First Dropout Prevention Radio Webcast for 2009-10

Tune in to the next live radio webcast!
Solutions to the Dropout Crisis
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time

Graduation and Collaboration Coaches: Working Effectively Together

Presented by Laura Brown and Fran Bay

• Learn how Graduation and Collaboration Coaches have contributed to an increase in Georgia's graduation rate.
  
• Learn about the roles of these Graduation and Collaboration Coaches.
  
  This radio webcast will address a framework for dropout prevention that has been effective in Georgia-the state's Graduation Coach program provides early intervention services to students at risk for dropping out of school. The state's graduation rate has increased from 72.3% in 2007 to 75.4% in 2008 - a record high for Georgia. This 3.1% rate increase represents 8,277 additional graduates for the 2007-2008 school year. Additionally, the state's dropout rate decreased from 4.1% to 3.7%. Georgia also funds Collaboration Coaches to assist middle and high schools in developing supports for students with disabilities. Schools implement strategies for engaging students academically and behaviorally as well as focusing on affective needs.
  
  Information about this free webcast and a list of resources, including a PowerPoint, are available now at www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast. Registration is not necessary. Any questions? Call 864-656-2580 or email ndpc@clemson.edu.
  
  Presented by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Clemson University in partnership with Clemson Radio Productions, and with the generous support of Penn Foster.
  

Hopeful Voices: a free service-oriented curriculum supplement

Dear Colleagues,

The nonprofit My Class Cares (www.MyClassCares.org) has just developed a new (and free) publication for secondary social studies and languages arts teachers.  The publication, called Hopeful Voices, features essays from youth around the world whose incredible challenges have given them much to share about life and hope.  Each essay concludes with prompts for student writing assignments, making Hopeful Voices a unique curriculum supplement for social studies and language arts classes.  The website is: www.hopefulvoices.org
  
Groups interested in doing a service activity based on Hopeful Voices are welcome to follow one of the writing-based, fund-raising suggestions inside the publication.

Please feel free to share with your contacts!

Thank you,

Ben Schumaker
Executive Director
www.MyClassCares.org
483 Presidential Lane
Madison, WI 54558
P: 608-467-5706
E: ben@myclasscares.org

Fremont Administrators Participate in Environmental Service-Learning Training

On August 12, all administrative staff in Fremont Unified School District came together to participate in service-learning training.  The session focused on developing a common understanding of service-learning and brainstorming environmental service-learning projects in response to student leadership voting to adopt an environmental service-learning theme for the 2009-2010 school year. 

 

The focus on environmental service-learning presented a unique opportunity for site administrators (principals, assistant principals) to collaborate with department directors (facilities, maintenance, nutrition services, transportation, etc).  Table groups brainstormed a wide range of environmental service-learning project ideas that can be found (with other materials from the session) at: http://calservenetwork.org/fusdadmintraining.html

 

 

*************************************************************

Nate Ivy

 

Service-Learning Lead CalServe Region 4 | http://calservenetwork.org

Service-Learning Waste Reduction Project | http://recycle.stopwaste.org/slwrp

 

Alameda County Office of Education

313 W. Winton Ave., Room 220

Hayward, CA 94544-1198

Ph: 510.670.4283

Fax: 510.670.4578

nivy@acoe.org

 

New K-5 Service-Learning Curriculum on Childhood Cancer

Dear Colleagues;

 

Those of you who working with elementary students may be interested in this FREE book and curriculum on childhood cancer. (See announcement below).  As the author of the curriculum and the accompanying PowerPoint and handouts, I am available to provide inservice training using this program.  You can contact me directly at rahimawade@gmail.com.

 

Rahima

 

FREE Book and Curriculum for K-5 Students!

 

Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation is proud to introduce our exciting new service-learning program, whose name was derived from the same principle that Alex herself followed: “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”  Aptly named “Lemonade from Lemons," this program aims to teach Alex’s inspiring message of making a difference, helping others, and overcoming obstacles to school-aged children (K-5) through a children’s book and service-learning lesson plans.  Available through our website for FREE to any school across the country, educators may request a book and download the curriculum online at http://www.alexslemonade.org/school-programs/lemonade-from-lemons.

Our service-learning curriculum is comprised of 3 units each for Grades K-1, 2-3, and 4-5 and was developed with emphasis on enhancing the literacy skills of children while teaching them about the “Power of One.”  It is also geared towards reinforcing key lessons from our children’s book, Alex & the Amazing Lemonade Stand.  The lesson plans includes supplemental handouts as well as special instructions for English as a second language learners, struggling learners, and gift & talented students.  For teachers new to service-learning, materials explaining this method of teaching will also be included.  

In addition to our website, ALSF hopes to provide materials for this program to underserved communities via a targeted mailing.  Those children, many whom face financial, academic and behavioral challenges, may not be aware that that they too possess the power to make a difference. 

Lemonade from Lemons is a pilot program designed to bring ALSF’s message of making a difference, helping others, and overcoming obstacles to school aged children.  This program is made possible with support by TD Bank.  Please contact Shirley Moy, Resource Coordinator, for any questions or comments at Shirley@AlexsLemonade.org or by phone: 610-649-3034.

I Remember. I Serve -- Participating in the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance

 

 

Dear National Service Colleague,

We all mourn the passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, a lifelong champion of national service. His passion for service and legislative leadership were instrumental to creating the robust national and community service movement we have today. No other legislator has done more to advance national service, and we will deeply miss him. But as our Board Chair Alan Solomont said yesterday, Senator Kennedy would undoubtedly have wanted us to honor his legacy by redoubling our efforts to make service a part of every citizen's daily life.

One of the first ways we have to answer that call to action is coming very soon - the first-ever September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
 

 

As we approach the end of the summer phase of United We Serve and recommit to service as a nation, we want to share some ways in which your organization can participate in the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance. We all remember where we were the moment we learned of the tragedy, and now, we serve on this day in the name of the 9/11 victims and heroes.

The tragic events of 9/11 inspired Americans to come together in a remarkable spirit of unity and compassion. It was a stark reminder that our fate as individuals is inherently tied to the fate of our nation. Eight years later, September 11 continues to evoke strong emotion and is a homage to sacrifice and a call to action. With our collective efforts, September 11, like Martin Luther King Day, will become synonymous with an annual call on Americans to serve.

In April, President Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act which, for the first time, officially recognizes September 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance. This designation came as the result of years of hard work by 9/11 families and service organizations. The President and the Corporation for National and Community Service will ask all Americans to remember 9/11 and recommit to service in their communities throughout the year. We encourage you to continue to promote service by commemorating this milestone through the United We Serve initiative.

Since the launch of United We Serve in June, Americans from all walks of life have responded enthusiastically to the President's call to service. By joining with friends and neighbors, they have replenished food banks, prevented summer reading loss, provided health services, supported our veterans and military families, restored parks and public lands, and given back in countless other ways. With your help this summer, the Corporation has launched a website featuring over 250,000 service opportunities, collected thousands of stories of service from people from all walks of life, highlighted examples of impact-oriented service activities in communities across the country, and developed exciting new partnerships.

To continue to support United We Serve and observe the 9/11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, your organization can:

1.      Post your 9/11 service activities on Serve.gov. We will be highlighting 9/11 service activities on Serve.gov - especially those occurring between September 7 to September 13. To ensure your opportunities appear, we recommend that you select a start and end date within that time period and include "September 11th" in the title. Keep in mind that opportunities with more robust descriptions tend to appear first.
 

2.      If you are planning a particular service event you would like us to consider highlighting in the media or on the Serve.gov blog, share the details with Corporation staff by filling in the Google form available at the following link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGxTZjJCbS1sQ0RnZ0NiT0hIcFhXcEE6MA.
 

3.      Inform your volunteer base about United We Serve and the President's call to service on 9/11. Use this day to mobilize current volunteers to serve on 9/11 and to recommit to service throughout the year.
 

4.      Spread the word about your 9/11 service activities by using United We Serve media tools available on Serve.gov.

• We encourage all organizations participating in the 9/11Day of Service to use the designated tagline, "I Remember. I Serve." in your media materials and communications. The phrase is a unifying element to commemorate the day and encourage Americans everywhere to both remember the events of 9/11 and to honor this memory through acts of service on the day and throughout the year.
   
• You can personalize the tagline - "I Remember, on 9/11/2001, I was (fill in the blank). This year, I Serve (fill in the blank)." Please incorporate this theme into media statements/news releases, promotional materials, internal and external communication messages, and websites.
   
• A graphic treatment and web banners are available on Serve.gov at http://www.serve.gov/link.asp#SEPT11.

5.      Identify stories of national service participants who were either personally involved in the response to 9/11 in the weeks and months after the attack, or who were inspired to participate in national service because of 9/11. Submit these stories to Serve.gov by Monday August, 31. These examples will be used in media outreach and events surrounding this year's 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance. Great stories include:

• National service participants (AmeriCorps, Senior Corps or Learn and + Serve America) who served in response to 9/11 in NYC, Washington DC or other locations and who continue to be involved in their communities;
   
• People who were motivated in full or in part to join AmeriCorps or other national service programs as a result of the tragedy of 9/11; and
   
• Family members (parents, children, or other relatives) of people who were affected by 9/11 who have participated in service since the attacks.

In honor of the National Day of Service and Remembrance, the Corporation for National and Community Service will be supporting service activities in all fifty states and highlighting events nationwide. With the combined efforts of state governments, non-traditional service partners, businesses, and your organization, we are working together to reignite the spirit of unity and service that inspired Americans in the days after the September 11, 2001 tragedy.

If we can support your organization's September 11 plans or United We Serve efforts, please contact your Corporation state office or state commission.

Thank you again for your continued participation in United We Serve.

In service,

Nicola Goren
Acting CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service 

 
 

FW: Great Article on S-L At Flower USD, CA

Edutopia has a great article on the wonderful work occurring in Fowler USD…. go to Students Experience Greater Learning for the Greater Good (http://www.edutopia.org/service-learning-fowler).

 

For a quick look… Click on the following link to view a short presentation on the work of Sutter Middle School, teacher Monica Sigala's "Chávez Caring Crew"

"At Sutter Middle School, teacher Monica Sigala's language arts students were learning to perfect the art of letter writing while simultaneously reading about the contributions of farmworker advocate (and local hero) César Chávez. And in science class, these same kids researched the effects of ultraviolet rays. Their seemingly unrelated studies led students to pull together a service-learning project -- the Chávez Caring Crew -- in which they collected sunscreen and lip balm to help protect field workers from overexposure to the sun.

Sigala's student groups synthesized information about the Sun's effects, wrote letters to local businesses requesting donations, and created information cards in English and Spanish to accompany their collected items. Students take complete ownership of their learning, says Sigala.

"They're walking around saying, 'That was my idea. I came up with the sunscreen.' Or, 'I thought of sunglasses, because I found research that showed that ultraviolet rays can increase the risk of cataracts,'" she says. "The students don't even realize all the great stuff they're learning, because they're so involved with the project -- and all of this teaches the standards."

Consider the Gap Closed in this district…

 

Michael Brugh, CalServe Program Director

California Department of Education,

CalServe Initiative, Suite 6408

1430 N Street

Sacramento, California 95814

Ph. (916) 319-0543

FX. (916)  323-6061

mbrugh@cde.ca.gov

http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/sl/

Supported by a grant from the Corporation for National Service, Learn and Serve America

 

U.S. News ranks top service-learning colleges

Dear Service-Learning Colleagues,

 

Well, it's about that time of year….for many it's back to school!

 

U.S. News & World Report has recently released their ever popular college rankings issue. Below is a link to their assessment of the top service-learning colleges, which includes Learn and Serve America grantee Wagner College!

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/service-learning-programs

 

For a list of the 635 colleges and universities who were awarded with the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in 2008, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement, visit:

http://www.servicelearning.org/lsa/honor-roll/index.php

 

And for more colleges and universities which stand out for their commitment to service-learning, Student Horizons' Guide to Service-Learning Colleges and Universities is available through the Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse library:

http://www.servicelearning.org/library/lib_cat/index.php?library_id=8305

 

Remember that NSLC library items are available for circulation to Learn and Serve America grantees and subgrantees, as well as any programs funded in part by the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps, VISTA, NCCC, SeniorCorps). For more information, simply visit: http://www.servicelearning.org/library/phys_coll/index.php

 

 

=================================

Heather Martin, MISt

Librarian

Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

America's Resource for Service-Learning Information

Toll-free 866-245-7378, ext. 140

Fax 831-430-9471

heatherm@etr.org

www.servicelearning.org

 

=================================

Visit and join the NSLC Facebook Fan page at: tinyurl.com/nslc-facebook

Follow us on Twitter and join the conversation: www.twitter.com/nslc

Can service-learning help solve the current crisis? Discuss: Service-Learning = Solutions Blog

 

 

NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will keynote the 2010 CCSS conference in Pasadena.

On the Shoulders of Giants: Empowering Students to Learn, Achieve, and Serve
Experience how the lessons learned from the struggles and victories of the Harlem Renaissance gave Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the confidence, will, and inspiration to become a legendary basketball player and recognized humanitarian dedicated to achieving social justice around the world.  Explore approaches to help all students embrace the stories of the past as prologue for the future.  Together we can help young people adopt a personal commitment to themselves and future generations to become informed, responsible, engaged citizens dedicated to creating a better world for all.

 

Abdul-Jabbar is an emerging historian recently authoring Brothers In Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, WWII's Forgotten Heroes and On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance

JOIN CCSS NOW and Register for the Conference: March 5-7 2010 CCSS Conference- PASADENA

Facing the Futute publishes Climate Change Action Project Database

The Climate Change Action Project Database includes more than 25 ready-to-use action projects that will prepare students to understand and resolve one of the greatest interconnected issues facing their future – climate change.

This new online database provides educators and students with:

• Meaningful service learning projects to fulfill graduation requirements
• Ideas for transforming classroom learning on climate change into action
• All the project details and contact information needed to get started
• Opportunities to take part in real-world solutions for climate change
• Options for projects that take place both on and off school grounds

The Climate Change Action Project Database complements Facing the Future's 2-week curriculum unit, Climate Change: Connections and Solutions. The middle school and high school units are both available to download at no charge thanks to support from the Hewlett-Packard Company.

Please let us know how you are using the Climate Change Action Project Database so we can continue to receive funding to provide high quality teaching resources. Email Kim to share your story!

President Obama to Deliver Nationally Broadcast Address to Students Sept. 8

PRESIDENT OBAMA TO DELIVER NATIONALLY BROADCAST ADDRESS TO STUDENTS ON SEPT. 8

        The President will deliver a speech about the importance of persisting and succeeding in school on Sept. 8, the first day of school for many children across America.  The Department of Education is encouraging educators, students and parents to use this opportunity to help students get focused and begin the school year strong.  The speech will be broadcast live on www.whitehouse.gov at 1 p.m. EDT.  The Department of Education has also asked a group of U.S. Department of Education Teaching Ambassador Fellows to develop some suggested classroom activities around the speech to help engage students and stimulate discussion on the importance of education in their lives.  The suggested classroom activities will be available on www.ed.gov.

        Here's how the President described the speech in a recent interview with 11 year-old reporter Damon Weaver yesterday: "On Sept. 8, when young people across the country will have just started or are about to go back to school, I'm going to be making a big speech to young people all across the country about the importance of education, the importance of staying in school, how we want to improve our education system, and why it's so important for the country.  And so I hope everybody tunes in."

WHO:
President Obama

WHAT:
Presidential Address To Students

WHEN:
1 p.m. EDT, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2009

WHERE:
Broadcast live at www.whitehouse.gov

Vallejo Times Herald: Benicia students take business to global stage

A team of students from Benicia studying social entrepreurship developed a micro-loan buisness and sold reusable water bottles as a part of their service-learning experiences that sent them to the World SAGE championships where they placed 5th.  Congratulations Benicia!

 

Benicia students take business to global stage - By Tony Burchyns/Times-Herald staff writer

BENICIA -- They're sitting on top of the world.That's how five Benicia High School teenagers feel this week after placing fifth out of 14 teams at an international youth entrepreneurship tournament in Brazil."We're really excited -- the whole competition was a life-changing View Full Story

Service-Learning Mini-Grants to support after-school programs.

Do Something and JCPenney have teamed up to support youth-led after school programs and projects across the country. This fall, they are giving out 10 $500 grants and 5 grand prize $1,000 grants to young people who are providing after school activities that help youth in their community!

http://www.dosomething.org/grants

Earth science magnet school to open in Southern California

EARTHS, the Environmental Academy for Research Technology and Earth Sciences, a K-5 public magnet school in Conejo Valley Unified School District, will open its doors in Newbury Park on Aug. 27.

The 500 students transferring by choice from other schools within the district will take part in an interactive, multisensory, discovery-based education process. 

Earth sciences and technology will be taught with handson learning in state-of-the-art indoor, outdoor and community based classrooms.

 

Read full article, including plans for service-learning projects here: http://www.toacorn.com/news/2009-08-20/Schools/Earth_science_magnet_school_to_open.html

 

The school's website is here: http://www.conejo.k12.ca.us/Default.aspx?alias=www.conejo.k12.ca.us/earths

Tips for Creating Inclusive Service Environments- Webinar

Whether you are starting a new program year or are interested in promoting inclusion at an existing program site, please join us to identify strategies and to learn effective practices for including members and volunteers with disabilities.

This interactive webinar will provide you with the fundamentals for creating a welcoming and inclusive service environment. In addition, you will have the opportunity to engage in firsthand dialogue with former members who have disabilities. These members will share their individual experiences in service and what the indicators of a welcoming service environment are for them.

As always, we welcome your questions, success stories and challenges with including individuals with disabilities in national service ahead of the webinar. Please be a part of this presentation and discussion.

Join us on Thursday, August 27, 2009 from 3 PM – 4 PM EST (2 PM Central, 1 PM Mountain, 12 PM Pacific)

Our lead presenters are from the National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP):
Lucy Bayard, Senior Training Coordinator
Jason P. Wheeler, Senior Training Manager

To register for this webinar, please send the following information to nsip@umb.edu on or before Wednesday, August 26th, 2009.

- Name
- Organization
- Email
- Phone
- If you require CART to participate, CART service provides instantaneous translation of the speech text using real-time software. This is an accommodation we provide to participants who are Deaf or hard of hearing.

NOTE: A confirmation email with connection instructions will be sent to all registered participants.
------

Training Team Members:
Lucy Bayard is the Senior Training Coordinator for the National Service Inclusion Project. Lucy worked as a special education teacher promoting inclusion in schools and as a program coordinator in the public and not-for-profit sectors developing curricula, as well as working with teachers and youth to create inclusive learning environments throughout the community. She received an undergraduate degree in service-learning at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and her Master's degree in Special Education from Lesley University.

Jason P. Wheeler is the Senior Training Manager for the National Service Inclusion Project. For the past 15 years, Jason has been professionally committed to youth leadership and development. Jason's experience was catalyzed by his extensive involvement in National Service programs focused on issues related to education, disability inclusion and social justice. Before joining the NSIP Team, Jason worked extensively with a wide range of people with disabilities in the areas of independent living, access to technology, community involvement, employment, and case management. He has, throughout his life, served as a volunteer and in community service roles. Jason is a graduate trainee of the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program at Children's Hospital Boston, a graduate level interdisciplinary training for health professionals.

------

About the National Service Inclusion Project:
The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) is a training and technical assistance provider on disability inclusion, under a cooperative agreement (#08TAHMA001) from Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). NSIP partners with the Association on University Centers on Disability, National Council on Independent Living, Association on Higher Education and Disability and National Down Syndrome Congress.

Contact Our Team
Toll-free: 888-491-0326 (voice and TTY)
Email: nsip@umb.edu
Web: http://www.serviceandinclusion.org

State Farm Youth Advisory Board Grants Due Oct 2nd

$5 million in Service-Learning Grants Now Available

Societal Issues Added to List of Service-learning Grants

 

Bloomington, Ill., July 29, 2009 – This year, State Farm's Youth Advisory Board expanded its disaster preparedness issue area to include grants addressing societal disasters like nutrition, exercise, bullying, abuse and diversity.

 

Applicants may request any amount from $25,000 to $100,000 based on a required budget which outlines project expenses. Request for Proposals (RFP) must be submitted online by Oct. 2. Complete details and contact information is available at www.statefarmyab.com.

 

The five issues that grant requests must focus on are:

·        Natural and Societal disaster preparedness

·        Driver safety

·        Accessing higher education/closing the achievement gap

·        Financial education

·        Environmental responsibility

 

To be eligible to receive a grant from the Board, applicants should be either an educator who currently teaches in a public K-12, charter, or higher education institution, or a school-based service-learning coordinator whose primary role is to coordinate service-learning projects in a public, charter, or higher education institution. Non-profit organizations are also eligible if they are able to demonstrate how they plan to actively engage students in public K-12 schools in meaningful service-learning programs.

 

The number of grants awarded will depend on the number and quality of requests received. Grant amounts will vary according to the nature of the proposal and availability of funds. At least one service-learning project will be funded in each of the 13 State Farm zones. As of June 2009, four years after the initial launch of the YAB, the board has awarded more than $12 million in grants to organizations in the U.S. and Canada and touched about 1.8 million lives.

 

Thirty high school and college aged youth oversee the granting of $5 million for student-led service-learning projects in the United States and in the Alberta, New Brunswick and Ontario provinces of Canada. The process is unique in the responsibility and resource decisions that the youth are given. It is the Board who come together to research issues they would like to solve, review grant applications, and ultimately decide the grant winners.

 

- 0 -

 

About State Farm:  State Farm® insures more cars than any other insurer in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve more than 78 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit statefarm.com® or in Canada statefarm.ca®.

 

About Service-learning: Service-learning is a teaching method which supplements classroom studies with hands-on projects that address pressing community issues and problems. To learn more about service-learning visit www.nylc.org, www.ysa.org, www.service-learningpartnership.org and

www.statefarm.com/about/part_spos/community/ed_excel/servlrng.asp.

 

Engaging Students in Conservation: Protecting the Endangered Snow Leopard

Available Now: Service Learning Unit on Conservation and Snow Leopards

 

Facing the Future, in collaboration with the Snow Leopard Trust, has just released Engaging Students in Conservation: Protecting the Endangered Snow Leopard, an interdisciplinary 1-2 week unit that includes five dynamic lessons and culminates with a service learning project. The unit is designed for 5-8^th grade students in science and social studies. Though the lessons are designed as a comprehensive unit, each lesson can stand alone.

 

This unit, valued at $14.95, is available for FREE download at http://www.facingthefuture.org/Home/CurriculumDetails/tabid/131/Default.aspx?ItemID=ESC.

 

Engaging Students in Conservation: Protecting the Endangered Snow Leopard includes:

• Five hands-on lessons
• An introduction to snow leopards and their ecosystem
• An exploration of the human-wildlife conflicts that exist where people and snow leopards overlap
• Opportunities to develop 21^st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, and global perspective
• An examination of community-based conservation
• A service learning project related to the protection of snow leopards in Mongolia and Kyrgyzstan

 

These lessons were developed and piloted by teachers and conservation experts including the Snow Leopard Trust, the world's leading authority on the study and protection of the endangered snow leopard.

 

"The students were actively engaged in all of the lessons presented and really took on the roles and emotions of the activities."          

 –Science Teacher

 

"I used different parts of each lesson with each class' ability. The many choices of activities allows for differentiation over a large expanse of abilities."

–Science Teacher

 

To download this unit today, visit www.facingthefuture.org

*********************************************************************************************

Facing the Future is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and motivating today's students to be responsible stewards of tomorrow's world. We develop and deliver standards-based hands-on lessons, student textbooks, curriculum units and professional development opportunities for educators that promote critical thinking on global issues, sustainability and positive solutions. Facing the Future curriculum is in use in all 50 U.S. states and over 85 countries by teachers and students in grades K-12, in undergraduate and graduate classes, and across multiple subject areas. For more information, visit www.facingthefuture.org.

 

Young Adult Leadership Training to help break California's Cradle to Prison Pipeline

Dear Young Leaders and Affiliates,

 

CDF-CA is now accepting applications for the California Cradle to Prison Pipeline® Young Leaders Training sponsored by The California Endowment. This three-day training for young adults ages 18-24 will include workshops, skills building and networking, and will serve as the first in a three-part series of trainings designed to advance participants' knowledge and create action plans to dismantle the pipeline to prison in California.  The deadline is 11:59 PM, Sunday, August 23rd, 2009.  For more information, visit: www.cdfca.org or contact Nina below.

 

Thanks!

Nina Moreno
Director of Field
Children's Defense Fund- California
2201 Broadway, Suite 705
Oakland, CA  94612
p  (510) 663-2218    f   (510) 663-1783
e  nmoreno@cdfca.org

www.childrensdefense.org

www.cdfca.org

 

 

Service-Learning and Hispanic Students: What Works in the Field

A recent report by the Education Commission for the States examines, “the positive relationship between service-learning and Hispanic students’ education, success and aspirations.”

 

The report finds that:

 

Schools and community partners reported that service-learning is a very successful pedagogy for Hispanic students. Many of the schools credited improved scores and graduation rates to service-learning. The data also indicate that before implementing service-learning curriculum and projects, administrators and teachers need to create an inclusive culture and lay the groundwork for success. Whereas the identified practices will work for all students, several specific practices pertaining to culture, relevancy and community, and family engagement are designed for Hispanic success.

Broader implications for adopting the recommendations and best practices contained in this report include:

• Ensuring effective ways of engaging Hispanic students and their families
• Improving dropout rates for Hispanic students
• Placing student success as the primary goal of the school, particularly those falling behind or failing
• Supporting student success by aligning efforts, resources and strategies
• Cultivating a shared mission and vision of the school among teachers and staff
• Improving the school’s overall academic success and achievement of the school.

In closing, the collective application of the following ensure that Hispanic students achieve academically and graduate high school: creating an inclusive culture and climate; employing strategies for engaging community partners, parents and families; integrating informal opportunities for teacher collaboration and reflection; adopting multilateral leadership approaches focused on equity; and tracking student success. Since Hispanics are the largest growing population in the United States, the distressing picture of Hispanic students dropping out and disengaging from school, along with their lack of preparation for the workforce, has lasting and troublesome implications for the entire country. The nation is beginning to understand the devastating consequences of having a large percentage of the population without a sufficient education. Schools throughout the United States must embrace the recommended best practices as a way to curtail the dropout and disengagement rates and create a school culture where all students believe they are valued and expected to achieve.

 

Read the full report here: http://www.ecs.org/clearinghouse/81/01/8101.pdf

 

 

Gardening Grants Available

When children and teens explore how to grow plants hydroponically (without soil), fruitful questions bloom, and these questions can lead to active investigations and problem solving. These studies may even lead to classroom business opportunities or fuel student career interests. Not least among the benefits is the joy students experience harvesting a crop of their own incredible edibles or bounteous blossoms!

The Grow Store joins NGA to offer Hooked on Hydroponics grants to expand these exciting learning opportunities for students.

Wondering if a hydroponics unit is right for your classroom?
Please visit our online Exploring Hydroponics guide for examples of topics and lessons you can pursue.

Eligibility requirements:
1) Schools and youth organizations must plan to engage in a hydroponics project with at least 15 children between the ages of 6 and 18 during the 2010 school year.
2) You must verify that your facility can accommodate the equipment in the award packages available for your age group.

Award Packages – 36 schools will each receive:

Elementary Schools:
1) Two WaterFarm hydroponics modules with starter nutrients, lighted by a 250w convertible self ballasted lighting system, including lens and timer
2) Curricula and reference books (Gardening Indoors: The Indoor Gardener's Bible, plus NGA's GrowLab: A Complete Guide to Growing in the Classroom; and GrowLab: Activities for Growing Minds)

Middle and High Schools:

1) One WaterFarm Controller Kit 8 and starter nutrients, lighted with 1000w convertible ballast systems with both mh and hps lamps, reflector, safety lens and timer
2) Curricula and reference books (Gardening Indoors: The Indoor Gardener's Bible, plus NGA's GrowLab: A Complete Guide to Growing in the Classroom; and GrowLab: Activities for Growing Minds)

For application materials, visit:

http://www.kidsgardening.com/grants/HOH.asp

 

 

Perryman Fund Grant for Social Studies - $1,000 - due: 9/1, 12,1, 2/1

To support the furtherance of Social Studies, the Donald Perryman Fund will be awarding mini- grants not to exceed $1,000. Social Studies departments, individual teachers, projects, and special programs are invited to apply for these grants.

 

Grants applications can be submitted at 4 different times during this fiscal year. Applications will be considered at each meeting of the Perryman Fund Board of Trustees.  Deadlines are: September 1, 2009, December 1, 2009, February 1, 1010, and June 1, 2010. Grant applications received after any of these dates will be considered at the next quarterly meeting of the Board.

 

E-mail completed application to:

Bonnie Sima, President, The Perryman Fund for the Social Studies, at bontchr1@hotmail.com OR mail to 4326 Park Arroyo, Calabasas, CA  91302 

 

See application

Today is International Youth Day

"Young people should be at the forefront of global change and innovation. Empowered, they can be key agents for development and peace. If, however, they are left on society's margins, all of us will be impoverished. Let us ensure that all young people have every opportunity to participate fully in the lives of their societies." -- Kofi Annan

 

August 12th is International Youth Day, a time to bring awareness to the issues that affect youth, and to celebrate the contributions they make to our communities and our world. "Youth action, inclusion, and their full participation are key to developing today's world for the generations of today and tomorrow and central to a sustainable existence," asserts the United Nations. And Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse hopes that you'll take a moment today to look around at the youth in your lives and communities and find ways to support the change that their making in our world…and then tell us about them! www.servicelearning.org/library/share/

 

And we invite you to take a moment to look at our service-learning success stories and all of the amazing ways that Learn and Serve America grantees and others are using service-learning to make a real difference: http://www.servicelearning.org/nslc/success_stories/

 

 

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Heather Martin, MISt

Librarian

Learn and Serve America's National Service-Learning Clearinghouse

America's Resource for Service-Learning Information

Toll-free 866-245-7378, ext. 140

Fax 831-430-9471

heatherm@etr.org

www.servicelearning.org

 

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Visit and join the NSLC Facebook Fan page at: tinyurl.com/nslc-facebook

Follow us on Twitter and join the conversation: www.twitter.com/nslc

Can service-learning help solve the current crisis? Discuss: Service-Learning = Solutions Blog

Mini-Grants promote Green Cleaning in Schools

Hello Green Schoolers - 

 

The Green Schools Initiative and the Asthma Prevention Initiative (a program of California Dept. of Public Health) have a minigrants program to assist schools with doing green cleaning pilot projects.  The grants range from  $1,000 - $3,000 range - and training, support and commendation are also provided. The deadline to submit applications via email is August 31, 2009. For more information or to apply click here: http://www.greenschools.net/article.php?id=213

 

Best regards,

Deborah Moore

Esecutive Director, Green Schools Initiative

Towards Full Inclusion - Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Today, many of us are remembering Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a true leader and pioneer who set the path to real inclusion. She made sure that people with disabilities were able to live, learn, work, serve, play and compete. Mrs. Shriver fought for an individual's choice for full, active and meaningful participation. Her life's work strongly supported the rights of individuals with disabilities, and in particular people with intellectual disabilities, to be a part of every aspect of their community. She was a true inspiration for so many of us who fought long and hard to move people out of institutions into their own homes, in order to be a real part of their neighborhoods. Mrs. Shriver transformed the lives of so many of us. Please take a moment in the next few days to visit the following websites honoring Eunice Kennedy Shriver:

http://www.aucd.org/template/index.cfm

http://www.eunicekennedyshriver.org/

Yours in service and inclusion,
Paula Sotnik, Director
National Service Inclusion Project
Institute for Community Inclusion,
University of Massachusetts Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, MA 02125
888-491-0326 (toll-free voice and TTY)
617-287-4343 (direct line)
paula.sotnik@umb.edu
www.serviceandinclusion.org

The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) is training and technical assistance provider on disability inclusion, under a cooperative agreement (#08TAHMA001) from Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). NSIP partners with the Association on University Centers on Disability, National Council on Independent Living, Association on Higher Education and Disability and National Down Syndrome Congress to build connections between disability organizations and all CNCS grantees, including national directs, to increase the participation of people with disabilities in national service.

Tennyson Students Use Media in Waste Reduction Service Learning

Tennyson High School, a member of the Service-Learning Waste Reduction Project, engaged students in a variety of media projects as part of the school’s campaign to reduce waste on campus.

 

A student produced video, “How My School Garden Helps Me Grow” won an honorable mention in a school garden video contest.  The video shows the composting process at the school’s one acre garden and talks about how students use the garden to grow food for a local shelter.

 

The school used an innovative approach to reflection in the schools media academy.  Students learned blogging techniques while reflecting on what they learned about organizing recycling on campus.  The students  also tracked and monitored the school’s progress in waste reduction through the blogs.  Click the links below to read student blogs:

 

http://simoncmma.blogspot.com/

http://jnokocmma.blogspot.com/

http://alexiscmma.blogspot.com/

http://savingearth-contamination.blogspot.com/

http://jeffreycmma.blogspot.com/

http://cristalcmma.blogspot.com/

http://teresacmma.blogspot.com/

http://shannoncmma.blogspot.com/

http://dezcampcmma.blogspot.com/

http://miguelcmma.blogspot.com/

http://greentennyson.blogspot.com/

http://rockocmma.blogspot.com/

http://gloriacmma.blogspot.com/

http://bradleycmma.blogspot.com/

http://mochoacmma-marlene.blogspot.com/

http://cristalcmma.blogspot.com/

http://zairincmma.blogspot.com/

http://doreencmma.blogspot.com/

http://rodneycmma.blogspot.com/

http://lilianacmma.blogspot.com/

 

 

Service-Learning Grants to Help Fight Obesity

UnitedHealthcare and Youth Service America are excited to offer the UnitedHealth HEROES service-learning grant program for youth-led community education projects in selected U.S. states. These grants of up to $1,000 support teachers, service-learning coordinators, and students in the health professions to implement service-learning projects around childhood obesity and to engage children and youth ages 5 to 25 as volunteers. The grants encourage semester-long projects that launch on Martin Luther King Day of Service and culminate on Global Youth Service Day.

UnitedHealth Group (www.unitedhealthgroup.com) is a diversified health and well-being company dedicated to making health care work better. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services through six operating businesses: UnitedHealthcare, Ovations, AmeriChoice, OptumHealth, Ingenix, and Prescription Solutions. Through its family of businesses, UnitedHealth Group serves more than 70 million individuals nationwide.

To create a service-learning project around childhood obesity, check out First Responders: Youth Addressing Childhood Obesity Through Service-Learning.

Easy-to-Use Climate Change Action Projects for K-12 Students

 

Easy-to-Use Climate Change Action Projects for K-12 Students

 

Facing the Future (www.facingthefuture.org) is pleased to announce the release of a comprehensive service learning resource for taking action on climate change. The Climate Change Action Project Database includes more than 25 ready-to-use action projects that will prepare students to understand and resolve one of the greatest interconnected issues facing their future – climate change. This new online database of provides educators and students with:

 

·         Meaningful service learning projects to fulfill graduation requirements

·         Ideas for transforming classroom learning on climate change into action

·         All the project information and contacts needed to get started

·         Opportunities to take part in real-world solutions for climate change

·         Options for projects that take place both on and off school grounds

 

The database contains service learning projects supported by existing Facing the Future curriculum. Climate change action projects are provided that benefit both local (Washington State and Greater Seattle/King County) and global (United States and worldwide) communities. Each project is presented with an overview, an explanation of how you can take action, links to appropriate climate change organizations, and connections to Facing the Future lessons.

 

Thanks to funding from the McKibben Merner Family Foundation, this database of more than 25 ready-to-use service learning projects is accessible FREE at www.facingthefuture.org.

 

The Climate Change Action Project Database complements and is supported by Facing the Future’s climate change curriculum, Climate Change: Connections and Solutions. These 2-week curriculum units, one for middle and one for high school, encourage students to think critically about climate change and to collaborate to devise solutions. Lessons are aligned with national science and social studies standards and may be used in other classes as well. Lessons and supporting materials were reviewed and tested by educators, students, and climate change experts. This curriculum, valued at $24.95, is available FREE at www.facingthefuture.org thanks to support from the Hewlett-Packard Company.

 

Facing the Future staff is available to come to your school or district to provide a workshop on service learning and climate change. Click here for more information. For questions or comments, contact Kim Rakow Bernier at kim@facingthefuture.org or (206) 264-1503.

 

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Facing the Future is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and motivating today’s students to be responsible stewards of tomorrow’s world. We develop and deliver standards-based hands-on lessons, student textbooks, curriculum units and professional development opportunities for educators that promote critical thinking on global issues, sustainability and positive solutions. Facing the Future curriculum is in use in all 50 U.S. states and over 85 countries by teachers and students in grades K-12, in undergraduate and graduate classes, and across multiple subject areas. For more information, visit www.facingthefuture.org.