Growing to Greatness: The State of Service-Learning

Growing to Greatness is the first ongoing national study of the state of K-12 service-learning. It documents the unfolding story of service-learning in the United States and provides information to improve practice, inform public policy, and illustrate the many ways young people contribute to society.

"Everybody can be great... because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." — Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Growing to Greatness: The State of Service Learning is an ongoing national project that studies the state of K-12 service-learning. G2G documents the unfolding story of service-learning the United States and provides useful information to improve service-learning in schools and community organizations.

G2G collects indicators of how youth are valuable to society, instead of the more common approach of measuring their shortcomings. The goal is not only to highlight the field of service-learning, but also to recast the ways young people are viewed by society.

The data we collect on the scope, scale, and impact of service-learning and positive youth development inform public policy and give a clear picture of the many ways young people contribute to society.

The annual Growing to Greatness report gathers a range of service-learning information, including annual national surveys, articles on related topics, state-by-state descriptions of service-learning activities, and profiles of national organizations. The annual reports can be ordered from NYLC or downloaded free from this site.