Service-Learning and Standards-Based Instruction in Middle Schools

National curriculum standards call for meaningful teaching and learning that are developmentally appropriate and that help all students reach proficiency not only in basic skills but also in higher order thinking skills and real-world application of skills. Service-learning (SL) is among recommendations from educators for including real-world experiences into students' education. The paucity of research and mixed findings on academic outcomes from K-12 SL led the author to examine opportunity-to-learn conditions and practices of 2,164 teachers in 271 middle schools involved in school improvement. The author analyzed teacher reports to determine (a) attitudes and beliefs toward SL; (b) extent to which teachers implemented SL; and (c) relationships between teachers' attitudes and beliefs, SL, and standards-based instructional practices. Although teachers believed that SL was essential for effective education, most teachers used SL infrequently. One-way multivariate analysis of variance revealed that teachers who implemented SL regularly used standards-based instructional practices more often than did their colleagues. Implications for preservice and inservice teachers are discussed. [author]