A Busy Fall for Growing to Greatness

Growing to Greatness: The State of Service-Learning Project is
drawing quite a bit of attention this fall, with presentations,
requests for new papers, and the ongoing process of conducting research
and publishing the results. The first comprehensive national study of
the state of service-learning in kindergarten through 12th grade, G2G
measures indicators of how youths are valuable to society, rather than
the more common approach of measuring their shortcomings. In doing so,
it not only highlights the field of service-learning, but also recasts
the ways young people are viewed by society.

On Monday, September 27, NYLC Research Director Marybeth Neal will
present her paper "Socioeconomic Differences in Service-Learning
Implementation and Perception of Impacts" at the Conference on Civic
Education Research in Reno. The paper presents data from the G2G's
2004 survey of school principals and situates it within a body of
research on effective service-learning practice, exploring
service-learning as a useful achievement strategy for low-income
students and students of color.

Survey findings suggest, for example, that principals in
high-poverty schools — when compared to their counterparts in low- and
medium-poverty schools — are more likely to rate service-learning as
having a "very positive" impact on academic achievement. In seeking to
understand the reasons for this and other intriguing responses, the
paper explores research on the relationship of service-learning to
academic achievement, school attendance, the formation of individual
and group identities, students' development of a sense of connectedness
and engagement, multiple intelligences and diverse learning styles,
school-community partnerships, and strategies employed by schools to
meet standards and testing requirements.

Neal will also present a paper giving a broader review of the survey
at the International Service-Learning Research Conference at Clemson
University, October 10-12. At the same conference, G2G will
release a request for proposals for related research papers. "We want
to encourage additional research on the data we collect through the
annual surveys," Neal says. "Those selected will receive a research
stipend and will be asked to submit papers for possible inclusion in
our "Growing to Greatness 2006" report.

Growing to Greatness is sponsored by the State Farm Companies Foundation.