Abstract

This 2001 study, K-12 Service-Learning: A Strategy for Rural Community Renewal and Revitalization by National Service Fellow Steven A. Henness, examines community development-oriented service-learning (CDOSL), a new approach to service-learning by which rural schools and communities are meeting goals together and revitalizing rural communities. This approach leads to successful completion of development projects, increased civic pride, and organizational development. It builds capacity of students to be active participants and leaders in the community.

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Issue

Service-learning is generally seen as a teaching strategy with impacts inside the classroom and school. However, rural communities are in search of strategies for community renewal and revitalization. Programs are needed that can use service-learning as a community development strategy.

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Action

The study examined ways community-development-oriented service-learning (CDOSL) programs benefit rural students and communities. The CDOSL approach emphasizes service that is linked to community goals, is long-term, and affects all citizens living in an area. Promising practices from this research include:

For Schools and Communities

• Engaging students in service-learning that addresses issues of greatest importance to communities.
• Bringing issues of community survival and revitalization into the service-learning classroom.
• Supporting teacher and school administrator involvement in community revitalization work outside the school.
• Forging school-community partnerships that open doorways for students to paricipate in community and economic development.
• Providing financial and/or in-kind support for service-learning that involves students in projects addressing local priorities.
• Starting a school-community dialogue about common goals and visions and developing mechanisms for ongoing connection between service-learning and community development.

For State and National Programs

• Recognizing and rewarding the innovators.
• Promoting project linkages to priorities through community plans and visions.
• Facilitating learning exchanges between state programs, communities, schools, and community change agents.
• Communicating this strategy option more broadly to schools and communities.

One service-learning project that exemplifies the CDOSL approach is taking place in Ainsworth, Nebraska. The community favored tourism as an economic development strategy, namely through increasing visitor attraction to area state parks.

• Students have partnered with the State Fish, Game and Parks agency, the Community Revitalization Committee, and local utilities and business to adopt a state recreation area.
• The Long Pine Nature Area project has involved art, math, earth science, social science, industrial technology, and computer technology classes in an integrated effort to make improvements to the area.
• Students have widened the trail, built a bridge, constructed stairways and picnic areas, set up visitor information sites, and recorded and presented their work to other schools.

In 1999, the Long Pine Nature Area project was recognized among the top ten rural development projects in Nebraska.The project has also improved community relations between the two rural communities of Ainsworth and Long Pine.

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Context

National Service Fellow Steven Henness studied 12 K-12 school-based service learning programs serving 11 rural communities in a four state region of the Midwest (Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska). Data was collected from 145 participants (students, teachers, program coordinators, school officials, and community leaders). He looked at human capital, social capital, and community impact.

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Citation

Henness, Steven A. K-12 Service-learning: A Strategy for Rural Community Renewal and Revitalization. Washington, D.C.: Corporation for National and Community Service, National Service Fellowship Program, 2001.

This 141-page report (with appendices) includes a literature review, sociological information on rural communities and schools, and an extensive bibliography. Appendices provide study data results, research instruments including survey forms and interview guides, eleven rural service-learning profiles, a project development worksheet, and resources for further learning.

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Outcome

National Service Fellow Steven Henness conducted survey and case research in 11 rural communities in the Midwest and describes how CDOSL contributes to social capital development in students and positive community impacts. CDOSL is an effective strategy for rural schools and communities to meet their goals together.

Community development-oriented service-learning (CDOSL) is a new approach that leads to improved student civic leadership and improved community development. The study also determined CDOSL projects produced significantly more benefits than non-CDOSL projects in the areas of student social capital development and positive community impacts.

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Source Documents

Related Practices

• Collaborating to develop service programming to address community needs
• Developing service-learning and community partnerships

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Related sites

Learn and Serve America

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