Community Service Program Integration in School ...

Community Service Program Integration in School Curriculums A Literature Review Danielle Homand

Community service programs are designed so that the fortunate can give back to the community not just in monetary way, but also by giving their time and energy. These programs have been used as punishments in the judicial system, and to promote community togetherness, but they have yet to break into the education system nationwide. Many schools have the resources to maintain such programs as part of their curriculum, but there hasn’t been enough research to prove or disprove the effectiveness of such a program. This review of various studies on both the negative and positives hopes to shed some light on this dilemma. Volunteerism is a quality that is valued highly in cultures and religions across the world. Giving back has been associated with other positive traits such as being socially skillful, compliant, and having an overall positive emotional tone (Matsuba et al., 2007). Borgonovi also contends that volunteering may also stimulate the cultivation of empathetic emotions in students (Borgonovi, 2008). Empathy is not a quality that can be taught easily, so many have given up and the younger generations have missed out on this valuable lesson. In order to encourage these traits in today’s younger generations, many school have tested out having volunteering opportunities as a part of the students’ curriculum. According to the theory of post conventional moral thinking, school-wide civic engagement can facilitate positive actions in the students (Boyd & Brackmann, 2012). This theory contends that as volunteering increases, so will the student’s consideration for others and others’ perspectives. One of the problems in the education system today is the separation of the students. This could be along lines of race, academic achievements, and or even gender and perceived sexuality. By promoting civic engagement, and the many positive qualities that have been shown to be the results of such activities, there could also be the possibility of unifying the student body at schools embracing these programs. Another aspect of the community that is affected by the betterment of the school is not just the student body, but the families living in the community as well. Many cities depend on their local schools to do well and raise the status of the community. The testing results of the schools can influence the taxes

in the area, housing prices, and so many more aspects of living in that community. It has also been shown that those who are from a lower socio-economic status have more to gain from such volunteering programs, because they are more limited in their outside of family support networks (Scales et. al, 2006). This sheds some light on perhaps which neighborhoods also will receive the most benefits from their local schools adopting such programs. Unfortunately, lower socio-economic areas will be less likely to have the funds on had to initiate these programs. The results of the study done by Borgonovi in 2008 indicate that volunteer labor is positively correlated with indicators of well-being. Religious volunteering has the highest correlation and the most effect of the individual’s happiness. It is also believed that self-efficacy may be affected by volunteerism, but no conclusive data has been found yet. The idea that reported health and happiness may vary in certain demographics is also yet to be tested. Cultural values have also been pointed out as a demographic that will affect a student’s likelihood to participate in a civic program (Oesterle et. al, 2004). With that information in mind, perhaps more studies need to be done with different demographics in mind in order to get a clearer picture of how successful these programs are in affecting the health and happiness in students. Boyd and Brackmann in their study cite five dimensions they would use to set up civic involvement in a school system. This is the most direct formula to create a curriculum in a school that was found in the research for this literature review. These five dimensions are as follows: 1. Striving for excellence. Developing a strong work ethic and consciously doing one’s very best in all aspects of college. 2. Cultivating personal and academic integrity. Recognizing and acting on a sense of honor, ranging from honesty in relationships to principled engagement with a formal academic honor code. 3. Contributing to a larger community. Recognizing and acting on one’s responsibility to the

educational community (classroom, campus life), the local community, and the wider society, both national and global. 4. Taking seriously the perspectives of others. Recognizing and acting on the obligation to inform one’s own judgment; engaging diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, for citizenship, and for work. 5. Developing competence in ethical and moral reasoning. Developing one’s own personal and social values and being able to express and act upon those values responsibly; developing a mature sense of moral sensitivity and personal character; being able to identify and evaluate moral dilemmas and act appropriately. According to Raskoff & Sundeen, many schools that have these programs offer them only to a select few students, and they are not integrated into the curriculum (1999). Since their study was 14 years ago, the hope today is that these programs are now being included in the requirements to graduate from high schools with these programs. In the study in 1999, they found that only 15 percent of high schools that had these programs had them included in the graduation requirements. Other researchers also found that if these programs are not made a part of the graduation requirement, these programs are more likely to have little to no enrollment and fail to succeed in the school (Newmann & Rutter, 1986). Unfortunately, many schools that have adopted these programs have not seen the overly positive results that cause student unification and a new attitude in the student body in general. Many have seen only modest gains, and don’t believe they will get much more than that out of the programs (Raskoff & Sundeen, 1999). To put a considerable amount of money into a program that doesn’t result in tremendous improvement is hard for schools to consider reasonable. Because of the state of education budgets, not just in California but also in the nation, are in such dire straits, it is difficult to spread funds to unnecessary programs.

According to Boyd and Brackmann, in order to successfully integrate civic engagement in schools, the curriculum must be structured to include all parts of the school, including faculty into the cultivation of this new program. Only then will produce the outcomes it is intended to. Right now with the current state of the education budget in the nation, many schools are portrayed in the media as merely attempting to stay afloat. Taking on a big project such as a curriculum change to include more programs, which require more funding and more planning, does not seem feasible in most schools at this point in time. The overarching conclusions of this literature review is that the schools need a change in order to make a change in the students’ lives. Without activities such as volunteering being offered to the students, many life lessons such as empathy, social awareness, and positive interactions with others will fail to occur for this upcoming generation. However, having an idea and seeing it through to success are two very different things. Schools need to be fully invested in these programs in order for them to work. Lots of funding is needed, especially in the public school system, which relies heavily on the money budgeted to them by the state rather than private donations and tuitions. Diverting funds in the State and nation’s education budgets may be able to help with the financial burdens of these programs. Overall, the positive attributes of such volunteering programs outweigh the negatives. These programs, with more research on demographic responses (race, age, gender) and time, should be implemented in schools across the nation in the near future.

References

Borgonovi, F. “Doing well by doing good. The relationship between formal volunteering and selfreported health and happiness” (2008) Social Science & Medicine. 66, 2321-2334.

Boyd, K.D., & Brackmann, S. “Promoting Civic Engagement to Educate Institutionally for Personal and Social Responsibility” (2012) Wiley Periodicals Inc.

Matsuba, M.K., Hart, D., & Atkins, R. “Psychological and social-structural influences on commitment to volunteering” (2007) Journal of Research in Personality. 41, 889-907.

Newmann, F.M., & Rutter, R.A. “A Profile of High School Community Service Programs” (1986) Educational Leadership. EBSCO Publishing. 64-71.

Oesterle, S., Kirkpatrick Johnson, M., and Mortimer, J.T. “Volunteerism during the Transition to Adulthood: A Life Course Perspective” (2004) University of North Carolina Press. 82, 1123-1149.

Raskoff, Sally A & Sundeen, Richard A. “Community Service Programs in High Schools” (1999) Law and Contemporary Problems. 62 (4), 73-111.

Scales, P. et al. “Reducing Academic Achievement Gaps: The Role of Community Service and ServiceLearning” (2006) Journal of Experiential Learning. 29 (1), 38-60.