Learn and Serve America

Background of Learn and Serve America

In 1990, then president George Bush signed into law to enact the Commission for National Service, bringing together under one federal agency a number of national service providers. In 1993 President William Jefferson Clinton signed the reauthorization (P:L 103-82). That provided a national commitment to serve and volunteer. These laws created VISTA, AmeriCorps, Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions. The law also funds Learn and Serve America, a program to help youth connect service to learning.

The DPI created a state plan in 1991-92 to receive Learn and Serve America funds and has continued to provide state leadership to support the long term sustainability of service-learning. The Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) network was the method of delivery. Each CESA received a grant to support developement of service-learning in the schools. In 1997-98 over 150 mini-grants were provided to school districts through the CESAs. An additional 28 mini-grants provided adult volunteer leadership opportunities. These mini-grants resulted in over 20,000 students connecting learning with service to their school or community.

Reference: Wisconsin State Statute: 118.33 (1) (c) A school board may require a pupil to participate in community service activities in order to receive a high school diploma.

For more about the history of national service in the United States, go to the Corporation for National Service’s History of National Service page.

Strategies to Advocate for Service-Learning

Service-Learning and Learn and Serve America Policy and Advocacy is a PowerPoint about what Service-Learning advocates can do to ensure that funds for Learn and Serve America are continued at a reasonable level.

DPI Administers Service-Learning Grants

Each year the DPI receives a Learn and Serve America (LSA) grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service to support school-based service-learning programs. The Learn and Serve America-School Based program has provided funding for service-learning in Wisconsin since 1992-93. As a result of this funding, service-learning has grown tremendously in Wisconsin over the last 14 years, with over 16,000 student and adult volunteer participants.

The current focus of the Learn and Serve grant is to support ongoing professional development and establish an infrastructure to nurture the practice of high quality service-learning throughout local districts. The long-range goal of this grant is to integrate service-learning into the instructional methodology of school districts to help students from kindergarten through twelfth grade meet community needs while improving their academic skills and learning the habits of good citizenship.

Through funding provided to local education agency partnerships or a consortium of LEAs, the DPI supports the implementation and institutionalization of programs that advance service-learning as a teaching, learning and youth development strategy. This year, $153,000 is available to support applications to create a lasting service-learning culture in Wisconsin schools.

Guidelines and fill-enabled applications are available on this website now: see below. Deadline for proposals is June 6, 2008 with grant awards to be announced no later than August 31, 2008.

Mission

To create a sustainable infrastructure that supports the use of service-learning and civic education in providing high quality education to Wisconsin’s students.

Goal One: Create a cadre of educators with expertise in utilizing service-learning with a civic outcome as a strategy to improve academic performance, increase civic engagement, and positively affect school and community functioning.

Goal Two: Establish a network of support for practitioners who are passionate about furthering the field of service-learning and civic education.

Goal Three: Provide effective resources to educators to assist in professional growth and program implementation through gathering the wealth of knowledge and experience offered by educators proficient in service-learning and civic engagement.

The DPI has prepared a brochure to give you more information about LSA grants in Wisconsin.

2008-09 Learn and Serve America Grants

Funding Priorities

The long-range goal of the grant is to integrate service-learning into the instructional methodology of school districts to expand the breadth and depth of service-learning and provide greater learning opportunities for all kindergarten through twelfth grade students.

In order to meet the varying needs of LEAs throughout the state, three types of grants are available: Planning, Implementation, and Institutionalization. The grants are designed to meet local needs and may be used for program development, program implementation, and institutionalize.

A. Planning Grants

The DPI provides planning grants to LEAs in order to develop a plan to establish service-learning throughout the district. Applicants are asked to organize systems and stakeholders who will spend the year developing broad goals for implementing quality service-learning practice in the following year. Funds may be used for, but are not limited to, advisory board development, professional development, peer exchanges, resource procurement, conference attendance, staffing, and/or hiring consultants.

B. Implementation Grants

The DPI provides grants to implement service-learning in Wisconsin school districts or a consortium of districts. The primary goal of the implementation grants is the expansion of existing service-learning practice to provide service-learning opportunities a K-12 basis.

C. Institutionalization Grants

The DPI provides grants to institutionalize service-learning in Wisconsin school districts or a consortium of districts. Districts must have implemented service-learning for a minimum of three years to be eligible for this grant. The primary goal of these grants is the sustainability of quality service-learning practice.

2008-2009 Program Description

Learn and Serve—Wisconsin School-Based program grants are intended to help schools develop high quality sustainable service-learning programs. The long-range goal of the grant is to integrate service-learning into the instructional methodology of school districts to expand the breadth and depth of service-learning and provide greater learning opportunities for all students. The DPI has established the following goals for the Learn and Serve–Wisconsin School-Based program:

1. LEAs will provide students with sequential high-quality service-learning experiences so that, at a minimum, all students have at least one service-learning experience at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
2. Service-learning initiatives will be integrated with other school efforts such as school improvement plans; school-to-work; and safe and drug-free schools.
3. Service-learning will be explicitly connected to state standards, assessments, and accountability tools.
4. Teachers and administrators will engage in professional development opportunities that include training in the philosophy and pedagogy of service-learning.
5. Youth will be active partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation of the service-learning initiative, so students develop a lifelong commitment to service and civic responsibility.
6. LEAs will develop partnerships with higher education institutions, K-12 schools, and community-based organizations to support the implementation and institutionalization of service-learning.

Further Information

The 2008-09 Request for Proposal Guidelines, Creating a Lasting Service-Learning Culture in Wisconsin Schools, is available as a pdf.

The application form (PI-8038) is also available as an electronic fillable form.

Return to top of page.

For questions about this information, contact Theresa L. Dary (608) 261-7494

Last updated on 5/1/2008 1:51:22 PM