Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

Hot on the heels of the National Conference on Volunteering and Service, we're focusing in this newsletter on new resources for AmeriCorps involved in service-learning and in other kinds of education-based service. Because July is National Parks and Recreation Month, we're focusing our featured library resources on that issue.

Inside you'll also find service-learning news and events, and as usual, tons of free resources, including some tips on Copyright issues!

Happy summer,

Barbara and Liberty

Barbara Holland, National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Director
Liberty Smith, National Service-Learning Clearinghouse Program Manager

On the Front Lines of Schools: New Report by Civic Enterprises
As a follow-up to its report three years ago on the dropout crisis in American public education, Civic Enterprises has released a new report that includes the views of teachers and administrators, perspectives missing from its first report.
www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8724

Call to Reinvent Liberal Arts Education
How can universities breed civic engagement and become part of the solution to local, national, and global problems? Bennington president Liz Coleman delivers a call-to-arms for radical reform in higher education. Bucking the trend to push students toward increasingly narrow areas of study, she proposes a truly cross-disciplinary education -- one that dynamically combines all areas of study to address the great problems of our day.
www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8283

AmeriCorps and Service-Learning 101
This fact sheet highlights some of the emerging knowledge in this field based on theory, process evaluations, and field wisdom—knowing that more rigorous research is needed.
www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/americorps_and_service-learning_101

AmeriCorps, Service-Learning, and Community: Working to Address Community Needs and Strengths
This fact sheet introduces community assessment to AmeriCorps members working in educational settings and looking to enhance their experience of learning through service, and for anyone interested in finding a way to increase civic engagement, academic, personal, and social outcomes of youth and students.
www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/americorps_service-learning_and_community

Resources for AmeriCorps Members
This fact sheet includes resources for those who are interested in finding a way to increase civic engagement, academic, personal, and social outcomes of youth and students.
www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/fact_sheets/cb_facts/resources_for_americorps_members

And fairly new…

AmeriCorps & Service-Learning
AmeriCorps members (including AmeriCorps State & National, AmeriCorps*Vista, and AmeriCorps NCCC) are working in schools, universities, and community-based organizations across the country implementing, facilitating, and coordinating service-learning. This page includes examples of how AmeriCorps and service-learning interconnect and resources to help support AmeriCorps members involved with service-learning.
www.servicelearning.org/americorps

This month folks on the Higher Education email discussion list were deep in conversation about civic engagement. Members discussed creating a culture of civic engagement, documenting civic engagement beyond service hours, and what activities should count as service hours. Have thoughts on these topics? Examples from your own programs? Add your project or ideas to the discussion. If you're not already a member of one of our email discussion lists please visit www.servicelearning.org/what_is_service-learning/lists_news/.

And, if you're already a member of one of the lists and want to look back at past discussions simply visit lists.etr.org where you can search on a particular topic, or browse through the archives.

Did you know that NSLC is on Twitter? You can follow what we're talking about, and see what others in the service-learning field are talking about in the Twitterverse. It's free, quick, and easy. Simply join at www.twitter.com. You can find us at www.twitter.com/nslc and www.twitter.com/liberty_nslc.

Copyright

Because everyone wants to leverage existing resources and avoid reinventing the wheel we often get questions from Learn and Serve America Grantees, service-learning practitioners, and others about copyright. Copyright, the legal protection to authors of original works, gives authors the exclusive right to reproduce, distribute, and display their works. It's a complex issue with a lot of rules and a lot of exceptions. Some of these exceptions relate to library and education settings, and allow for some additional use of copyright protected materials, such as the "fair use" rule. Other aspects of the law deal with the use of digital materials and online information. Copyright is a legal issue, and while we're not able to provide you with legal advice, we wanted to provide you with some definitions, some ways to find out more about what you can and can't do with copyright protected materials, and tips on how to protect your own original works.

Here's a mini-glossary of some terms related to copyright and links where you can find more information:

Copyright: The exclusive rights of the owner of the copyright on a work to make and distribute copies, prepare derivative works, and perform and display the work in public. www.copyright.gov

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA): An amendment to existing US copyright law that regulates the use of digital materials. www.copyright.gov/legislation/dmca.pdf

Fair Use: A limitation on a copyright holder's exclusive rights which allows the use of copyright protected work for commentary, parody, news reporting, research, scholarship, and education. The rule assumes that the use is minimal enough that it will not interfere with the copyright holder's exclusive rights to reproduce and reuse the work.
fairuse.stanford.edu/Copyright_and_Fair_Use_Overview/chapter9/index.html

Plagiarism: The unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work. www.plagiarism.org/

Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse is full of resources that you can use to help you improve service-learning research and practice. You are able to quote small portions of a copyright protected work found on the NSLC website as long as you make sure to attribute that work to the author and not claim it as your own. You can also make and distribute copies of NSLC-produced documents, such as our fact sheets, bibliographies, and even this newsletter. Keep our name and the NSLC branding, but please share our resources with your students, friends, colleagues, and community-partners! All the Learn and Serve America Bring Learning to Life materials (www.servicelearning.org/lsa/bring_learning/) are also available free for you to make as many copies as you need and distribute far and wide. But note that without the permission of the authors, you cannot make and distribute copies of materials found on our site that don't clearly indicate they were created by and for NSLC or Learn and Serve America.

July is National Parks and Recreation Month. This month is a time for all Americans to come together to recognize the vital contributions of employees and volunteers throughout the country who assist in creating and maintaining public parks and recreation facilities.  In honor of this month of awareness, take a look at these resources from our library that relate to parks, recreation, and outdoor activity and the importance of open space and outdoor activity in enhancing the quality of life for all people.

First Responders: Youth Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Service-Learning
The primary audiences of this module are classroom teachers, service-learning coordinators, students in the health professions, and staff in community and youth development organizations who are seeking to engage middle and high school-age-youth as "first responders" to the critical American issue of childhood obesity. The module uses service-learning to move beyond the textbook, explore real world issues, and address systemic factors that contribute to childhood obesity.
www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8550

Service-Learning and Parks and Recreation Education
This brief article offers advice on how to integrate service-learning into parks and recreation education.
www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=6325

Service Learning for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: A Step-by-Step Guide (add photo – exists somewhere)
This workbook provides university and high school students step-by-step guidance through the process of planning, implementing, and evaluating service-learning projects for health, physical education, and recreation.
www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8140

Service-Learning and Historic Preservation
This toolkit, created in partnership between NSLC and The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP), provides resources for teachers and for historic preservation organizations interested in partnering to provide youth with an engaging learning experience where story and place connect (such as national, state, and local parks!). This resource includes first steps, benefits to students and historic preservation organizations, and examples of successful service-learning historic preservation projects.
www.servicelearning.org/instant_info/historic_preservation/index.php

Did you know that NSLC offers copies of many of our most popular service-learning marketing resources for free or low cost to both grantees and non-grantees? You can order free copies of the Bring Learning to Life items or of the NSLC promotional postcard for SLICE: Service-Learning Ideas and Curricular Examples to help you spread the good news about service-learning. The order process is easy. Just fill out the form online and let us do the rest!
www.servicelearning.org/pubs/index.php

21st Century Community Learning Centers' (CCLC) 2009 Summer Institute
July 7 – 9, 2009
servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=1045

National Summer Learning Day
July 9, 2009
servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=215

2009 Alternative Break Citizenship Schools – Indianapolis
July 18 – 24, 2009
servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=1091

Service-Learning Institute for Educators
July 20 – 23, 2009
servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=1085

Deepening the Relationship of Peace, Service and Spirituality
July 24 – 26, 2009
servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=1076

Community Development Society 41st Annual International Conference
July 26 – 29, 2009
servicelearning.org/events_jobs/slconf_events/index.php?action=detailed&event=897

Suggest a Calendar Event
A great way to advertise your service-learning related event is to add it to the NSLC calendar.
www.servicelearning.org/nslc/suggestion/

Learn and Serve America Grantee Materials Roundup:

Have you ever been convinced that your program isn't the first to try a particular idea? Do you wonder if others would be interested in your project discoveries? Whether you're just starting out, or have been engaged in service-learning for years, let the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse make the connection for you. We collect materials created by service-learning programs and add them to our library for others to access. If you have produced surveys, forms, curricula, project plans, or any type of materials that could be shared with others involved in service-learning, send them our way! Check out this list of recent grantee submissions.

Whether or not you're a Learn and Serve America Grantee, let others know about the successful approaches used in your service-learning program. Submit today at:
www.servicelearning.org/library/promote/index.php.

Remember that Learn and Serve America grantees must send the Clearinghouse all program evaluations and other material developed through their funded activities.
www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/grantee_submitted_mats.php.

CBO
Global Youth Service Day 2009 Evaluation
Youth Service America
This evaluation form is for organizations and institutions participating in Global Youth Service Day 2009. The feedback collected will help to document the contributions that young people all over the world are making to their communities.
servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/Sample_Forms/GYSD_eval.pdf

HE
Learn and Serve America Program Civic Engagement Survey Summary (2007-2008 Data)
Washington Campus Compact
This report reflects information collected as part of Washington Campus Compact's Learn and Serve America Program Civic Engagement Survey, which was completed by 377 college student volunteers/service-learners during the 2007-2008 grant cycle. Specific sections of the report include the following information: a. program overview (program description, the geographic scope of the program, and participating campuses); b. a profile of college student volunteers/service-learners in the program (year in school, first-generation status, gender, and race/ethnicity); c. breadth of service involvement (additional service in college, middle/high school involvement in service, and participation in National Days of Service); d. student perceptions of service/volunteer activities (decision to participate and attitudes toward service/volunteer activities); e. college student service-learner/volunteer impacts (civic knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors; academic achievement; and career and workforce skill development); and f. community impacts (community issues addressed and perceptions of community impact).
servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8662

K-12
Service-Learning Site Visit Tool and Report
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
This form may be used during a site visit to a school or district that is conducting service-learning projects.
servicelearning.org/filemanager/download/Sample_Forms/sitevisittool-09.pdf

We want to show the world what service-learning can look like!

Do you have a terrific story of a student who was slipping through the cracks until they were reached by service-learning? Or do you have an inspiring project that makes others wonder what THEY could be doing to better the community? Send us your service-learning success stories and let us tell them to America!
www.servicelearning.org/nslc/success_story_form/

Send us your high quality photos of your service-learning programs or projects to highlight on our sector pages, as well as on the rest of the site, what service-learning in action can look like! Simply attach them in an email to nslc-webmaster@servicelearning.org

We appreciate the contributions you make to the enhancement of the National Service Learning Clearinghouse, America's Resource for Service-Learning Information.

Success Stories: Success stories are a way for NSLC to highlight and show off what you have done and are doing in the realm of service-learning.

Submit your own story today www.servicelearning.org/nslc/success_story_form/index.php.

Project FLOW's Day of Service T-Shirt: A New Use of Social Media by Volunteer WV
Project FLOW – Future Leaders of Watersheds subgrantees submitted t-shirt designs for the FLOW Day of Service T-Shirt. Hand-drawn designs were transferred to electronic media and posted on the VolunteerWV Blog. FLOW youth exercised their democratic right and voted on the design they preferred during a two week period. The winning design was placed on the back of the service day t-shirt to increase awareness of service-learning.
www.servicelearning.org/nslc/success_stories/cbo.php#16

View other success stories.

NSLC is all about sharing, so please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues and invite them to subscribe by sending a blank email to join_nslc-newsletter@lists.etr.org.

You're also welcome to incorporate excerpts from the newsletter into your own newsletter (just be sure to cite Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse NSLC Newsletter and send us a copy).