Oregon
From Service-Learning Wiki
The Oregon Department of Education’s Learn & Serve Oregon focuses on systemic change and the institutionalization of service-learning as an instructional strategy to advance academic, career, and social growth.
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History
In the first few years of federal Learn and Serve funding, Oregon supported a variety of individual teacher and school service- learning projects. By 1998, the Oregon Department of Education had begun emphasizing school district initiatives supported by strong district policy. In that year, Oregon became one of five states to participate in the five-year Learning in Deed initiative funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. LID training, technical assistance, and guidance enabled Oregon to fully shift its focus to district-level planning and policy.
The Oregon School Boards Association developed model district service-learning policies. For example, several districts established a goal that every student will have at least one significant service-learning experience every year. Over half of current Learn and Serve districts have adopted a service-learning policy. By the end of the three-year sub-grant period, all sub-grantees should have a policy in place; all need a long-term commitment to implementation.
Building Networks of Support
In Oregon, Learn and Serve sub-grants and other programs are primarily an investment in people and relationships. K-12 Service-learning practitioners convene and collaborate for Service-Learning success statewide and across all content areas. The Oregon Department of Education continues to support progress in priority topics such as Service-Learning Quality Standards, civic engagement, Oregon Diploma requirement changes, Essential Skills and statewide partnership developments to promote sustainability.
Oregon Department of Education has offered on-site training and professional development for grantee districts.
ODE also contracts with District practitioners to provide “Job-alike” training and mentoring. (Teacher to Teacher & Administrator to Administrator) This has been very positive and provides more relevant and sustained professional development and training supports than workshop-alone delivery. ODE also encourages grantees to contract with expert practitioners and trainers to improve their practice.
A variety of organizations provide service-learning support. The State Farm Companies Foundation supports a variety of initiatives. The Ford Family Foundation funded 18 new community education programs, many of which feature service-learning as a core component. The PGE Foundation is a Service-Learning partner in the statewide Learn & Serve grant through its Community 101 curriculum. Several regional education service districts emphasize service-learning as a means to advance a range of initiatives.
Oregon SOLV, a statewide nonprofit founded in 1969, engages K-16 students in environmental service-learning as a means to improve the state’s natural resources. SOLV has since become active in demonstrating to other nonprofit organizations how to work effectively with schools on service-learning. SOLV is developing a Community Impact instrument to help districts and community partners develop, measure, sustain and enhance meaningful service-learning partnerships. And, the organization's website provides curricula, project examples, funding opportunities, and other resources to support environmental service-learning projects. [1]
Convening and Celebrating
Oregon's network of initiatives results in timely and effective training, technical assistance, guidance — or any other resources needed, anywhere in the state. Strong state leaders in a number of organizations and agencies rely upon one another to accomplish their work.
The state has participated in statewide conferences and workshops in partnership with other partners. In prior years, Community Education conferences were a blended forum in which K-12 service-learning practitioners could participate.
In 2008, Education Institutes, offering grantees supplements to their grants to attend these free conferences and develop specific projects based on the field-exercises and projects presented. A number of professional development partnership and “Legacy” projects are planned for the third year of this grant cycle.
Policy Support
Oregon is a "local control" state, wherein each school district determines its own purposes and path within the parameters of State Standards, which do not require service-learning. However, service-learning is a recommended and supported instructional strategy across all content areas and in all grade levels. Specifically, service-learning is a state-recommended best practice in Alternative Education.
Multiple opportunities for special initiatives and professional development through strategic statewide partnerships have built the number of strong K-12 service-learning districts. Service-learning will be increasingly valuable for districts and teachers with Oregon Diploma revisions and Essential Skills requirements for students to demonstrate proficiency in order to gain their high school diploma. The State Department of Education is strongly supportive of service-learning as a useful instructional strategy in many areas, including Career & Technical Education, Applied Academics and Inquiry-Based Science.
School superintendents have been outspoken and effective advocates for service-learning in Oregon. In 2006, twenty one districts competed for Learn and Serve funds. Those not awarded full grants were offered professional development grants and services. Many Oregon Districts do have policies recommending and/or requiring Service-Learning and many have strong commitments to service-learning. A number of the state’s most recognized school administrators have developed well-articulated systems that support and sustain service-learning throughout their school districts. With strong leadership from superintendents, many Oregon school districts include service-learning as a strategy to implement a wide variety of programs, including Federal Title IV (Safe and Drug-Free School), and Title V (technology and staff development).
The Oregon Department of Education requires all K-12 Learn & Serve grant recipient districts to develop service-learning policies before the completion of the 3rd year of their grant. A benefit of this strategy is that many school districts that have received Learn and Serve sub-grants over the years still continue service-learning programs long after federal funding stops.
Learn and Serve
In 2008, Oregon received Learn and Serve funding in the form of school-based, community-based, and higher education grants. School-based funds are managed by the Oregon Department of Education. Pete Ready, Education Specialist at ODE, directs service-learning initiatives for the state, but his time is also divide amongst a number of education programs.
In 2008, the $187,701 school-based grant provided service-learning opportunities to 13,714 participants across 23 subgrantee schools and school districts. Portland State University and Southern Oregon University both receive higher education grants, totaling $140,689, which involve an additional 700 participants through 5 subgrantees. And, six subgrantees in the state benefit from competitive community-based grants.
In addition to the LSA formula grant provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service, ODE and private organizations help support service-learning in the state.
Youth Contributions
This section is in need of expansion. You can help by expanding it.
Examples of Quality Service-Learning
References
- Cairn, Rich, Henning, Anna, and Neal, Marybeth. 2005. "State Profiles" in Growing to Greatness 2005. St. Paul: National Youth Leadership Council.
- ^ "K-16 Education." Oregon SOLV. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from http://www.solv.org/programs/k16_education.asp.
External Links
- Learn and Serve America in Oregon
- National Service in Oregon (Corporation for National and Community Service)
- Oregon Volunteers!/Commission for Voluntary Action & Service
- Oregon SOLV
- Oregon Campus Compact
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