Service-Learning and Goals 2000
In March of 1994 the Goals 2000 Act set into law the eight national education goals. Under Goals 2000 the focus of government (and educational change) shifts from rules and compliance to improved student performance and accountability for results. Goals 2000 provides support for states and communities to custom design their own improvement strategies. A new educational partnership which blends federal, state, and local resources will serve a critical role in helping children reach challenging goals and standards.
Goal II of the national education goals states that all students in America will be competent in the core academic subjects. The legislature declared its intent, moreover, to provide alternative or additional instructional opportunities to help improve the educational experience of students.
These initiatives, together with others included within the reform acts, provide impetus and support for service-learning. Service-learning is an educational strategy that incorporates community service into the student's overall learning experience. Service augments the formal learning students receive in the classroom. Examples include, adopting a stream (science), conducting community surveys (business and math), tutoring (home and family living), and helping the homeless (social studies). These experiences enrich and enliven the learning experience. When formal training, experiential learning and community service are integrated and directed at certain specific performance objectives, student learning becomes purposeful and meaningful.
Service-learning not only enriches learning for students but it contributes to other state and national goals as well. Engagement with other adults in the community promotes a smoother transition for students from school to the world of work. Youth involvement in the community enhances a feeling of belonging, which in turn contributes to safe and chemical-free schools and neighborhoods. Service-learning, in short is an important ingredient in educational improvement. It can foster performance-based learning, contribute to success in school, and lead to the achievement of other goals as well such as an improved transition to adulthood and ultimately to responsible citizenship in our democracy.
Connecting students, classrooms and community |
