California

California builds on its service-learning experience and the recommendations of its Superintendent’s Service-Learning Task Force Report to develop immediate and long-term practices, policies and systems to assure high-quality service-learning at the state, county, district and school levels.

California’s efforts align with two major state goals for implementing service-learning in the schools:

  • By the year 2000, 25% of California’s 994 school districts should offer all students at least one community service or service-learning opportunity at each grade span for a minimum of three opportunities in students’ K-12 education.
  • By the year 2004, 50% of California school districts should offer all students at least one service-learning opportunity at each grade span.

Visit the California Department of Education Web site: http://www.cde.ca.gov/calserve/

Practice

Under the Learning In Deed initiative, the California Department of Education will work directly with school districts on self-selected strategies to scale up service-learning and make it part of the curriculum. To help districts "scale up", the California Department of Education developed a set of rubrics to advance service-learning across the dimensions of (1) policy, (2) practice and (3) capacity.

Policy

Policy that encourages, supports and rewards service-learning exists in several California districts as models for other districts to adapt or employ. The California Department of Education shares these policies with other districts and will create state policy to demonstrate service-learning’s high priority and alignment with state and national initiatives.

Infrastructure/Capacity

To ensure that service-learning becomes part of the K-12 curriculum, the California Department of Education:

  1. connects service-learning to state and national initiatives (e.g., state standards, School-to-Career, etc.)
  2. maximizes partnerships with higher education and community-based organizations
  3. develops leadership through the California School Leadership Academy and state study groups

 
On May 31, the Eureka City Schools' Governing Board held a special meeting to recognize the efforts of the district's service-learning site advocates. Service learning is the first strategy of the district's strategic plan and is incorporated into the curriculum K-12.
Left to right: Rita Orlandini, Winship Junior High School; John Smith, Zoe Barnum High School; Georgeanne Fulstone-Pucillo, Humboldt Bay High School; Mike Kellogg, Eureka High School; Betsy Coyle, Alice Birney Elementary School; Ken Stevenson, Zane Junior High School; Karen Rice, Marshall Elementary School; Barry Priestley, Washington Elementary School; Sandy Sathrum, Grant Elementary School. Photo credit: Sheldon J. Reber/Eureka City Schools

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