Minnesota

Minnesota’s Learning In Deed project builds on the state’s rich tradition of service and learning. The Youth Development Act provides a funding formula for local and state aid, making Minnesota the only state that allows districts to levy funds for youth service (raising about $4 million annually). In addition, national service-learning organizations, including the Corporation for National Service Clearinghouse and the National Youth Leadership Council, are based in Minnesota, and the state has been designated a “lead state” for the federal Learn and Serve program. Service-learning also is embedded in the state standards, both as a mandated requirement and a recommended methodology for demonstrated learning.

Visit the Minnesota Department of Education Web site: http://cfl.state.mn.us/servicelearning/

Practice

The Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning is working directly with six school districts to scale up high-quality service-learning by:

1. identifying district service-learning strengths and needs
2. developing a comprehensive plan for making service-learning integral to K-12 curriculum
3. creating an in-district system for ongoing professional development
4. creating a structure to share knowledge of service-learning institutionalization within project districts and throughout the state
5. participating in project evaluations to generate research-based understanding of the effects of service-learning practices
6. linking with institutions of higher education

Learning In Deed schools are working to increase high-quality service-learning practice through professional development, key stakeholder support, youth and community partners training, and the creation of school structures that provide long-term service-learning support.

Policy

Current state legislation efforts include:

1. increasing the $1 per-capita levy for youth service to $3, with $1 dedicated to service-learning programs
2. appropriating $300,000 annually to fund challenge grants to K-12 school districts for staff development and curriculum design

New efforts include linking service-learning to new graduation standards.

Infrastructure/Capacity

The Minnesota Learning In Deed project is focusing change efforts in four areas:

1. the content of change – what will be implemented
2. the process of change – the mechanism through which the innovations are implemented
3. school capacity for change
4. environmental support for change.

The framework connects multiple goals, activities and stakeholders in coherent and meaningful ways. This “theory of action” moves service-learning to deeper integration within schools and communities.