Service-learning is successful if civic engagement becomes a way of life for our college students, both before and after graduation.
What if, instead of counting students' service hours, we asked them to step up and solve problems? Most people see students as learners. At The Campus Kitchens Project, we view them as our teachers.
By rewarding both good grades and volunteer service, the HOPE scholarship could teach the rest of the nation how to produce educated, engaged citizens who know how to give back.
Service learning is method of providing personal and academic development through work with established nonprofit organizations in the community. It is an avenue to introduce students to a professional environment without the extensive commitments of an internship.
I think we need to take the time to do much more explaining to our children about why we do things for others. That is what plants the early seeds of service.
I was well into my 40's before I started to realize this. I am amazed that these young people are so grounded and insightful at such a young age. Their words are inspiring to me.
Beginning on MLK Day thousands of young people across the country will begin a "Semester of Service," a sustained service and learning framework that integrates standards-based curriculum with substantive service to the community.
When travelers to Cambodia ask me "Well, which orphanage is good that I could visit today?" my answer is "Any orphanage that will let you walk in off the street and subjects children to a revolving door of visiting volunteers is not one you want to support."
The Obama Administration could provide a national focus for all these efforts with a signature program to close the achievement gap, not displacing the contributions of community and business but facilitating and focusing them. Why not?
As we start the school year, I offer a remedy that teachers, parents, administrators and especially students can all agree on: service-learning, a teaching and learning method that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection.
Shoshana Wineburg always resisted her mother's requests to help with the gardening. Yet now, at 25, the Seattle native and inveterate traveler is eager to plant seeds -- both literally and figuratively -- that will blossom into brighter futures for the communities she works with.
It is community -- not the market, not government -- that is the crucible of culture, and culture is the root of problem-solving, of intelligence itself.
I'm writing to you because I read about your trip to China and Japan, and I hope that you will be able to encourage the schools there to get involved in service-learning.
Our own history tells us just how possible, and difficult, it is to turn ideas and energy into transformational change.
The bottom line is that if students don't have a visceral sense of their roles as citizens, upon graduation from high school, they're not likely to develop that sense of civic connection later.
Having a sense of purpose is also a key ingredient for student success. If students can connect what they are learning to a positive future for themselves they are far more likely to do what it takes to succeed in school.
If we are going to address the burgeoning class size problem, it is time to think outside the proverbial box that is our classrooms.
The establishment of a "Summer of Service" rite for young Americans of all backgrounds could help them find a sense of purpose at a pivotal age, hone their civic engagement skills, and expose them to role models in the community.
How do we make service-learning a universal experience? And here is where I've come out: use the school science fair as a model.
Where they once hoped to be part of a transformational change, many students may now doubt that our elected leaders can successfully tackle any of our major national problems. Here's how to fix that.
