Using Service Learning to Close the Achievement Gap

November 2nd, 2009 By: Diane Trim in Articles, Teachers' Corner

It’s grim, but true: a student who has dropped out of school is likely to be poor, African-American or Hispanic, and from a school that has few resources and poorly qualified teachers. When compared with their higher-income peers, these kids under perform and are disengaged at school. (U.S. Department of Education, 2000.)

But, there’s hope. Researchers from the Search Institute and the National Youth Leadership Council researched the use of service learning to help these students succeed at school and close the achievement gap. (Scales, et al. 2006)

The researchers found that students who participated in service learning projects missed fewer days from school, were more engaged at school, and read more for pleasure. The kids earned better grades, too.

Low-income students who participated in service learning, approached their higher-income peers in these areas, especially the high-income peers who did no service learning at all.

The authors explain that low-income students who perform just one service hour per week closed the achievement gap significantly.

The low-income students still skipped school, but those who were involved in community service skipped significantly fewer days than those who didn’t participate in the service learning program.

The researchers found that the best service learning opportunities are those that give students the feeling of being needed and values and those that allow students to see the real-world applications of their classroom knowledge.

REFERENCES:

Scales, P.C., Roehlkepartain, E. C., Neal, M., Kielsmeier, J.C., and Benson P.L. (2006.) Reducing Academic Achievement Gaps: the Role of Community Service and Service Learning. Journal of Experiential Education. 29: 38 – 60.

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2000). Condition of Education 2000. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office (NCES Document 2000-602).

Tags: achievement gap, service learning