Does Participation in Quality Academic Service-Learning, Signature Service-Learning Positively Impact Students' State Achievement Test Scores?

Service-Learning is a teaching and learning methodology that utilizes experiential learning and combines academic study, community service, reflection, student voice, civic participation, community partners' involvement, and assessment. This study involves three years of data for three elementary schools in Hudson, Massachusetts. One of the three schools engaged fourth graders in high quality academic service-learning, known as Signature Service-Learning. The study found that Signature Service-Learning students had significantly higher scores on state mandated assessments than students who took service-learning courses that had less adherence to quality standards. Implications of this study are that quality of service-learning matters and can significantly affect program outcomes. (author)