Community Service Learning: a Vital Contribution to Educational Reform.

Community service learning reflects on an ecological approach to educational reform. It embodies the theories and philosophies of experiential and developmental learning in the context of addressing community needs. The rationale for community service learning programs is the psychological, social, and intellectual development of youth and to provide a forum for positive school community interaction. Planning, implementing, and integrating community service-learning programs challenge many of the assumptions and perceptions of schooling, notably the relationships of teachers with their work, colleagues, students and the community, and the measurement and definition of learning. These notions are presented within the broader process of educational change. Teacher culture, in terms of flexibility, autonomy, collaboration, participation in decision making, and collegiality, are discusses as critical elements for adopting and sustaining educational innovations. Community service learning changes the traditional framework for viewing the educational enterprises by creating a learning community of teachers, students, family members and citizens.