Civic Engagement through Service Learning

An important aspect of the presentation at NSBA by the NCLC (the National Center for Learning and Citizenship) concerned how service learning projects could be used to enhance civic engagement.

One of the recurring themes of the conference was the growing public recognition that the teaching of citizenship skills is central to the mission of public schools. In recent surveys, “citizenship” ranked behind only basic academic and critical-thinking skills in relative importance, and about even in importance with employment preparation. 

From the recently published, “Still at Risk” (the sequel to “Nation at Risk”): “the first mission of public schooling in a democratic nation is to equip every young person for the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship.”  And from Sandra Day O’Connor: “As civic learning has been pushed aside, society has neglected a fundamental purpose of American education, putting the health of our democracy at risk”.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that the generation currently in school is more distrusting of the political system, and has little knowledge of civic and political affairs.

Here are some relevant findings from the NCLC’s research on the effects of service learning projects:

• Service based learning develops a connection between students, community and schools.
• Students reported feeling that they had an impact on their community.
• There was an increased sense of personal and social responsibility.
• The largest increases in student engagement were found in “at risk” students.

There were also some results relating to academics:

• Improvement in language arts, social studies and writing.
• Positive trends in standardized testing.
• Students were more cognitively engaged.
• Higher scores on attitude toward school.

And finally, relating specifically to civics:

• Students were more likely to indicate an intention to vote.
• Students acquired more civic knowledge (the understanding of what it takes to make a difference).

One point that was emphasized and re-emphasized: the quality of the project is critical. A project that is seen as “busywork” or lacks student ownership may actually have negative effects on student engagement and academics. This is the one of the risks inherent in community service projects that are not directly connected to instructional goals.