RRISD Service-Learning Partnerships Recognized by TAPE

In February, during the annual TAPE Awards Banquet, the Round Rock ISD Learn and Serve Program was chosen to receive the "Crystal Award" in the Partnership Program - Service Learning category.

“Now more than ever we recognize the need for the district to partner with businesses and community organizations to help us provide a wide array of educational experiences for our students,” Community Partnerships Supervisor Michelle Jackson said.

The Learn and Serve Program is at campuses across the district and provides a variety of ways in which organizations partner with teachers and students to serve the community while developing academic skills.

Each year TAPE recognizes exemplary partners and partnership programs across the state. Award winners represent volunteers, community organizations, government agencies, institutions of higher education, businesses, and school districts, whose commitment to education partnerships have made a positive impact on the youth in their community. This year TAPE had over 50 partnerships nominated. The TAPE award winners exemplify the highest commitment to the students attending public schools in Texas. Mike Hurewitz, RRISD Service-Learning Coordinator accepted the award. "It is great that service-learning is now recognized statewide as a powerful way to bring businesses, nonprofits and other experts into the schools as partners with our students.  We are honored to receive this award and want to thank all of our service-learning partners for their support!"

The purpose of the Texas Association of Partners in Education (TAPE) is to provide leadership to schools, businesses and communities and to assist public schools in building partnerships to enhance student success. TAPE is headquartered in Austin.

Pictured Above: Dr. Willis Mackey (Superintendent, TAPE Board Chair) , Mike Hurewitz (RRISD Service-Learning Coordinator) and Zenda Johnson (Past Board Chair)

Administrative Leadership for Service-Learning

Submitted By: John Spence, Service-Learning Texas

Administrators have a key role to play in supporting service-learning in schools. One way we can help is to share specific examples of ways that principals and superintendents can create the conditions for service-learning to take hold and flourish.


Here are a few examples that I’ve gathered with input from colleagues around the country and that were included in Empowerment Through Leadership: Quadrant D Practices, a recent publication of the International Center for Leadership in Education. Please post your examples by commenting on this blog so we can continue to add to the list!

Click here to read more

SLT Helps the Spurs Foundation Take on Service Learning

With help from Service Learning Texas, Silver and Black Give Back, the new name of the San Antonio Spurs Foundation, recently incorporated service-learning into their school-based Team Up Challenge grant program.  The school-based Team Up Challenge awards funding and incentives to classrooms and clubs for their commitment to improving their community. The program will run throughout the 2010-11 school year with 20 classes awarded $2500 in seed funding to complete their project. Projects will address needs in one of five categories: health & wellness, education, environment, uniformed services and arts & culture. Throughout the school year, the semifinalists will be awarded incentives to encourage their projects, including tickets, player appearances and prizes.  At the end of the school year, five of the 20 classes will be awarded a grant of $20,000 for the work they have done to improve the community.

For a list of the semifinalists and more information on the program, visit the Team Up Challenge Website.

Service-Learning Profiled in Recent Edition of District Administration

Last year, 15 students in the Montpelier (Vt.) High School’s advanced placement Spanish class paid class-time visits every week to a nearby dairy farm. They interacted with the Mexican laborers by conversing with them in Spanish, having picnics together, and playing cards and soccer. As the students advanced their Spanish verbal skills, they also befriended the workers, helping to ease their feelings of loneliness. more

North Texas Youth Engage in Service-Learning

Between February and November 2010, more than 35,000 youth participated in SLANT 45: Service Learning Adventures in North Texas, a program designed to inspire kids to become champions of community service and service-learning. Each team had an idea from which came a service project—many bigger and more fantastic than imaginable. 

The SLANT 45 Community Heroes exhibition is a sampling of reflective art pieces documenting their efforts and impact. Read more.

Engage in Semester of Service

Semester of Service links prominent national service events - such as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service and Global Youth Service Day - through an extended service-learning framework of at least 70 hours. Young people ages 5-25 spend the “semester” addressing a meaningful community need connected to intentional learning goals and/or academic standards while the teacher or facilitator supports the emergence of “youth voice” as young people guide the process.

Research Shows that Service-Learning Reduces Dropouts

New research from teacher focus groups and a nationally representative survey of high-school students show tht service-learning can address most of the educational factors that lead students to drop out of high school. The report, Engaged for Success, published by Civic Enterprises and recently released at the National Service-Learning Conference, demonstrates that service-learning can keep students engaged in school while helping them become model citizens. For a free copy of the report and a companion PowerPoint presentation, go to Civic Enterprises.

Share Your Service-Learning Photos with the World!

The National Service-Learning Clearinghouse is seeking high quality photos of service-learning programs or projects to highlight on its website. Each photo used will include the name of the school, a link to the school/project, and a caption. Help the Clearinghouse brag about your program by submitting your photos today using an online form at servicelearning.org.

President’s Environmental Youth Awards

Today’s Youth Protecting Tomorrow’s Environment

Young people from around the country are invited annually to participate in the awards program which encourages individuals, school classes, summer camps, public interest groups, and youth organizations to promote environmental awareness and positive community involvement. Your project – or one you are sponsoring – could be an award winner. Encourage one or more students you know to apply for a PEYA and see what a difference they can make for the environment with an award-winning project. Applicants from all 50 states and U.S. territories are eligible to compete for an award. Learn more on the award website.

Service-Learning in Afterschool Programs

Seven afterschool programs in California have joined together, through the California Afterschool Service-Learning initiative (CASSL) to implement, study, and document the ways in which service-learning can be similarly effective in the afterschool setting. Their best practices, challenges, and triumphs are shared in the publication titled "Service-Learning: A Strategy for Success in Afterschool." To learn more, visit the Youth Service California website.