1. Service learning as an instructional METHOD TO KEEP AT-RISK YOUTH IN SCHOOL

2. Characteristics of students at risk of leaving school prematurely: Distrust of authority Distrust of authority Preference for non-traditional classroom settings Preference for non-traditional classroom settings Preference for practical applications over theory Preference for practical applications over theory

3. Sense of learned helplessness in school culture Sense of learned helplessness in school culture Ambivalent feelings about the value/relevance of education Ambivalent feelings about the value/relevance of education Sense of being outside the system Sense of being outside the system

4. s a teaching and learning strategy through which young people learn and develop by designing, organizing, and participating in meaningful service experiences. Service learning is a teaching and learning strategy through which young people learn and develop by designing, organizing, and participating in meaningful service experiences.

5. Distrust of authority Teachers who engage their students in service-learning projects tend to be less authoritarian. Because students are encouraged to take initiative in service- learning projects, there is less a sense of the teacher being in charge. There is a shared responsibility among students and with the teacher.

6. Preference for non-traditional classroom settings Service-Learning programs are experiential and allow students to experience community and business sites as their learning environment. The reflective nature of much of the work on a project has students more likely sitting in a circle or planning at a table than in rows of desks.

7. Preference for practical applications over theory Service-Learning programs allow students to see the relevance of the work and the importance of the project to the greater community. Business connections to the project can provide students opportunities to sample careers and to develop employment skills.

8. Sense of learned helplessness in school culture At-risk students have experienced a great deal of academic failure and may have grown to feel that nothing they do will make a difference. These students dont expect to succeed and are reluctant to take risks within the school culture. Service learning offers them a chance to succeed incrementally.

9. While they are finding their way back into the academic setting, at-risk students experience incremental fluctuation (two steps forward/one step back). Service-Learning methods provide the balance of affirmation with challenge that keeps motivation high. The connections made between the intrinsic and extrinsic value of education/learning maintains involvement. Ambivalent feelings about the value & relevance of education

10. Sense of being outside the system Some at-risk students have been marginalized in more than just the academic areas of their lives. Often they have grown up in families that felt no ownership or investment within the community. Service- Learning programs offer a validation of each students contribution, an opportunity for positive community involvement and an enhanced perception of the self within the system.

11. over a million students of all ages apply academic skills to solve community problems through service-learning programs. Through structured service-learning projects, students help meet actual community needs, improve academic achievement, learn problem-solving skills, and develop habits of good citizenship.

12. To Learn More about Service Learning: Contact Sandy Lawrence or Jennifer Read at ESC XIII Contact Sandy Lawrence or Jennifer Read at ESC XIII Contact the Texas Center for Service Learning Contact the Texas Center for Service Learning