Service Learning: An On-Ramp to National Service

By James C. Kielsmeier and Jim Scheibel

As a pregnant teenager and school dropout, Isis Martinez could have abandoned educational hope and purpose. Instead, she found a school designed to make education come alive for her. She learned science while teaching other young parents about prenatal nutrition, and earned social studies credits by working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving. She also gained math and construction skills while helping build public housing in Chaska, Minn., just outside Minneapolis.

After her twin boys were born, Martinez continued developing her English skills by working as a full-time AmeriCorps volunteer in a student-run coffee shop and used-book store that offered bilingual literacy programs for families.

While the roots of opportunities such as these can be traced to vocational education, and even back to John Dewey, Martinez is also the product of a K-12 school system grounded in service learning, the intentional combination of academics and service. Had she not participated in service learning, first as a tutor of younger students in middle school, then in her high school alternative program, Martinez might not have found her way. At 18, she likely would not have perceived herself as having skills to offer her larger community. Through her experiences, though, she cultivated a habit of service that now benefits both her community...