"WHEN GOOD GRADES MEET GOOD DEADS" LETTER TO THE EDITOR BY LESLIE F. HERGERT, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL COMMISSION ON SERVICE-LEARNING

The New York Times
August 12, 2001

To the Editor:

"Volunteers on Vacation" (Education Life, Aug.5) describes students' experiences with "community service in paradise" and attributes the trend to the emphasis "high schools now place on volunteerism - also called service learning."

Volunteering - offered or required in four-fifths of American public high schools - is a valuable experience for Americans of all ages, but is no the same as service-learning.

Service-learning is a teaching method, offered in about one-third of primary and secondary schools, that combines meaningful service to the community with curriculum-based learning. In effective service-learning, students respond to genuine social needs through community activities that are integrated into the curriculum and accompanied by structured reflection, deepening their learning and building community responsibility.

LESLIE F. HERGERT
Director
National Commission on Service-Learning
Newton, Mass., Aug. 10, 2001