Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Below is a list of featured effective service-learning program practices that includes ideas, project creation strategies, and other related education and civic engagement issues.

Featured Service-Learning Effective Practices are organized by topic:

• Creating a Service-Learning Project
• Citizenship/Character Education
• Evaluation
• Reflection
• Community-Based
• Higher Education
• K-12
• Tribes / U.S. Territories

Creating a Service-Learning Project

• Brokering collaborations to include seniors in service-learning
• Designing a service-learning program in ten steps
• Outlining steps for planning, implementing and assessing a service-learning project
• Using the PARE model in service-learning
• Defining service with a reflection activity

Citizenship/Character Education

• Creating effective citizenship education programs
• Blending service-learning and character education to promote strong citizenship
• Developing a comprehensive framework for achieving quality character education

Evaluation

• Collecting data for performance measurement: general guidelines
• Using surveys with scaled response options to yield high-quality data
• Outlining steps for planning, implementing and assessing a service-learning project
• Understanding performance measurement terminology as it relates to Learn and Serve programs
• Providing outcome indicators for reporting on educational support and enhancement programs

Reflection

• Defining service with a reflection activity
• Creating structured opportunities for reflection
• Incorporating creative reflection activities
• Planning reflection activities
• Structuring reflection in service-learning programs for work-study students
• Creating reflection activities for high school students working with technology
• Bringing closure to a service project with recognition, reflection, and evaluation
• Celebrating service: a staff guide to recognition strategies
• Deepening the connection between service activities and civic involvement
• Moving from reflection to action with a volunteer plan
• Uniting college campuses to share civic engagement experiences

Community-Based

• Developing service-learning and community partnerships
• Implementing a community development-oriented service-learning strategy

Higher Education

• Achieving effective integration of service experiences and course learning
• Creating a culture of civic responsibility on a college campus
• Implementing service-learning in community colleges
• Increasing participation in service-learning fairs by choosing an appropriate name for an event
• Instituting a day of service with new student orientation
• Integrating civic responsibility into community college curricula
• Integrating entrepreneurship education with service-learning programs
• Involving a campus community in service with a faith-based Learn and Serve program

K-12

• Connecting baby boomer volunteers with K-12 service-learning schools
• Honoring ordinary heroes through a community service project
• Implementing K-12 service-learning
• Involving students in planning and implementing school-wide service-learning
• Starting a high school service-learning program

Tribes / U.S. Territories

• Identifying factors that influence quality tribal programs
• Making a presentation to a tribal council
• Working with a tribal council

To search for more effective practices, visit the Effective Practices Collection.