Search

In 2006 the Learn and Serve America program of the Corporation for National and Community Service awarded a three-year grant to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Selected through a national competition, thirteen colleges participated in AACC's "Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning" grant project. AACC measured learning outcomes attainment for students at the "Horizons" grantee colleges. To investigate the relationship between service learning participation and academic learning, AACC used both quantitative and qualitative methodologies as evaluation tools for its 2006-2009 "Horizons" grant project. AACC developed two quantitative instruments (one addressing students, one addressing faculty) after reviewing the institutional learning outcomes of multiple higher education institutions across the nation. To further explore how service learning affected student learning, AACC conducted five student focus groups and three faculty focus groups during spring 2009. In this study, student learning was assessed in relation to service learning participation through an end-of-course survey. Enhancement of learning was detected in the community college students who participated in service learning, either as a course option or a requirement. Additionally, the voices of community college faculty and students in this study validate the benefits of the service learning pedagogy as an active, engaged method of learning skills and knowledge that will be important beyond graduation. Through this study's results, those community college faculty and students who have experienced service learning appear to affirm that service learning is a key strategy for student engagement and a valuable learning tool for students across disciplines and academic majors, while at the same time providing these students with experiences that dissolve the classroom walls and help launch them more solidly into their careers of choice. (Contains 3 figures and 14 web resources.)

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) defines service learning as the combination of classroom instruction with community service, focusing on critical, reflective thinking as well as personal and civic responsibility. Service learning programs involve students in activities that address local, community-identified needs while developing their academic skills and commitment to their community (Gottlieb and Robinson 2006). In 2000, AACC published the project brief, "Creating Sustainable Service Learning Programs: Lessons Learned from the Horizons Project, 1997-2000". The publication suggested benchmarks and steps that colleges could take toward the institutionalization of service learning programs. Ten years later--and 15 years after Learn and Serve America began funding community colleges around the country--it is time to ask if colleges are meeting the same challenges in similar ways. Are students learning better or differently? Have faculty development efforts improved? Are colleges introducing both full-time and adjunct faculty to the service learning pedagogy? Have the types of community partnerships changed? This publication looks at 13 colleges that were selected in a national competition for AACC's program, Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning. The colleges received funding of $5,000 to $16,000 per year from 2006 through 2009 and participated in consortium-wide training and leadership development efforts. The stories in this report are those of the 13 Horizons colleges, but they represent the 60 to 70 percent of community colleges across the country that have solidly embraced service learning and community engagement. The 2000 sustainability publication looked at activities and strategies used by previous Horizons colleges to ensure institutional and community support for service learning. The strategies fell into eight major topic areas: (1) Campus Climate; (2) Student Participation and Leadership; (3) Faculty Development and Involvement; (4) Curricular Integration; (5) Community Collaboration; (6) Administration Involvement and Support; (7) Program Development and Management; and (8) Sustainability and Institutionalization. This new report describes similar strategies that the 2006-2009 Horizons colleges used or supported, and then offers lessons learned to help advance the service learning and community engagement field. Most of the strategies are similar to those used a decade ago--proven strategies that work--with the addition of new media and technologies that have been developed in recent years. In the end, sustaining and institutionalizing service learning comes down to building and maintaining reciprocal relationships. (Contains 16 online resources.)

This brief introduces "Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning," the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC's) fifth national Learn and Serve America grant project and describes its grantee college programs. The goals of this grant project are to build on established foundations to integrate service learning into the institutional climate of community colleges and to increase the number, quality, and sustainability of service learning programs in colleges nationwide. Eight colleges were selected in a national grant competition in 2006 to become "Horizons" Mentee Colleges and are profiled in this brief. The colleges are: Baton Rouge Community College, Louisiana; College of Alameda, California; Laramie County Community College, Wyoming; Lorain County Community College, Ohio; Queensborough Community College, New York; Tacoma Community College, Washington; Trinidad State Junior College, Colorado; and Western Piedmont Community College, North Carolina. [This material is based upon work supported by the Corporation for National and Community Service.]

The use of service learning in community colleges has increased as research continues to link participation in service learning with a growing list of student benefits. One possible benefit of service learning participation is the fostering of greater civic awareness and commitment in students. Most of the limited research on service learning's ties to civic engagement has been done in primary and secondary school settings. It has been unclear whether there is a connection to civic engagement at the community college level. Discovering such a connection may allow service learning coordinators and faculty to foster greater awareness of how students, learning the curriculum through local service learning placements, can also become active community participants. This research brief summarizes the findings and implications of a three-year study of service learners and non-service learners at 12 community colleges. (Contains 8 figures, 1 table, and a list of web resources.)

This article summarizes the findings and implications of a study of 200 faculty at twenty community colleges. It provides data regarding the motivational factors behind faculty who adopt the service learning pedagogy. In 2004, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) supported a study to identify factors that motivate faculty to include service-learning in their courses. The results of the study showed that a service-learning coordinator or director is the primary individual who motivated faculty to include service-learning in their courses. The primary reward that motivated faculty to include service-learning in their courses was the knowledge that it creates civic responsibility opportunities for students. The primary outcome that motivated faculty was improved learning of core competencies. A list of Web resources is also included. (Contains 1 table and 4 figures.)

The "Horizons" project features model programs, national data collection and dissemination, and an information clearinghouse. In addition, "Horizons" provides professional development opportunities and technical assistance through regional workshops on service learning and civic responsibility, chief academic officer summits, mentoring, presentations, publications, a Web site, and a consultant referral service. Eight colleges (Chattahoochee Technical College, GA; Hudson Valley Community College, NY; Kingwood College, TX; Northern New Mexico Community College, NM; Northwest Indian College, WA; Prince George's Community College, MD; Sinclair Community College, OH; and Western Wisconsin Technical College, WI) were selected in a national grant competition in 2003 to become "Horizons" Mentee Colleges. They represent rural, suburban, and urban areas; include tribal and Hispanic-serving institutions; and have student populations as small as 600 and as large as 25,000. Working in the areas of education, public safety, human needs, and the environment, the "Horizons" Mentee Colleges are developing service learning programs that can be replicated at other institutions. Each college works with a service learning advisory committee comprising students, faculty, administrators, staff, and community partners. For each of the eight "Horizons" Mentee Colleges, this document provides project highlights and contact information. Information about the "Horizons" Mentor Team and the "Horizons" Mentee Primary Community Partners is also included, followed by a list of select Web resources.

In the fall of 2000, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) received a three-year grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to create and enhance service learning initiatives at community colleges across the country. Service learning combines community service with academic instruction, focusing on critical, reflective thinking and personal and civic responsibility. As part of the "Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning" grant, AACC convened the chief academic officers (CAOs) from colleges it had funded between 1994 and 2000, as well as new AACC grantees for 2000-2003. Up to 23 CAOs met annually at AACC's Summit on Service Learning Institutionalization to learn more about service learning, discuss ways to sustain service learning, and explore with their colleagues the multiple pressures facing a CAO. These academic leaders also examined how to maximize student learning in the face of competing options and tight budgets. This paper summarizes and analyzes CAO involvement in and commitment to service learning. (Contains 13 resources.)

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) conducted a survey in 2003 to gauge the level of service learning involvement in community colleges across the nation. Service learning combines classroom instruction with community service, focusing on critical, reflective thinking as well as personal and civic responsibility. Service learning programs involve students in activities that address local, community-identified needs while developing their academic skills and commitment to their community. This research brief summarizes the findings from that survey and reveals a snapshot of institutional and programmatic involvement during a time of state budget shortfalls and significant cutbacks in education programs. The 2003 survey included many of the same questions asked in 1995 and 1997 AACC national surveys, in an attempt to record the change or growth in service learning programs. The following highlights emerged from the survey responses: (1) Nine out of 10 colleges responding to the survey either offer or are interested in service learning; (2) Seventy-two percent of colleges that offer service learning include it in social science disciplines and many also include it in education, science, health, and languages; (3) Seventy-six percent of colleges with service learning indicated that it is a course requirement, but usually for only a small number of courses; (4) On average, colleges that provide service learning offer it in 18 different courses annually and involve 424 students in service learning projects; (5) Colleges have an average of 14 full-time and six part-time faculty teaching courses with service learning components; (6) Most faculty participate in service learning because of personal commitment and mentoring by other faculty; (7) Service learning programs are most often administered by a service learning director or coordinator or by individual faculty members in different disciplines; and (8) Most colleges rely on institutional funds to implement service learning initiatives, or other areas of support such as the Corporation for National and Community Service and Federal Work-Study funds. The report concludes that, as reported by respondents to the 2003 survey, service learning appears to be healthy, and growth is being sustained, even in times of financial crisis. While areas for improvement will always remain, service learning seems to be an important part of the climate of the community colleges represented in this study. Suggested resources, both print and online, are included. (Contains 26 figures.)

This document reviews how schools and providers of school-based mental health programs have implemented managed care contracts with Medicaid managed care organizations. Observations were made at three sites (Albuquerque, NM; Baltimore, MD; New London, CT) where school-based mental health services were provided by Medicaid organizations. Following background information, the methodology used to explore policy options is discussed. Four main conclusions can be drawn from the experiences of the three study sites: (1) better understanding of the interrelationship between community-based mental health services and school-based mental health services is needed; (2) lack of on-site support makes implementation difficult; (3) prevention-oriented services are covered in only a few instances; and (4) better coordination is needed between agencies and school-based mental health services. Other models for including school-based services are also reviewed. A discussion is included on financing and reimbursement issues that may affect viability and expansion of services. Consideration is given to alternative ways to maintain and expand services. (JDM)

The document discusses a project that sought to create sustainable service learning programs in community colleges. In 1997, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) (District of Columbia) began a 3-year grant project to increase the number, quality, and sustainability of service learning programs in community colleges nationwide. Fourteen colleges worked together in AACC's project, Community Colleges Broadening Horizons through Service Learning, to overcome challenges and learn valuable lessons in developing and sustaining academically based service learning programs. These Horizons Colleges used a variety of activities and strategies to ensure institutional and community support for service learning. The strategies fell into 14 categories, which include administration involvement and support; climate; community collaboration; curricular integration; and faculty development and involvement. Involving all levels of the college administration in service learning--from department chairs and deans to vice presidents and presidents--is an important strategy. Many Horizons Colleges discovered the effectiveness of service learner presentations to college governing boards. This strategy works well because students tend to be the most effective promoters of service learning. Effective service learning cannot happen without well-designed community partnerships. Regular agency orientations or training sessions can help community partners understand the difference between service learning and volunteerism. (Contains 18 references.) (JA)