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Source: RMC Research Corporation, April 2006
This fact sheet addresses K-12 service-learning activities that are focused on homeland security. Background information is presented first, followed by a sample of project descriptions intended to provide a sense of the nature and extent of homeland security-related programs that are currently in place. The next section presents brief descriptions of curricula and related resources and organizations that support homeland security activities. The fact sheet concludes with an annotated bibliography of homeland security-related resources.
Background
In recent years, K-12 schools have developed an array of service-learning projects related to homeland security. Service-learning projects have included a focus on disaster preparedness, emergency response, community safety and security, and conflict resolution. Project activities include community outreach to increase awareness of risks and appropriate responses, understanding of community resources, preparation of disaster kits for the home and schools, and education regarding appropriate means to handle conflicts.
K-12 service-learning projects related to homeland security are designed to increase students’ knowledge and skills related to:
- Awareness (e.g., understanding risks and appropriate responses, understanding needs of special populations);
- Preparedness (e.g., mapping community assets and identifying needs, preparing kits with needed resources);
- Response and recovery (e.g., knowing how to respond to crisis, how to administer first aid and CPR, and how to provide services to disaster victims);
- Academic skills and engagement, by providing opportunities for students to improve their writing and other communication skills and to develop critical thinking skills by presenting students with real and complex challenges to address; and
- Other skills including planning skills, decision making, leadership, collaboration, conflict resolution, and civic development.
Projects related to homeland security—and responses to disasters more generally—are also designed to give young people a sense of safety and security so they can feel more in control during a crisis and can respond appropriately.
Evaluations of projects are in process, so little is known to date about their effectiveness, but many are built on promising research-based practices.
Sample K-12 service-learning projects with a focus on homeland security
Learn and Serve America funds many homeland security grants, most of which focus on disaster preparedness and emergency response. In a few instances, conflict resolution or disaster recovery is addressed. A frequent theme among the K-12 service-learning projects is the preparation of school or community crisis response plans and the creation of emergency kits for home or school use. Many community partnerships formed through these programs involve members of the fire, police, or other community safety departments. Staff from these organizations provide training for students on how to appropriately respond to a variety of natural and man-made crisis situations.
Florida’s Service, Preparedness, and Response Coalition (SPaRC) is a statewide grant program focusing K-12 service-learning efforts on hometown safety and homeland security through the formation of coalitions between schools and community-based organizations (www.fsu.edu/~sparc/). Each SPaRC project focuses on disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery; senior safety; or school and community safety.
Youth Organized for Disaster Action (Y.O.D.A.) is a series of programs operating in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Y.O.D.A. activities involve students in the examination and improvement of school crisis plans, the creation of emergency kits for community use, and disaster preparedness community outreach. The Institute for Global Education and Service-Learning provides a Web site describing specific grantee activities and sample curriculum (www.igesl.org/Institute_for_Global_Education_and_Service_Learning/YODA.html).
Montana’s Citizen Preparedness Through Youth Leadership (CPTYL) program involves students in collaborative service-learning activities with community partners to build communities of citizens prepared to respond to natural disasters and emergency situations. The six CPTYL sites work with their local Citizens Preparedness Council (CPC) to ensure activities meet community needs. Program descriptions and evidence of progress can be found at www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/learnserve/cptyloverviewweb.pdf.
The Learn and Serve Indiana Homeland Security Initiative (LSIHSI) supports a variety of homeland security programs across the state. Homeland security topics addressed through these programs include enhancing school safety plans, addressing issues of school violence and bullying, and creating and disseminating school and community disaster response plans.
The Safety in Ohio through Service (SOS) program funds several service-learning programs throughout the state that focus upon community safety and disaster preparedness. These programs build upon collaborations already established with the Ohio Community Service Council and Citizen Corps Councils. Projects address needs identified by K-12 students and Citizen Corps Councils and/or Lead Volunteer Centers. Abstracts for each SOS program can be found at www.learnandserveohio.org/SOS/lso_sosprograms.htm.
The Texas Center for Service-Learning (www.servicelearningtexas.org/) supports two sub-grantees that have received Emergency Response and Crisis Management grants from the U.S. Department of Education. These programs are developing student community emergency response teams (CERT) and projects involving the Red Cross’s Masters of Disaster curriculum.
Serve DC funds several Homeland Security service-learning programs (www.cncs.dc.gov/cncs/cwp/view,a,3,q,555873.asp). These programs train students in CPR, First Aid, and emergency preparedness. Students give presentations on these topics within their schools and communities.
Through the Youth: Ready to Respond program (http://archive.pointsoflight.org/programs/yrtr/), the Points of Light Foundation & Volunteer Center National Network is helping young people plan for and respond to the health, safety, and security concerns associated with natural and man-made disasters. Under the program, ten local partnerships are developing and implementing service-learning projects.
Curricula and related resources
The Web page of the Constitutional Rights Foundation America Responds to Terrorism (www.crf-usa.org) includes information on terrorism, suggestions for teachers, ways that youth can help, how to interpret information from the media, and multiple educational resources. The page also includes links to lesson plans and other materials.
The Masters of Disaster curriculum was developed by the American Red Cross (www.redcross.org) to teach students about safety. The curriculum integrates disaster safety instructions into academic curricula and includes topics such as hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, and general disaster preparedness.
The National Crime Prevention Council offers a booklet called Helping Children Feel and Be Safe that provides teachers, parents, counselors, and law enforcement agencies with activities that adults can use with children. Topics include talking to children when they are afraid, teaching children how to help out, and teaching them good safety habits.
Project STAR (www.projectstar.org) offers resources for performance measurement related to homeland security outcomes for service-learning projects, including tools for tracking activities and assessing partnership contributions, systemic and physical changes and improvements, and impact on students.
The online clearinghouse of the UCLA School Mental Health Project (smhp.psych.ucla.edu) offers several publications related to crisis and response, with topics including hurricane-related events, school-based crises, violence prevention, post-traumatic stress, and others.
FEMA For Kids (www.fema.gov/kids/) provides online information and activities that teach children how to be prepared for any type of disaster. The site also contains curriculum and age-appropriate activities that parents and teachers can use to teach children about school safety, disaster resources, fire safety, and terrorism.
Project TAHS (www.projectTAHS.org) provides training and technical assistance for homeland security initiatives. The site provides a variety of resources, including guides on creating and maintaining community emergency response teams (CERT) and on building community-based partnerships.
The Department of Homeland Security supports Ready.gov (www.ready.gov), a Web site providing information, via separate portals for both children and adults, on how to prepare for risks associated with different types of terrorist attacks. The site helps readers create crisis contingency plans and guides them through the preparation of a variety of emergency kits.
Other agencies and organizations that support homeland security
The Citizen Corps (www.citizencorps.gov), coordinated by FEMA, supports education, training, and volunteer opportunities related to community safety and emergency management. Their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) program educates people about disaster preparedness for hazards that may impact their geographic area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations (www.citizencorps.gov/cert/).
The White House (www.whitehouse.gov) presents the Bush administration’s policies on homeland security and key institutional developments and accomplishments.
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) (www.nvoad.org) is a coalition of national voluntary organizations, emergency management organizations, and business partners with missions of planning, preparation, and execution of response and recovery services. VOAD provides a forum for its members to collaborate and coordinate through conferences, publications, and electronic discussion groups.
The Homeland Security Institute (www.homelanddefense.org) exists to assist the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology Directorate, and the DHS Operating Elements, in addressing important homeland security issues, particularly those requiring scientific, technical, and analytical expertise.
The National Emergency Assistance Team of the National Association of School Psychologists (www.nasponline.org) has a variety of publications that offer guidance on how to help schools, families, and communities cope with crisis.
The Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) became a part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003. Their site provides a variety of resources for those interested in disaster preparedness and emergency response including their publication, Are You Ready? (www.fema.gov/areyouready/), which walks readers through a number of community safety topics.
Annotated bibliography
Homeland security overview
Kemp, R, ed. "Homeland security: Trends in America". Homeland security: Best practices for local government. Washington, DC: International City/County Management Association, 2003.
Frames security issues in terms of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery, describing the current range of strategies used to address each in the United States and general approaches to limiting the loss of life and property of citizens during times of a disaster.
Moynihan, D., & Roberts, A. "Public service reform and the new security agenda". Governance & Public Security. Ed. A. Roberts. Syracuse, NY: Campbell Public Affairs Institute, 2002.
Describes changes in functions of government and public perceptions of government related to the changing homeland security landscape, focusing on the importance of interagency collaboration.
Involving communities and volunteers
Butterfoss, F., Kelly, C., & Taylor-Fishwick, J. "Health planning that magnifies the community’s voice: Allies against asthma". Health Education & Behavior, 32.1 (2005): 113-128.
Describes the inclusive approach to community health needs planning undertaken by Allies Against Asthma in one Virginia community in 2001. Focus groups and surveys revealed high incidences of asthmas coupled with low incomes, lack of resources, inadequate asthma education, and noncompliance with national guidelines. Describes the process by which an integrated community asthma action plan was developed and funded.
Gordon, R. Homeland security and national service: A look back and a pathway forward. Paper presented at the International Colloquium for Civil Service, Rome, Italy, May 2002.
Describes historic and recent initiatives aimed at harnessing national volunteer and community service related to homeland security. Argues that AmeriCorps and others can play an important role in training, educating, and preparing communities to deter, prevent, and respond to terrorism and other security crises.
McDonald, M. "Key participants in combating terrorism: The role of American citizens and their communities in homeland security". IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology, 21.5 (2005): 34-37.
Argues for the importance of community communications networks enabling an interoperable homeland security infrastructure from neighborhood to metropolitan, regional, state, and national levels. Emphasizes the importance of clear understanding and protection of citizen rights and responsibilities in cases of surveillance and/or martial law.
Simpson, D., & Strang, W. "Volunteerism, disasters and homeland security: The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) and community preparedness". Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 1.4 (2004): 1-12.
Advocates using existing volunteer and service networks to help communities "jump start" their disaster preparedness and safety efforts. Proposes a model for community team development that includes specialized team training and recruitment; structured staff and activities; intensive planning, supervision, and support; and a mix of hands-on and administrative community organizing activity
Homeland security and schools
Homeland Security. The Resource Connection (Special Issue), 6.1 (2002): 1-12.
CNCS articles on coordinating emergency management and disaster response, including general homeland security resources and descriptions of some service-learning programs that support homeland security outcomes.
"Caring for our own: Widespread mental health needs follow a mass disaster". Joint Commission Perspectives, 21.12 (2001): 19, 23.
Highlights the importance of addressing social, psychological, and emotional needs of a community during times of disaster; recommends integrated communication and coordination of services among community organizations.
McCarthy, M. "Utilizing K-12 school and higher education programs to incorporate homeland security topics for public education". Health Physics, 85.1 (2003): 42-45.
Explores connections between institutional accreditation, professional development, and homeland security. Recommends use of distance education programs, especially by coupling graduate schools of education with graduate schools of public health, to provide technical training on specific homeland security issues.
National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism. Recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Washington, DC: Author, 2003.
Describes emergency health needs of children, the capacity of healthcare systems to respond to those needs, and recommendations for improving healthcare infrastructures and communication. Recommendations relevant to schools and communities include coordination between DHHS and educational institutions, continuing education for healthcare professionals in pediatric needs related to terrorism, integration of federal, state, and local responders with faith- and community-based organization in emergency management planning, training, and the building of community resilience related to children and families.
Greenberg, M., Weissberg, R., O’Brien, M., Zins, J., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., & Elias, M. "Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning". American Psychologist, 58.6 (2003): 466-474.
Describes successes of social and emotional learning in supporting positive youth development in the areas of mental health, substance use, antisocial behavior, and academic performance. Recommends research-based practices, rigorous measurement, and comprehensive prevention approaches that coordinate prevention efforts across schools, school systems, and communities.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "Basic preparedness" (Chapter 1). Are you ready? An in-depth guide to citizen preparedness. Washington, DC: Author, 2004.
FEMA and the American Red Cross. Preparing for disaster. Washington, DC: Author, 2004
"Using JCAHO standards as a starting point to prepare for an emergency: A comprehensive approach to emergency management". Joint Commission Perspectives, 21.12 (2001): 4-5.
Specifies processes that organizations may need to identify and implement in order to effectively engage in the four phases of emergency management.
Lerner, M., Volpe, J., & Lindell, B. A practical guide for crisis response in our schools (5th ed.). Commack, NY: American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 2002.
Practical text with information to assist schools in responding to everyday crises and school-based disasters.
Greene, B., Barrios, L., Blair, J.E., & Kolbe, L. "Schools and terrorism. A supplement to the report of the National Advisory Committee on Children and Terrorism". School Health, 74.2 (2004): 39-51.
Emphasizes the need for integration between schools and recovery services for disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation. Recommends developing and disseminating guidance and technical assistance on establishing collaborative agreements, models for cooperation, programs for psychosocial preparedness and recovery, and methods for managing the stress of ongoing threats and fostering resiliency. Also suggests school-based violence prevention education and programs that address the root causes and history of terrorism, conflict, and violence in their communities and throughout the world.
Montgomery Public Schools. Emergency preparedness guidelines: Chemical, biological, and/or radiological incidents. Rockville, MD: Author, 2003.
Provides definitions of emergency incidents, specific guidelines for action by schools, and a checklist to assess school emergency/crisis preparedness.
Virginia Department of Education. Model School Crisis Management Plan. Richmond, VA: Author, 1999.
Helps local educators and law enforcement officers develop or refine school district- and building-level crisis plans. The model plan focuses on (a) preparation for crises, (b) identification and intervention with students who may present a potential threat, (c) response to events which impact the school, but do not present serious threat of harm to students, personnel, or facilities, and (d) management of critical incidents which do involve threats of harm.
U.S. Department of Education. Practical information on crisis planning: A guide for schools and communities. Washington, DC: Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools. (2003)
Provides basic guidelines and useful ideas on how to develop emergency response and crisis management plans in schools and communities.
Project TAHS. Homeland Security sample programs and resources for school-based programs. (2004) Available online at http://www.projecttahs.org/pdf/Schoolbased.doc.
Describes a number of school-based, homeland security programs sponsored by the Corporation for National and Community Service, organized around the four themes of disaster/emergency prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. A list and description of resources for school-based activities involving homeland security topics is also provided.
Karasik, J. "Service-learning takes up the challenge". The Resource Connection, 6.1 (2002): 8-9.
This article is part of the Homeland Security theme issue of the Resource Connection. It describes how students and teachers across the country have developed a pro-active approach to public safety and preparedness through service-learning projects.
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