Minnesota

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Minnesota has a long history with service-learning and civic engagement initiatives. Leadership from policymakers and education advocates has sustained service-learning for more than twenty years, though setbacks and funding reductions have negatively impacted sustainability in recent years.

Contents

History

In 1975, the Minnesota state office of Volunteer Services was founded. In 1984, the Minnesota-based National Youth Leadership Council convened leaders from schools, colleges, volunteer centers, community organizations, service corps, businesses, and government to explore ways to expand service and service-learning. Over the next 10 years, governors appointed a series of state commissions to advance youth service.

In 1987, the Minnesota Legislature passed the Youth Development Act, authorizing school districts to levy an extra 50 cents per capita (later $1) for community education-based youth development/youth service programs, including service-learning. This levy is over and above the regular community education levy dedicated to these programs.

The same year, NYLC formed the Minnesota Campus Service Initiative, as the nation's first post-secondary service-learning effort. Legislation in 1989 began a post-secondary service-learning grants program, expanded the Minnesota Conservation Corps (MCC), and supported the Minnesota Office on Volunteer Services (MOVS). Minnesota Campus Compact would later unite 36 member presidents in 1994.

In 1988-1990, Minnesota’s Blandin Foundation supported NYLC to offer training for youths and teacher service-learning leaders, and develop a regional structure of support. NYLC held the first of its annual service-learning Teacher Institutes in 1989.

Between 1990 and 1991, the Governor's Blue Ribbon Committee on Mentoring and Youth Community Service held statewide hearings and recommended that the state integrate service-learning into the curriculum of K-12 schools and into post-secondary curriculum, including teacher education, expand research on youth service, develop a youth mentoring network, improve cultural sensitivity in service-learning, and clarify court-ordered "community service" language. The following year, the Committee releases the state's first comprehensive Plan for Community Service.

The Minnesota Legislature expanded service again in 1993, with passage of Minnesota YouthWorks. Minnesota Senators Dave Durenberger and Paul Wellstone carried the state’s collaborative approach into the National and Community Service Act, sponsoring the bill along with Senator Ted Kennedy. In 1992, Minnesota becomes one of eight CNCS Lead States and is granted Learn and Serve funds for multi-year school and district programs.

From 1994-2000, Minnesota joined Iowa and Wisconsin in the Tri-State Initiative, seeking to deepen service-learning practice at the school level. And, from 1994 to 2001, the University of Minnesota hosted the National Service-Learning Clearinghouse of the Corporation for National and Community Service, in partnership with NYLC.

From 1998-2002, Minnesota participated in the W. K. Kellogg Foundation’s Learning In Deed, a national service-learning demonstration program to strengthen practice and policy at the district level. Based on LID’s success, Minnesota began applying Learn and Serve funds to support district-wide service-learning in 1999.

ServeMinnesota! was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 2003 and took on the function of the state's Commission on National and Community Service.

Networks of Support

The Minnesota Department of Education emphasizes academic achievement through service-learning, integrating it into key education initiatives including career and technical education, charter schools, environmental education, alternative learning centers, youth diversion, performance-based assessment of student learning, and school-community partnerships. Competitive Learn and Serve grants through the Minnesota Department of Education built links between service-learning and School-to-Work (1994-1996), performance-based assessment of learning (1997-2000), and school-community partnerships for service-learning (2000-2003). There are currently strong linkages with career and technical education efforts, especially through student organizations.

The Minnesota Department of Education, NYLC, MOVS, Higher Education Services Office, MCC, State Extension (4-H), YMCAs, Camp Fire Boys and Girls, Girl Scouts, and many others built on Minnesota’s early growth to strengthen service-learning at the state and national level. Minnesota Campus Compact partners with K-12 service-learning leaders, including helping colleges and universities integrate service-learning into pre-service teacher education programs.

Minnesota-based Search Institute emphasizes service-learning as a component of its assets-based approach to youth development. The University of Minnesota’s Project Public Achievement engages youths in civic problem- solving, and the University’s Center for School Change has brought innovative service-learning teaching strategies to schools.

The Minnesota office of the Corporation for National and Community Service supports many cross-stream collaborations, including Senior Corps, VISTA, and AmeriCorps members who work with K-12 Service-Learning programs.

Convening and Celebrating

The Service-Learning Specialist at the Department of Education organizes a state service-learning conference that brings together more than 200 educators and practitioners every three years. The Department of Education also offers several service-learning trainings that teachers can use as training hours toward re-licensure. Recent trainings related to service-learning have focused on literacy, at-risk youth, and a fishing curriculum created by Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources.

In addition, the National Service-Learning Conference, hosted by NYLC, returns to Minnesota every five years and brings together nearly 3,000 service-learning leaders — including young people — from across the country. The conference has been held in Minneapolis in 1989, 1991, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2008.

Policy Support

Prior to 2003 the Minnesota Department of Education presented service-learning as a teaching and learning strategy particularly suited to Minnesota’s Profile of Learning — a set of state educational standards and frameworks geared toward project-based learning. The Profile of Learning was set aside and replaced with the Minnesota Academic Standards in 2003. At present, officials from the Minnesota Department of Education do not mandate the use of any particular teaching strategy — including service-learning — and there is no current state initiative to include a service-learning requirement or service-learning language in the Minnesota Academic Standards.

In 2005 the Minnesota Department of Education adopted the following definition of service-learning: “Service-learning is a form of experiential learning whereby students apply content knowledge, critical thinking and good judgment to address genuine community needs.” Beyond defining the activity, Minnesota has seen few changes in policy regarding service-learning over the last few years.

The Minnesota Legislature continues to allow school districts to levy $1 per capita for community-education-based youth development programs — including service-learning. This levy is in addition to a general community education levy. The state does not currently assign a position to monitor how these youth development funds are being spent.

Minnesota statute 124D.50, entitled “Service-Learning and Work-Based Learning Curriculum and Programs,” directs the Governor's Workforce Development Council and the Commissioner of Education to develop a curriculum combining service-learning and work-based learning. [1] The statute also requires schools to provide individuals who are 10th grade and older with opportunities to apply for and participate in service activities. Service-learning is promoted as an effective strategy within career and technical education programs.

Learn and Serve

In past years, Minnesota had received three types of grants from Learn and Serve America to support local service-learning efforts: school-based formula grants, community-based competitive grants, and school-based competitive grants. The state currently receives only school-based formula grants. In addition, the size of Minnesota’s school-based grants declined from $308,526 in 2000 to $238,038 in 2004. Despite reductions in federal funding, Learn and Serve funding supported 13,703 young people as they participated in service-learning programs at 40 schools throughout the state in 2006-2007.

Minnesota Learn and Serve History
Years Total Funding Subgrantees Student Participation Institutionalization
2006-2007$585,2562627,1864.33
2005-2006 1217,0313.74
2004-2005
2002-2003$952,564737,458n/a

Youth Contributions

This section is in need of expansion. You can help by expanding it.

Examples of Quality Service-Learning

References

  • ^  Minnesota Statutes §124D.50 (2007). Retrieved from [2]
  • Brown, Nelda, Kielsmeier, Jim, Neal, Marybeth, Potts, Stan, et al. 2003. "State of the States: An Outline." In The Generator 21(3):36-42.
  • Cairn, Rich, Henning, Anna, and Neal, Marybeth. 2005. "State Profiles" in Growing to Greatness 2005. St. Paul: National Youth Leadership Council.
  • Schultz, Nate. 2008. "State Profiles" in Growing to Greatness 2008. St. Paul: National Youth Leadership Council.

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