizenship, they can read it. We meet with them three times a week for about two hours each for the semester,” said one male student. AYPF trip participants asked the teen how he helps younger students. He replied, “We help them with their homework after school.” When students were asked how this service-learning activity helped them, they explained, “In a way, it makes us feel proud of ourselves because we’re giving back to the community.” Another youth added, “By having to plan a class for younger students to teach them English, we had to improve our own skills to be a tutor. It keeps you on your toes.” A student who wants to be class president added, “It teaches you skills you need to know, like leadership.” Working with younger students seems to help students focus on their own work. One student offered this explanation, “It makes us, you know, if they’re [younger students] slacking off and we’re helping them out, that makes us think to work harder.” The visiting group asked students if they would have done this kind of service work with elders or youth if not asked. The group of youth laughed and said, “No.” One trip participant commented, “The things these students are able to do are just incredible. I think it has such a tremendous effect on the school and community. These students seem to really enjoy learning and attending class and I was also very impressed with the low student to teacher ratio.” Another participant offered, “Students were articulate and seemed driven to college paths. They recognized the ‘gift’ of education and the cost of the courses. While they couldn’t tell me how their classes related to English, and they said they spent most of their time preparing for the state test, they were among the most motivated students I’ve ever met.” “I met students who had their own business cards. They seemed to get that education is about more than tests and papers,” wrote one participant.

The AYPF group moved to the Café Cardinal which is housed within Madison Park to lunch with High-Tech Academy students and teachers. Lunch was catered by students in Madison Park’s Allied Health and Human Services Academy. Students operate the café which is open to the public. Prices are kept low and many faculty support the café by dining there. Profits made go back into the Academy. Through this school-based operation, students learn the tricks of the trade, such as how to plan and produce 400 lunches for a catered event, how to maintain health codes, and how to properly manage perishable produce.

Quincy Elementary School

Located in an Asian community of Boston, Quincy Elementary operates from seven in the morning until ten in the evening, and is open on Saturdays. The school was built in 1976 and is home to 880 students from kindergarten to the fifth grade. The school was originally designed as a community center and houses an auditorium, an Olympic sized pool, a day-care center, and a health clinic – the only one in the city with a bi-lingual staff. There is a community coordinator’s office within the school that is paid for by the City of Boston. After school programs are run until six in the evening. Adult ESL classes are held at Quincy and both the cafeteria and roof garden are open for community use. Students gain access to the elementary school through a lottery system; 50 percent walk and 50 percent are bussed in. According to Principal Suzanne Lee, 70 percent of students are at grade level and everyone passed recent MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) benchmarks. The school receives some federal funding through 21st Century Community Learning Centers, a program by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

At Quincy, students engage in a number of service-learning experiences. Teams of teachers work across the curriculum to coordinate service-learning curriculum and programs. Peer tutoring allows fifth graders to design a reading program and brainstorm lessons they want to teach second and third graders. Teachers brainstorm with the fifth graders and then step back and let them teach. In Quincy’s library, AYPF observers witnessed groups of second graders as they were tutored by engaged fifth graders.

Through service-learning activities, students are encouraged to apply academic skills learned in the classroom to projects that are of service to the community, or to the school. With this in mind, some students joined together to write letters to the principal in support of an idea for a better playground on the school premises that included some greenery. Teachers at the school developed a unit of study called “School Gardens Sowing Seeds of Service,” also featured in the Service Learning Standards Based Model guide. Students organized a fund raising drive to buy shovels and dirt. City Year joined the enterprise and helped students turn part of the school’s concrete playground into a garden with large plant containers. “If the class is very good at gardening, they can adopt a shrub in the garden and tend to it over the seasons,” said the principal. Teachers harnessed student interest in the garden and used it as a platform from which to build lessons. For example, third grade students were challenged to figure out how many seeds are in a sunflower, and a math teacher used plants and seeds in a math lesson to help students work on estimation and pattern discovery. The principal believes that through service-learning lesson plans, students can learn the reasons behind recycling. “We are keepers of the world to pass on,” said the principal. She believes that by allowing the children and teachers to have a garden, the school is opening a connection to deeper learning as students become more aware of their environment. Limited resources for the garden teaches children to recycle all the garden’s materials. A compost bin was provided and material that is placed in there by students is harvested the following year to enrich the soil for their organic garden. Seeds are planted and students watch and mark their growth. With the garden on school grounds, students may watch the whole growth cycle. This year’s students were concerned about the effects of acid rain on the garden and pursued this interest through an acid rain simulation. Students put vinegar in a test terrarium of soil and graphed the changes in the soil and rain generated. According to the principal, students’ views about the environment have become more serious after doing this project. “Teachers like Lai Lai Sheung make this possible,” said Principal Lee. Other community partners involved in the garden include the Boston Schoolyards Initiative, Arnold Arboretum, Massachusetts Agriculture in the Classroom, and members of a local senior center.

Trip participants were impressed with the school setting and the coordinated service-learning activities that brought older and younger students together. The following insights were offered by one participant, “Considering it is located within the confines of a community center, it seems the ultimate place for Learn and Serve America programs. It was great to see what the younger children were learning from the older children and how seriously the older students handled their responsibilities. I was also very impressed by the level of enthusiasm in the teachers. To me, it just goes to show that giving the teachers the opportunity to create some variety within the State standards generates a lot of excitement within the faculty.” “I was nervous about open classrooms, but teachers and students thrived there. It was impressive to see how the garden project captivated the kids and they were invested in it throughout their time at the school,” wrote one participant. “One of the most interesting and potentially effective methods in education I have seen,” wrote another.

Timilty Middle School

Timilty Middle School, also located in Roxbury, is an award-winning school that has pulled itself up from a troubled past that included high suspension rates and low test scores. Assistant Principal James Anderson met with the group to explain some special features at the school. Timilty has received the U.S. Department of Education’s Blue Ribbon award, the National Title I Distinguished School award, the Massachusetts “COMPASS” School award, and the Boston Effective Practices School award. Timilty serves approximately 600 students and has Internet connection in every classroom, supported by a 1996 Lighthouse Technology Grant from the state, assistance provided by Americorps volunteers, and donations from community and business partners Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In 2000, Timilty received another Lighthouse Grant to expand their reading program for seventh and eighth graders. A breakdown of the school’s population is 51.4 percent Black, 9.1 percent White, 4.6 percent Asian, and 34.2 percent Hispanic. A bilingual education program is offered in Spanish and the school infuses reading, writing, and mathematics into all subjects. True to their mission, the school uses service-learning as a methodology to “develop students to be confident, intelligent problem-solvers who will become the leaders of the next century.” In the development of the service-learning activity, students’ skills are stretched and their knowledge of the world outside of school grows, according to Barbara Locurto.

Other features distinguish Timilty as a different kind of school. Timilty has a longer school day, and there is a distinct air of respect and support for rigorous policies that touch all involved in each student’s education. Timilty’s extended day program offers students an additional 1.5 hours from Monday through Thursday. Faculty have agreed to work a nine-hour day and meet every other day for common planning time. The additional time in the classroom adds an extra 36 days of school per calendar year. Teachers attend professional development sessions on Friday afternoons, after students are dismissed for the day. Students are grouped into small clusters, or "families" of 80-100 per family, instead of large grade level clusters. Students wear uniforms that consist of a white dress shirt, khaki pants, skirt for girls, and a tie, and may wear the Timilty gym uniform on gym days. There is a policy of quiet single filing between classes that, according to Anderson, prevents students from cutting class. No bells sound at the end of class. Sixth grade students are offered a chance to do advanced work and are offered special education and transitional programs. Parents are expected to take an active role in supporting school policies and programs, and are encouraged to serve on the School Parent Council and/or the School Site Council to help with various school activities. Parents are asked to come to Open House to pick up their children’s first and second term report cards.

Timilty Principal Valeria Lowe-Bahremi’s goal is to improve student performance through a whole school improvement plan that involves partnerships between the school, family, and the community. Teachers participate in professional development targeted to literacy and math practices in grade six and math assessment in grades seven and eight. Parent workshops are organized to answer questions concerning the MCAS test and offer ways to help with homework. A national program called GEAR-UP has provided funding for the school to bring on university partners to work with students to prepare them for college. Lesley University and the Urban College have joined Timilty to help forge a stronger bond with families in an effort to support student success. The faculty is unilaterally committed to working as a team to develop each student’s sense of self worth and to cultivate high academic achievement.

A school to career program at the sixth and seventh grades was instituted with partner Northeastern University to get students interested in visiting colleges and to begin to think about the future. Seventh graders visit professionals in the publishing business, government offices, and medical professions as well as in other areas. A partnership was formed in 1989 between the school, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Boston Private Industry Council to provide educators with science mentoring and job shadowing opportunities, curriculum support and professional development. Students learn PowerPoint, cooperative team skills, presentation skills, and participate in service-learning projects that expose them to the world outside of school.

Timilty’s “Courage Connection 2 Kids 4 Kids” curriculum is featured in BPS’ Service Learning Standards Based Models guide. The model focuses on human needs and connects the Arts, English language arts, science, math and social studies. Through this curriculum, middle school students are educated on how the Internet can help them learn from each other and spread messages of courage and hope to other children. The Courage Connection concept comes from the Max Warburg Courage Curriculum, Incorporated, in Newton, Massachusetts. The Courage Curriculum is a program designed to develop reading, literacy, and character skills in the sixth grade. Students learned about Max, an 11-year old boy who suffered courageously through a terminal illness with leukemia, read award-winning books that include courage as a major theme, participated in classroom discussions about courage, and wrote essays about courage in their lives. Teachers encouraged students to think about and develop a project to help other children cope with an extended hospital stay and prolonged illness. Students used English language arts skills to describe what it is like to be in a cast, or to have chemotherapy. They provided helpful hints and an exchange of stories of personal courage that were posted on a Courage Web page that they designed and maintained with help from high school mentors. Students also published a “kid friendly” brochure telling young patients what to expect from their visit to the hospital. This brochure is distributed at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Another service-learning activity was described as “A Wish for the World.” During this activity, students dress in native clothing from ethnic cultures around the globe and go into elementary schools to discuss world issues. They select books and read to younger students. While doing this activity, students learned about lesson planning. For example, students learned that you cannot just enter a classroom unprepared to address the class, you must prepare what you want to say and think about what questions students may ask. By going through this exercise, middle school students learned about preparation, presentation, and class management skills. “Service-learning activities allow these students to give back to the community and feel an important sense of accomplishment,” said Anderson. The vice principal feels that service-learning taps into leadership skills in students who do not usually strive in some academic areas. “They see something that they may have hated before, like math or reading, and see that it is necessary to accomplish those skills in order to complete the project,” said Anderson. Timilty teachers Sandra Taylor and Lisa Vasallo agree. They feel that service-learning allows students to think about why they are here, what their purpose is, and the importance of taking responsibility for their learning. The teachers claim that activities that students are involved in through service-learning inspire them to think deeply about a social situation or community problem, and not just learn a lesson. “Even if they fail, they can learn from their mistakes,” said Vasallo. “It [service-learning] won’t work without an administration that is supportive to these types of learning experiences, allows teachers to experiment, and go out into the community to learn more,” said Taylor. Both educators agree that service-learning prepares students to ask thought provoking questions. Culturally, the teachers explain, Latinos do not ask a lot of questions of authority figures because of language barriers and a long standing respect for those in authority. “We’re trying to get them to develop a sense of who they are and a sense of belonging to the community,” said Vasallo. According to Anderson, students and teachers are doing service-learning projects without a lot of direction from the school administration. “It has just taken off,” said Anderson. “Teachers involved in service-learning are deeply involved with their students. They take them to conferences where they can present and share their learning and service experiences. They also go beyond their school day, week, and classroom walls to help students make strong positive peer and adult connections,” said Barbara Locurto.

More teachers are catching wind of service-learning in the school and see it as a way to create a well-rounded educational experience for students. Service-learning advocates feel it offers a creative and collaborative experience and a way to link static information in textbooks with real issues in the school and community. Some teachers at Timilty apply for grants, get them, and plant the seeds of excitement in other teachers. Some teachers do service-learning without grants. Teachers use standards with service-learning so students will not “lose a beat” when it comes to being prepared for the MCAS. With service-learning, students have a chance to demonstrate what they have learned to other students and exercise other life and career skills.

Upon reflection of the Timilty visit, one trip participant wrote, “It is a difficult state in life, middle school, and engaging them [students] in their communities at that age seems to really have made an impact on how they view the significance of their education and their community.” Another participant observed, “The teachers are very passionate about what they do and the students are utilizing different subject areas and combining them together through their projects.”

West Roxbury High School

The AYPF group moved on to West Roxbury High School, a school that offers both school to career pathways and technical/vocational programs. Joined by Don Pellegrini Headmaster and teacher Mary Ellen Bower, the group learned that the school houses three career pathways and one technical/vocational program, each integrating well with service-learning. STC pathways offer students a chance to explore a career area during high school while building skills and competencies. Technical/Vocational Preparation Programs provide students with in-depth career preparation in specific career areas. The courses in the pathways are designed to meet the needs of both vocational and college bound students. Students who graduate from a pathway receive a diploma specifying a certificate of mastery for their specialty.

The Agribusiness Pathway and Tech/Prep program provides students interested in careers in agriculture, animals, horticulture, environmental science, and natural resources, competency based courses aligned with standards. The program is operated as a small learning community, uses hands-on projects, project-based learning, cooperative work experience, portfolio assessment, maintains an articulation agreement with Mt. Ida College, offers a chance to work with small animals, an integrated curriculum, and provides work-based learning through business partners Home Depot and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The school houses an outside agriculture laboratory and greenhouse for studies in environmental landscape and technology, natural resources, and conservation. A small animal science training program introduces students to a variety of career opportunities in animal care.

The Media and Communications Pathway is a literacy-based, four-year academic and occupational major designed to train students interested in pursuing a career or further education in communications. Students focus on writing, speaking, and computer skills while engaging in hands-on projects in electronic and print media. Students gain experience with state-of-the-art equipment that will prepare them for the twenty-first century. The pathway program includes two computer graphics labs, journalism/communication arts labs, five darkrooms, two radio broadcasting booths, and a three-camera television studio. The pathway operates in partnership with local television stations, Emerson College, Mount Ida College, and Bunker Hill Community College.

The TEACHBoston pathway offers juniors and seniors who have an interest in exploring a teaching career first hand experience through internships, learning festivals, teacher assistance programs, college tours, and presentations from educators. Courses are competency based and aligned with district standards. There is an emphasis on coursework that builds literacy skills in reading, writing, and presenting. TEACHBoston classes are student-centered with the teacher serving as a facilitator for learning. Service-learning, project-based, and cooperative learning methodologies are explored on a daily basis. A portfolio assessment is required for graduation from the program. West Roxbury receives support for this program from Boston Gas, the Mayor's Office, the Boston Teachers Union, and other community based organizations. The TEACHBoston Pathway also collaborates with University of Massachusetts—Boston, University of Massachusetts—Amherst, Boston College, Mount Ida College, and Salem State College.

Participants visited West Roxbury to witness a service-learning festival where high school students presented mini-lessons they had designed for visiting first-graders from neighboring JM Curley Elementary School. The festival was staged in the high school library as well as inside the school’s television studio and was focused on Halloween. One grouping of elementary students surrounded a high school student who read The Halloween Pie Story. The student passed a pumpkin pie around to the group of elementary students to smell as the story was read. A teacher came over to monitor and model good questions for the story. She asked, “What did the witch do to the pie? What happened to the people who ate the pie? Why didn’t the witch put a spell on the pie?” The teacher coached the high school student reading the story and asked him to read louder. Another group of elementary students witnessed a Halloween story, Witch Come to My Party, transformed into a play presented by high school students. The play was acted in Spanish and questions and discussion commenced in English. This interaction demonstrated a dynamic process that engaged younger students. The outcome? According to one high school student, both younger and older students find Spanish to be a fun and expressive language, and as a result, learn more rapidly and retain knowledge longer. One group of elementary students met with high school students in the school’s television studio to hear safety tips on how to handle themselves when trick o’ treating. High school students demonstrated flash lights, strobe lights, and glow sticks, and talked about the chemical reaction that makes a glow stick glow. In preparation for this interaction, high school students polished their television production, presentation, and filming skills.

Trip participants asked West Roxbury students how they feel working with elementary students helps their own educational experience. “I’m constantly learning from the little kids,” said one student. A student producer for the West Roxbury weekly news explained, “It’s fun because you get to practice leadership.” One student offered this insight, “Service-learning helps you evaluate what you’ve learned in class. It helps you solve problems by using your imagination.” A 15-year old teaching assistant told members of the visiting group that the TEACHBoston program allowed her to explore a teaching career. “Now, I get what it means to be on the other side of the desk.” Some trip participants heard students complain that they did not have enough time to prepare lesson plans; a common teacher complaint. Many students from the TEACHBoston program said they plan to pursue postsecondary education.

District and State Support for Boston’s Service-Learning Initiative

Concluding the visit, Kathi Mullin reviewed the district’s School to Career program. According to Mullin, eighty-five percent of students get their first choice in an area of career preparation. A state technical/vocational law that states that if a student can not get into a program within the district he or she wants, due to its being overbooked, the student may ask for payment to be enrolled and transported to another school district that can accommodate them. High school students may transfer once during four years, but may not transfer after their sophomore year, especially if they do not pass the MCAS. Mullin shared with the group the Superintendent’s satisfaction with the increase in MCAS scores and says it is due to increased academics and clear cut career paths.

The Boston Public Schools receives support from the Massachusetts Service Alliance. The Alliance, established in 1991, serves as the state commission on community service to generate an ethic of service and to support diverse, high quality service and volunteer opportunities for all age groups. The private, nonprofit organization invests public and private funds in community-based organizations, convenes individuals, nonprofits, corporations, and governmental entities to link strategies related to community service, service-learning, and volunteerism; builds capacity within nonprofit agencies by providing training and technical assistance that supports program development and improves the effective use of volunteers; and advocates for the development and promotion of public policies and private initiatives to address community challenges. The Massachusetts Alliance receives grants from Learn and Serve America and Americorps. It formerly received grants from the state through a budget line item. Jeri Cooper of the Massachusetts Service Alliance said that Youth Councils are a good way to build knowledge of service-learning across the state. Through the Youth Council, youth serve as resources to the community. The community benefits and sees high school age youth in a better light; working on a project, or providing a service that gives something back to society. For example, a graveyard project in the community brings schools, youth, and local officials together, interacting to clean-up, preserve, and document local history. The Alliance holds breakfasts across the state to educate teachers about service-learning, show examples of student projects, and provides training to help educators build service-learning into their lesson plans, or frameworks. They also organize conferences for the exchange of service-learning professional development.

Boston Public Schools and the Massachusetts Department of Education promote networking and professional development in service-learning through conferences and small grant competitions for service-learning projects. BPS has received a Learn and Serve America formula grant for $16,000. Boston also receives $50,000 from AT&T to support service-learning and instructional technology. Currently, state community service money now comes exclusively from the Corporation for National and Community Service. Due to cut-backs in the state budget, state funding for service-learning has been seriously reduced. However, Jessica Donner, Service-Learning Coordinator at the Massachusetts Department of Education, was able to report on a few optimistic notes. The Masssachusetts Board of Education has established a special advisory council for Community Service Learning that reports directly to the Commissioner of Education. Council members are developing strategies for increasing awareness and support for service-learning. Jessica also reported on the work of Learning In Deed, the Kellogg initiative that is advancing the cause of service-learning nationally.

Conclusion

AYPF trip participants felt the visit to see connections between classrooms, communities, and careers was rewarding because of the interaction with students, teachers, and administrators. It was remarked that the teachers met during the trip were “dynamic and creative and truly know how to engage all children in the learning process.” One participant commented, “A first hand perspective is very important.” Another participant added, “You always hear about how programs are implemented, but actually hearing stories told by students themselves is great.” One member of the group described his exposure to Boston’s service-learning initiative as a way to “contrast and compare articulated word with the actuality of implementation.” Boston’s service-learning staff was seen as “visionary.” “They see the connection between schools and the larger community. This is an excellent program to help children make career connections,” said one participant. Finally, one participant offered, “I think this is a wonderful program. Overall, it seems to have some real benefit to the students as well as engaging the teachers. I think that Learn and Serve America could really benefit many other areas around the country. It is just a tremendous way of getting young people involved in their community.”

Through this visit to the Boston Public Schools, participants learned that service-learning requires time and a thoughtful approach to lesson planning. It is not an activity that can be added on to the curriculum, but rather a teaching methodology that can be used to actively drive the curriculum. Service-learning challenges the educator to use their creativity and teaching experience to engage students in a well-developed, standards-based unit of study that provides a service or solves a problem in the school or community. Including a school to career focus brings greater pertinence to a lesson plan for middle and high school students who are beginning to explore their future. Using service-learning to engage and educate students is a growing initiative, but it is a methodology that is not always easy to accomplish. With the increasing pressure on educators to prepare students to pass high stakes tests, it is the extraordinary, brave, and creative teacher who takes the path less traveled and creates a well-rounded educational experience for students. This is the path that Boston is taking with their Service-Learning, Standards-Based Models initiative.

Contact Information

Kathleen Mullin
Director
School to Career/Technical Vocational Education
55 Malcolm X Boulevard
Roxbury, MA 02120
617-635-8079
kmullin@boston.k12.ma.us

Barbara Locurto
Service-Learning Director
School to Career/Technical Vocational Education
55 Malcolm X Boulevard
Roxbury, MA 02120
617-635-9440
blocurto@boston.k12.ma.us

Jessica Donner
Coordinator, Service-Learning
Massachusetts Department of Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148
617-388-3300
jdonner@doe.mass.edu

Chuck McAfee
Headmaster
Madison Park Technical Vocational High School
75 Malcolm X Boulevard
Roxbury, MA 02120
617-635-8970
cmcafee@madisonpk.boston.k12.ma.us

Suzanne Lee
Principal and Cluster Leader
Quincy Elementary School
885 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111
617-635-8497
slee@boston.k12.ma.us

James Anderson
Assistant Principal
Timilty Middle School
205 Roxbury Street
Roxbury, MA 02119
617-635-8109
janderson@boston.k12.ma.us

Don Pellegrini
Headmaster
West Roxbury High School
1205 WFW Parkway
West Roxbury, MA 02132
617-635-8917
dpellegrini@wrox.boston.k12.ma.us

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