Youth Advise on Education Policy Initiative

More than 50 representatives of organizations that support service-learning gathered at Georgetown University Thurs. to launch an effort to transform public education by advocating for engaged education approaches in federal and state policy. But it was three high school students from Maryland who set the direction for the initiative.

Citing their own experiences — developing a high school breast cancer awareness campaign, creating a peer tutoring program, responding to the Gulf Coast oil spill — the students spoke passionately about the need to develop policies that support active learning and contribution in the schools.

As Sadie Lockhardt, 17, from North Dorcester High School, said: “Anybody can read a textbook and digest the information. But we're not trying to develop textbooks; we're trying to develop people. Service-learning gives you that opportunity.”

They called for policies that support “real life” learning experiences, better teacher preparation, and more research into service-learning. Ben Kramer,17, and a student at Winston Churchill High School, said business should take a stronger interest in education, giving students “opportunities to develop skills that can't be learned in classrooms, through textbooks, or by taking tests,” — particularly when the goals of education are to develop global citizens.

And they were emphatic that all social media platforms be employed in advancing the initiative. "Go to where youth are looking: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr." said Justice Walker, 16, a student at Bishop McNamara High School and NYLC Youth Advisory Council member.

The students' urgent calls for action found a receptive audience at the meeting, which was designed to launch a campaign called Engaged Education Now. Said Jim Kielsmeier, who founded NYLC in St. Paul, Minn., “At the heart of this initiative is that we need another way of thinking about young people. They are not in the process of developing their lives, they're here now, and have much to contribute. Schools need to be re-designed to engage young people as contributors.”

Furthermore, Bruce Hunter, policy director at the American Association Secondary School Administrators noted that the tests that have been developed over the past 20 years are the wrong tests—they’ve created a momentum that goes against meaningful learning and don’t reveal much about what students know and can accomplish.

As Steve Culbertson, CEO of Youth Service America, said: “When we link real learning with authentic service, we show students why school matters. We are part of the larger movement to engage kids in their own education, but these service-learning students are doing what they will need to do for their rest of their lives: solve community problems.”

Other members of Engaged Education Now include the American Association of Secondary School Administrators, Campus Compact, Common Cents, NYLC, Points of Light Institute, HandsOn Network, State Farm® Insurance, and the University of Minnesota.

To get involved, visit www.nylc.org/een.

Attend a webinar introducing the initiative on Wed., Nov. 17, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m CT. To register, Clilck here.

Youth voicing their priorities for policy strategies to expand service-learning and reform education.

Left to right: Justice Walker, Bishop McNamara High School; Ben Kramer, Winston Churchill High School; Sadie Lockhart, North Dorcester High School.