The Third National Convening of Woodrow Wilson Teaching Fellows

Research demonstrates that high-quality service learning has positive effects on students’ academic performance and school engagement. Students who are more civically engaged perform better in reading, mathematics, history, and science, and are more apt to complete high school. Studies have shown that students who participate in service learning make significant improvement in their academic endeavors (Davila & Mora, 2007). According to Bridgeland (2006), 81 percent of dropouts felt that they would have been more apt to stay in school if their school had offered real-world learning opportunities such as service-learning. Service learning programs offer a wide diversity of learning activities, skills learned, and expected student outcomes. However, the root (or success) of service learning programs lies in the fact that while students are providing service to the larger community, they are also learning (Bridgeland, 2006). This session will help participants explore possibilities for service learning in their classrooms.