South Carolina
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History
Since the early 1990s, South Carolina has utilized service-learning as an implementation component for several major education initiatives. With this approach, service-learning advocates have won support from successive administrations of both major parties.
The South Carolina Department of Education (SDE) has also reached out to school administrators and school board members. For ten years, SDE has presented on service-learning at the annual conference of the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA). There is a service-learning track each year within the five-day SCASA Summer Leadership Institute for all levels of school administrators. Data-rich presentations and publications demonstrate the power of service-learning to meet a range of education goals. SCASA’s Director regularly attends the National Service-Learning Conference. Having won the support of this key group of stakeholders, most support and resources for staff development, planning, and implementation come from the local level.
In 1998, the South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service moved from the governor’s office to SDE. The Commission has a dozen full- or part-time staff working on service-learning. Kathy Gibson Carter, Executive Director of the Commission, sits on the state superintendent’s policy advisory council.
South Carolina was one of eight states to receive $150,000 in 1992-1995 from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as a Lead State.
From 1998-2002, South Carolina was one of five states participating in the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Learning In Deed program. Both these initiatives boosted efforts to institutionalize service-learning in South Carolina.
Networks of Support
South Carolina has made a conscious effort to utilize service-learning as a strategy to address poverty. A great number of the Serve and Learn grants administered by the South Carolina Department of Education have been awarded to the poorest districts in the state. Many service-learning projects focus on tutoring or rural education such as environmental challenges and landscaping. In 2008 all 18 grants were awarded to school districts and not schools as a policy to build competence and improve sustainability.
SDE works closely with the South Carolina Association of School Administrators (SCASA) to expand its service-learning efforts. Other partners include Communities In Schools of South Carolina, Inc. and State Farm.
Since 1993, the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network at Clemson University has been an invaluable asset for service-learning, offering practitioners publications, staff development, and graduate study. NDPC/N has identified Service-Learning as one of 15 effective strategies that have the most positive impact on the dropout rate. SDE aided the NDPC as it developed the 22-booklet "Linking Learning with Life" series of resources for service-learning.
Diverse sources of funding have raised the credibility and reliability of service-learning in South Carolina. In addition to CNCS, service-learning has received funding from foundations, civic clubs, and local governments (e.g. a portion of waste disposal fees).
The South Carolina Commission on National and Community Service put a graduate education faculty member on sabbatical for a year to strengthen links between higher education and K-12 service-learning programs. Every Learn and Serve America K-12 sub-grantee must partner with at least one institution of higher education. South Carolina has an intergenerational office working with community-based organizations to embrace intergenerational service-learning as a means to develop quality community-based service-learning programs that span generations, races, and interests. With private foundation support, the office has developed several model programs, including programs for at-risk and out-of-school youth.
South Carolina employs service-learning as a core strategy for Safe and Drug-Free Schools. SDE designated $1.4 of No Child Left Behind community service funding for service-learning. South Carolina featured service-learning as a major strategy for implementing School-to- Work programs in 1994. Support from Lions Clubs International has allowed SDE to employ service-learning as a strategy for character education.
Professional Development
SDE convenes an annual South Carolina Dropout Prevention Summit attracting about 400 participants. This is major collaborative effort with the planning team comprising a host of state agencies, the Governor’s Office, youth organizations, corporate representatives, education associations, nonprofit organizations, congressman, senator and other elected officials; and institutions of higher education. Service-learning training is organized in conjunction with this event, with the participation of nationally renowned service-learning experts such as Joan Liptrot
Service-learning training is offered as a one and a half day program directly preceding the annual At-Risk Youth National Forum, which takes place every February in Myrtle Beach. The Forum is organized by the National Dropout Prevention Center/Network in partnership with other organizations.
South Carolina schools of education have offered a 30-credit hour education specialist graduate program to help teachers obtain national teacher certification. Service-learning is an essential component of these programs. Partly because teachers receive tangible financial benefits for being certified, 3,000 South Carolina teachers have earned certification.
Convening and Celebrating
State Farm sponsors awards for outstanding service-learning efforts. The prize money goes back to communities to help the development of new projects.
South Carolina recognizes National Service-Learning Leader Schools every year, continuing as a state-level program when CNCS discontinued it at the federal level. South Carolina also recognizes “Schools of Promise,” emphasizing service-learning opportunities.
Policy Support
Service-learning receives tremendous support from the State Superintendent. School administrators have also demonstrated a strong commitment.
While there are no statewide service-learning standards or requirements, several districts require that high school students complete a service-learning capstone project in order to receive an Honors diploma.
The state's service-learning capacity has absolutely increased over the last few years, according to SEA Karen Horne at the SDE. This is mainly due to strong policy-level support that has helped integrate service-learning into efforts dealing special needs students, dropout prevention and 21st Century Schools.
Learn and Serve
In 2008, South Carolina received school-based, community-based, and higher education grant money from Learn and Serve totaling $588,788. The South Carolina Department of Education manages the school-based grant, while the South Carolina Commission for National & Community Service administers the community-based grant. Benedict College and the College of Charleston are both higher education subgrantees.
Karen Horne at the South Carolina State Department of Education serves as SEA, managing subgrants to 18 school districts throughout the state. Service-learning participation in these programs was 44,539 students in 2008.
South Carolina has an efficient Serve & Learn set-up with median program reaching 257 students against a national median of 191.
Youth Contributions
This section is in need of expansion. You can help by expanding it.
Examples of Quality Service-Learning
References
- Cairn, Rich and Neal, Marybeth. 2004. "State Profiles" in Growing to Greatness 2004. St. Paul: National Youth Leadership Council.
External Links
- Learn and Serve America in South Carolina
- National Service in South Carolina (Corporation for National and Community Service)
- National Dropout Prevention Center (Clemson University)
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