A Grant Proposal to Implement Service Learning

in the High School

Curriculum

by

Judith Ann Barnicle

A Grant Proposal Project Report Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree

Ill

Education

Approved: 2 Semester Credits

The Graduate School

University of Wisconsin-Stout

May, 2012

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2

The Graduate School University of Wisconsin-Stout

Menomonie, WI

Author: Barnicle, Judith A.

Title: A Grant Proposal to Implement Service Learning

in the High School Curriculum

Graduate Degree/ Major: MS Education

Research Adviser: Jerrilyn A. Brewer, Ed.D.

Month/Year: May, 2012

Number of Pages: 35

Style Manual Used: American Psychological Association, 6th edition

Abstract

The Richland School District strives to engage their students in the classroom and

provide them with the tools to develop social responsibility. The goal of this grant proposal is to

implement service learning into the high school curriculum in order to increase student

motivation and performance. A definition of service learning is provided through a review of

historical literature and the evolution of service learning in American education. Program results

from other school districts are examined. The importance of teacher training before

implementation of service learning projects is grounded in research findings. The requested

grant funding will allow the staff of Richland Center High School to attend high quality training

and prepare service learning curriculum for their classrooms.

Objectives of the proposal are to stimulate teacher interest through research and training,

identify social issues in the community, implement service learning projects and evaluate the

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outcomes of improved student behavior and academics. Students, faculty and community

members will maintain personal reflections on the progress of the projects. Qualitative data from

pre and post project surveys and quantitative data from school records will be disseminated.

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The Graduate School University of Wisconsin Stout

Menomonie, WI

Acknowledgments

My heartfelt thanks to Dr. Jerrilyn Brewer for her exceptional guidance through the

entire grant process and always making my writing better. Special thanks to my friend and

colleague Lisa Guy for being my proofreader and sounding board. Love and appreciation to my

family who always supports me and understands why I could not always come out and play.

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Table of Contents

.................................................................................................................................................... Page

Abstract ............................................................................................................................................2

Chapter I: Introduction ....................................................................................................................7

Statement of the Problem .....................................................................................................7

Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................9

Definition of Terms..............................................................................................................9

Limitations .........................................................................................................................12

Methodology ......................................................................................................................12

Chapter II: Literature Review ........................................................................................................13

History................................................................................................................................13

Service Learning Programs ................................................................................................15

Teacher Training ................................................................................................................17

Chapter III: Project Goal and Objectives .......................................................................................19

Goal: Implement service learning into high school curriculum........................................19

Objective 1: Stimulate teacher interest ..............................................................................19

Objective 2: Investigate & identify social issues ...............................................................20

Objective 3: Engage in projects .........................................................................................20

Objective 4: Increase student motivation & productivity .................................................20

Chapter IV: Project Methodology ..................................................................................................22

Action Plan and Timeline ..................................................................................................22

Evaluation Plan and Tools .................................................................................................23

Dissemination Plan ............................................................................................................24

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Budget ................................................................................................................................25

Table 1: Budget ..................................................................................................................26

References ......................................................................................................................................27

Appendix A: Letter of intent ..........................................................................................................32

Appendix B: Richland Center High School Faculty Survey .........................................................33

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Chapter I: Introduction

The mission of the Richland School District is to “provide educational opportunities that

foster high achievement, develop social responsibility and inspire the life long love of learning

through the shared involvement of the entire community” (Richland School District, 2012, para.

1). What better way to accomplish this mission than by bringing service learning initiatives into

our classrooms. Making the connection between classroom curriculum and civic responsibility

with our 450 students will increase their motivation to learn, reduce risky behaviors and increase

their attachment to their community.

Statement of the Problem

Recent federal budget cuts have eliminated $40 million from the Learn and Serve

America program, their entire budget. More than 35,000 teachers across America will lose direct

funding to support their service learning projects for their students (Youth Service America,

2011). In the State of Wisconsin, this means that eight high schools plus the Department of

Public Instruction will be without funding for the 2011 and 2012 school years. This puts the

burden of incorporating service learning into curriculum on the teachers employed in the already

budget-strapped school districts. Quality professional development is necessary to assist these

educators in realizing their goals.

Research has shown that service learning improves academic achievement and enhances

student engagement (Furco & Root, 2010). Service learning is not just volunteering, but needs

to be part of the classroom curriculum linking student learning to real life situations. It is also a

way to build a bridge between students and their community. Kielsmeier (2010) shows how

service learning creates a two-way bridge of interaction and shared purpose, resulting in better

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schools, stronger communities, and improved student learning. In Wisconsin, 13.2% of the

residents live below the poverty level, 13.7% are over the age of 65 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010)

and free clinic clients are on the rise. In the Richland School District, over 50% of our student

population is on free or reduced lunch benefits (N.Tyl, personal communication, February 14,

2012) Now is the perfect time to build that bridge between our school and our community.

We, as teachers, need to change the misconception that learning is only in the classroom

by incorporating service learning into the high school curriculum. The Wisconsin Department of

Public Instruction says that service learning is the “key strategy in developing 21st century skills

which lead to a prepared workforce and civically engaged citizenry” (Service Learning

Homepage, para. 5). Teachers need to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to be effective

in implementing activities (Billig, 2010). A 2003 survey by Jeffrey Anderson and Joseph

Erickson of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education found that 59% of the

colleges include service learning in their pre-teacher education while 37% prepare their students

to use it as a teaching method. Professional development for teachers in the implementation of

service learning is on the increase among universities, like the University of Wisconsin–River

Falls, offering graduate level courses for K-12 educators. An increasing number of organizations

are offering their assistance to schools, administrators and teachers. Some of these helping

organizations include the Corporation for National and Community Service, the National

Dropout Prevention Center, The Providers’ Network and the National Service Learning

Clearinghouse.

Bringing service learning to the Richland Center High School begins with training our

teachers. Hattie (as cited in Billig, 2010) has referenced studies that showed that professional

development has an impact on student outcomes when the professional development is offered

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over an extended period of time and the teachers work collaboratively with the assistance of

outside experts. By attending the National Service Learning Conference, I will be able to bring

back to my colleagues the necessary tools to begin our collaborative work on establishing service

learning projects within our school. As teachers, we share the National Education Association

Foundation’s belief that the “best way to help students learn is to help teachers teach”

(Educators, para. 5).

Currently, no service learning projects are being implemented in our high school. In a

survey of the Richland Center High School Faculty (2012), only 27% were somewhat familiar

with service learning initiatives and 55% have never thought of implementing service learning in

their curriculum. An overwhelming majority (64%) feel that the high school should have

courses with service learning components. Faculty affirmation, a decrease in student

involvement in school organizations, and an increase in student disengagement in the classroom

all indicate a need to incorporate a research-based service learning program in our school.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of this grant proposal is to gain financial support in order to adequately train

our faculty and bring service learning into their curriculum.

Definition of Terms

Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA). In 1964 the State of Wisconsin

legislature created 12 regional agencies (Barish, 1999, p. 278) to serve as a middle conduit

between the Department of Public Instruction and the local school district. CESAs provide

programs and services to school districts that they cannot afford to offer alone. These programs

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include, but are not limited to, distance learning, technology training, gifted and talented,

audiology services, PDP training and school-to-work (CESA 5, 2012).

Cooperative Planning Time (CPT). Richland Center High School provides its teachers

with 30 minutes weekly to come together and discuss individual students who are having

difficulty both academically and behaviorally. This time is used to share strategies that will

enable the teachers to assist the student in improving his/her performance.

Department of Public Instruction (DPI). “The Department of Public Instruction is the

state agency that advances public education and libraries in Wisconsin” (DPI, 2012, para. 1).

Created in 1848, the DPI provides direction and technical assistance for public elementary and

secondary education in Wisconsin. The department offers programs and services to local school

administrators and staff. “It distributes state school aids and administers federal aids, improves

curriculum and school operations, ensures education for children with disabilities, offers

professional guidance and counseling, and develops school and public library resources”

(Lemanski, 2011, p. 462).

Free and Reduced Lunch. Students are eligible for either free or reduced lunch prices

and breakfast programs at their school based upon the guidelines established by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Child Nutrition Programs. Eligibility is

determined by several factors. Any child residing in a household that receives benefits from a

federal assistance program is eligible. Foster, homeless, migrant and runaway children are

eligible. Other children may be eligible based upon their family income at or below 130% of the

Federal poverty guidelines (USDA, 2012).

National Service Learning Conference. Since 1989, the annual National Service-

Learning Conference brings together approximately 2,200 youth and adults involved in the

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service-learning movement. The focus of the conference is service-learning as a way of teaching

and learning that builds academic skills and citizenship while addressing community needs.

Participants and service-learning leaders connect through workshops and service-learning

projects (National Youth Leadership Council, 2012).

Poverty Level. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services (2012),

the poverty level is established annually based on the number of persons in the household in

relationship to their annual income. For 2012, the poverty level for a family of four is an annual

income of $23,050 or less (DHHS, 2012).

Scholarly Activities. The acquisition of knowledge integrating the four categories of

research, synthesis, practice and teaching (Boyer, 1991).

Service Learning. A “teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful

community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic

responsibility, and strengthen communities” (National Service Learning Clearinghouse, 2012,

para 1).

Skyward. Web-based school management software that tracks attendance, grading,

scheduling, discipline and demographics currently in use by the Richland School District.

Student Engagement. The International Center for Leadership in Education (2012)

defines student (learner) engagement as “the extent to which students are motivated and

committed to learning, have a sense of belonging and accomplishment, and have relationships

with adults, peers, and parents that support learning” (“Learning Criteria to Support 21st Century

Learners”, para. 4).

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Limitations of the Study

This grant proposal is limited as it will apply to only the students and staff of Richland

Center High School. It is also limited to the small population of the community of Richland

Center. There are also limitations in that even though training and support will be offered to the

entire faculty, the amount of participation cannot be guaranteed.

Methodology

Chapter two will contain a literature review on the importance of incorporating service

learning into the high school curriculum. It will also contain a literature review of the

importance of high quality teacher training before incorporation of the service learning. Project

goals and objectives will be discussed in chapter three. Chapter four will contain the project

methods which include an action plan, evaluation plan, dissemination plan and proposed budget.

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Chapter II: Literature Review

This chapter reviews the literature concerned with the implementation of service learning

in the high school curriculum beginning with its grounding in historical literature. Service

learning will be defined, current practices discussed and existing programs studied. The

importance of teacher training before implementation will be evaluated.

History

The view of service learning as a component of education begins to take root with the

experiential teachings of John Dewey. When Dewey established the University of Chicago

Laboratory School, two of his beliefs for the school were that students would be part of a social

group in which everyone learns to help each other and that they would use their own creativity to

find solutions to problems (Harms & DePencier, 1996). Although Dewey never actually

outlined a system of community-based learning, his contemporaries and colleagues Jane Addams

and Dorothy Day did. Daynes and Longo (2004) are proposing that the history of service

learning be rewritten giving more credit to Jane Addams’ practices in the community than to

Dewey’s work at the university. With the addition of the work of Dorothy Day, it is the

combined practices of these three that provides us with the basis for community service in our

culture today (Morton & Saltmarsh, 1997) Now, over 100 years later, these beliefs are what

school districts are attempting to do with community-based learning for their students.

These progressive ideas of Dewey and those who followed in his footsteps have been

met with opposition over the course of the 20th century. Rocheleau (2004) contends that one of

the strongest attacks came during the 1950s when because of the scientific success of the Soviet

Union, many Americans were asking for a return to more rigorous educational techniques.

Another surge of changes in the American educational system came after the 1983 Nation at

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Risk report, again bringing about a call for the “back to the basics” movement. The report

insinuates that unproven educational methods such as progressive approaches were the reason for

the slipping test scores of American children (Rocheleau, 2004). This attitude emerges again in

the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This law puts accountability on the school districts for

adequate yearly progress in the areas of math, reading and science by using standardized testing.

This puts pressure on school districts to once again focus on the “basics” and steer away from

experiential educational experiences.

Also happening in 1983 was the founding of the National Youth Leadership Council by

Dr. James C. Kielsmeier in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They joined with the Center for Youth

Development and Research at the University of Minnesota and began collecting research on

service learning in the United States. Thus the beginning of the service learning boom in the

United States began. Research from Newmann and Rutter in 1985 showed that 27% of high

schools had some type of community service and 9% offered it as curriculum-related programs

(Skinner & Chapman, 1999). By 1999, the percentage of high schools offering community

service grew to 83% and nearly 50% of the high schools had it as part of their curriculum

(Skinner & Chapman, 1999).

Two main reasons for this increase are the National and Community Service Act of 1990

and the National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993. The 1990 Public Law provided

grants for training, curricula and research in the area of service learning. The 1993 Act

established the Corporation for National and Community Service which became the nation’s

largest grant maker for service learning projects and established AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and

Learn and Serve America. Learn and Serve America has been providing grants to schools for

service learning programs, providing training and assistance and collecting research (Corporation

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for National and Community Service, 2012). The current Obama administration is committed to

continue to offer service opportunities. However, funding for Learn and Serve America was

eliminated from the 2011 budget by Congress, is not included in the budget for 2012 and is not

in the budget proposal for 2013 (CNCS, 2012). Without this funding, the future of service

learning programs in our schools could well be in jeopardy.

Service Learning Programs

There are many pedagogical approaches to take with students who are performing below

their potential both academically and behaviorally. In addition to the traditional differentiation,

one-on-one tutoring and Response to Intervention, many school districts and state education

departments have turned to service learning as another way to reach these reluctant learners.

Research has shown an increase in student engagement and academics. Cone, Inc., a strategy

and communications agency, studied the current group of students known as the Millennials and

found that they are the most civic-minded generation since World War II (2006). In the Cone

survey of 1,800, they found that just over 80% of the Millennials are actively volunteering and

feel responsible to make an impact. In 2009, President Obama called on all Americans to

participate in meaningful community service as part of his United We Serve initiative. It is this

pro-social attitude and willingness to make a difference that high school can take advantage of

by connecting service learning to the high school curriculum.

Research is showing that involvement by high school students in sustained service

learning reaps many benefits beyond just contributing to their communities. A study by Billig,

Root and Jesse (2005) statistically had service learning students scoring higher on enjoyment of

school, were more likely to be academically engaged, and valued schooling over their non-

service learning counterparts. In their 2009 Meta-Analysis of Service Learning’s Effects,

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Conway, Amel and Gerwien compared students involved in service learning versus those not

involved and found that the largest changes were for academic outcomes and for beliefs,

knowledge or attitudes toward those being served. There were positive changes in all of their

categories but academic and social outcomes were the greatest.

In addition, The State of Indiana in the Civic Literacy Project of 2000 reported that

higher state test scores were linked to service learning. Roger Fisher, Assistant Superintendent

of Paoli, Indiana School attributed their low failure rate in part to the desire to attend school

during participation in service learning (Morgan, 2000). High attendance rates were also seen in

the California SLATE Report of 2009-2010 that showed student attendance averaging 93% on

days students were working on projects (Neumann, 2010).

Growing out of these research statistics is the abundance of school districts and state

education agencies that are including service learning as part of their state standards, graduation

requirements or allocating special funding for service learning programs. The latest report from

the Education Commission of the States (2011) shows that the District of Columbia and the State

of Maryland both have statewide high school service requirements and just under half of the

states require school districts to grant credit toward graduation for service learning or community

service. One must keep in mind that in addition to these state mandates, many school districts

have their own graduation and/or credit requirements for service learning. One example of a

district wide provision is the Chicago Public Schools Social Science 2.0 curriculum that

integrates service learning into the social science K-12 curriculum and requires service learning

hour as a graduation requirement (Chicago Public Schools, 2012). Another example is the

Oregon City, Oregon School district which maintains a charter school, Oregon City Service

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Learning Academy, where high school students earn their graduation requirements through

service learning internships (OC Service Learning Academy, 2012).

These examples of state and district service learning initiatives give us the tools to

continue to build on their success and expand the use of service learning across the high school

curriculum.

Teacher Training

“Teacher professional development is essential to efforts to improve our schools” (Borko,

2004, p.3), If we are to have successful service learning curriculum in our schools, it is necessary

to focus on training our teachers to successfully implement it. Just as we expect teachers of

history to know their subject well, the same standards apply to any faculty implementing service

learning into their curriculum.

One strategy suggested by Billig and Freeman (2010) is to adopt service learning as an

instructional strategy in teacher education programs. They found from Anderson and Erickson’s

2003 study that less than 20% of teacher education programs actually gave teacher candidates the

opportunity to either develop lesson plans or engage in service learning internships (as cited in

Billig & Freeman, 2010). The establishment of the International Center for Service Learning in

Education in 2003 promotes this strategy and continues today at the Duke University Program in

Education. In June of 2012 they will be holding their Third Annual Conference as an

international forum for service learning educators. This shows a growing interest in the

importance of pre-teacher education service learning curriculum.

Another strategy is to provide ongoing professional development for teachers involved in

the implementation of service learning in their curriculum. The Providers' Network was

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established in 2007 to improve the quality of service-learning practice. With funding from the

W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the National Service Learning Partnership, Compass Institute and

other partners, they are able to provide guidelines, networking, a resource library and

collaborative interest groups for service learning professionals (The Providers’ Network, n.d.).

Ten states currently have policies that support, encourage or require service learning professional

development for their teachers (Education Commission of the States, 2011). The State of

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction provides regional trainings and webinars for

teachers, in addition to providing service learning standards and an implementation guide. The

National Youth Leadership Council feels that “effective professional development is at the heart

of school success and teacher effectiveness” (NYLC, 2012) and provides year-round training for

education professionals through collaborative networks and annual conferences.

The purpose of this grant proposal is to gain financial support to implement service

learning into the Richland Center High School curriculum. The research shows that service

learning can improve student performance both academically and behaviorally. Research also

indicates that continued high quality teacher training is essential for successful program

implementation.

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Chapter III: Project Goals and Objectives

This project addresses the mission of the Richland School District by providing

educational opportunities that develop social responsibility and inspire lifelong love of learning

through the shared development of the entire community. Our overall project goal of

implementing service learning into the high school curriculum matches the strategy of the NEA

Foundation’s research which shows that developing and strengthening partnerships among

school districts and community organizations is a means for improving student performance.

Research shows that service learning increases motivation to learn, reduces risky behaviors and

increases student attachment to their communities.

Overall Project Goal: Implement Service Learning Into The High School Curriculum

Objective 1: Stimulate teacher interest in service learning through collaborative

research and scholarly activities. By the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, 50% of the

high school staff will conduct research and scholarly activities on service learning in the

classroom. The project leader will attend the National Service Learning Conference sponsored

by the National Youth Leadership Council. Sharing of acquired knowledge and resources will

take place during an in-service with fellow teachers. Teacher teams will attend summer

workshops on service learning which will reaffirm the desire to create more links between

students and the community. Provided with this opportunity, teachers will develop an

understanding of service learning and the way it can transform education. Armed with a

framework of understanding, teachers can return to their communities with concrete ideas on

how to implement service learning. Publications, handbooks and manuals from DPI and

National Service Learning Clearinghouse will be ordered, received and disseminated among the

teacher staff.

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Objective 2: Investigate and identify social issues impacting the community.

Students will investigate and identify social issues impacting their community related to their

classroom curriculum. Local service agency personnel will be brought into the classrooms to

present and discuss their needs with students. Through this investigation, students and teachers

will select and develop appropriate projects which are dedicated to providing opportunities for

meaningful student voice and learning opportunities that resonate with purpose. With a deeper

understanding of service learning, teachers can focus on creating learning experiences that

enable students to apply skills and content knowledge to real needs in their local community.

Learning objectives of the projects will be well defined and connected to state standards, local

curriculum and school goals.

Objective 3: Engage in five service learning projects. Students and teachers will

engage in five service learning projects with the community during the second semester of the

2012-13 school year. As students are invested as real partners and collaborators in the

experience, they will be engaged in meaningful work. Students will keep project journals

reflecting on their experiences. The integration of reflection into the experience will deepen and

reinforce the learning. The teacher team will meet regularly to discuss progress and issues.

Deepened collaborations among teachers, students and community will be a result of learning to

work together in new ways.

Objective 4: Increase student motivation and productivity. Grade and attendance

records of participating and nonparticipating students will be assessed prior to the

implementation of the service learning projects. Post-project surveys will be distributed and

completed by student, faculty and community service agency personnel. Grades, discipline

referrals and attendance records of students will be compared after completion of the projects.

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New relationships and roles, along with partnerships with the local community are an important

and inherent part of this process. Long-lasting academic and social development will be

assessed by questioning graduates on the Richland Center High School five-year post-

graduation survey.

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Chapter IV: Project Methodology

Successful service learning depends on well-prepared teachers bringing research-based

strategies into their classroom. The teachers at Richland Center High School will be provided an

opportunity to participate in ongoing professional development. The project leader will be sent

to the National Service Learning National Conference in April, 2012. The knowledge and

strategies acquired at the conference, as well as the Department of Public Instruction Service-

learning Implementation Guide will be shared with colleagues during a high school in-service

day. Fellow teachers will be given the opportunity to attend summer institutes and continue to

share with their colleagues during weekly Collaborative Planning Times (CPT). A teacher team

of ten regular and special education teachers will then be formed to begin implementing the

service learning curriculum in the classrooms. The following objectives and activities will

improve both student and teacher collaboration, increase student motivation and give our

students the tools to become long-lasting contributors to their community.

Action Plan and Timeline

Month Activities

April 2012 Stimulate teacher interest in service learning through collaborative

research and scholarly activities

Attend National Service Learning Conference

Request, receive, and disseminate Department of Public Instruction

Service Learning Handbook and National Service Learning

Clearinghouse publications

June 2012 Attend summer institutes on service learning

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September 2012 Investigate and identify social issues impacting the community

Invite local service agency personnel to classrooms to discuss

their needs with students

Develop and implement class lessons based on service learning in

the classroom research

Select and develop appropriate service learning projects

January 2013 Engage in five service learning projects

Reflect on experience in student project journals

Meet monthly with teacher team to discuss ongoing progress and

issues

May 2013 Assess increase in student motivation and productivity

Administer post-project surveys to students, faculty, and

community service agencies

June 2013 Compare grades, attendance and discipline reports of engaged

students to previous year

Share project evaluation with Richland School District

Evaluation Plan and Tools The evaluation plan and tools will be used on students and staff of Richland Center High

School as well as members of the Richland Center community during the 2012-2013 school year.

The project’s impact on staff learning and teaching, student learning and behavior, and our local

community will be measured using a variety of formative and summative assessments. Teacher

attendance at conferences, institutes and in-services will be tracked by completion records and

log-in sheets. Teacher reviews of service learning literature and handbooks will be assessed with

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a locally developed staff survey. Classroom observations of local service agency personnel will

be administered by the teacher team using presentation rubrics. Students will keep prepared

checklists of service needs presented by community members. A follow-up questionnaire will be

given to the students and teachers will compile the issues on a teacher team blog on the school

Google site. Once the implementation of the projects begins, students will reflect in individual

journals, teachers will blog, attendance logs will be kept at each project and a locally designed

project implementation rubric will be implemented by the participating project teachers.

Monthly teacher team meetings will be held to assess progress and institute any necessary

changes in project procedures.

At the end of the school year, attendance records from Skyward will be compared to the

previous year. Grade reports of participating students will be compared from the previous year

using Skyward. Using the annual discipline report from the Assistant Principal, the number of

referrals will be compared to the previous year. Locally developed project surveys will be

distributed and completed by students, faculty and community service agencies. The

effectiveness of the project will be measured by both student improvement and the strengthening

of the partnership between the school and the community.

Dissemination Plan

Students and faculty will be engaged in activities that encourage positive behavior and

academic growth. The sharing of successful strategies with colleagues in the district and

promulgating the positive results with community members will foster a collaborative

environment between the school district and its community. Staff members will be presented

strategies to use in their classroom through presentations during staff in-services and links to

appropriate curricular materials on the school Google page. Project results of student

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improvement will be presented to the district school board using charts of comparison data

before and after the implementation of the project. The community will observe the ongoing

involvement of the students by broadcasting video of project participation on the local public

access channel and publishing photos and articles in the local newspaper.

Budget

The funds requested from the Learning and Leadership Grant will be used for training our

teachers how to incorporate service learning into their curriculum. The items listed in the

detailed budget below will be used for the first step in accomplishing that goal. Funds are

requested for one staff member to travel to the National Service Learning Conference, including

airfare, hotel and per diem. Funds are also allocated for that staff member to travel to our local

Cooperative Education Service Agency (CESA #3) for further training and sharing with

colleagues within the school district. In-kind contributions from the Richland School District

will include general office supplies, photocopies, and substitute teachers. In-kind contributions

from the Richland Center High School staff include planning time and summer hours. Per Diem

and mileage rates are based upon the Internal Revenue Service guidelines.

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Budget Item Requested from Sponsor

Travel Conference Registration - National Service Learning Conference $525.00 Roundtrip airfare Madison to Minneapolis $529.40 Millennium Hotel $149/night + tax x 3 nights $507.00 Meals and incidental expenses $71.00 per diem x 3 days $213.00

Local mileage to CESA #3 training 80 miles r/t x $0.51/mile x 2 trips $81.60

Supplies Curriculum Materials - Service Learning Manual/Complete Guide/Student Guidebook $69.00 General office supplies in-kind contribution Personnel Substitute teacher pay - CESA training $75.00/day x 1 day $75.00 Substitute teacher pay - conference in-kind contribution Staff planning time in-kind contribution Summer staff hours in-kind contribution Total Project Costs $2,000.00

27

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Appendix A: Letter of Intent

09 October 2011 Mr. Jesse Graytock Grants Manager NEA Foundation 1201 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 Re: Letter of Intent Integrating Service Learning in the High School Curriculum Richland Center High School Dear Mr. Graytock: This letter conveys my intent to submit a formal proposal for the NEA Foundation’s Learning and Leadership Grant. My participation in the National Service Learning Conference will enable me to bring hands-on professional and curriculum development back to my colleagues for implementation within our district. I will submit the proposal through the NEA Foundation’s online grant system before the October 15th deadline. In the meantime, feel free to contact me for further information. Sincerely, Judith Ann Barnicle Spanish Teacher/Exchange Director

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Appendix B: Richland Center High School Faculty Survey

Please answer the following questions and submit. Thanks. * Required In which department do you mainly teach? *

Art/Music

Tech Ed/Agriculture

Science

Special Education

Mathematics/Computer

Social Studies

English

World Language

Physical Education

Business Education

Guidance

Administration

How familiar are you with service learning initiatives? *

How familiar are you with service learning initiatives?

not familiar

somewhat familiar

familiar but have never implemented

have implemented service learning activities

Have you thought about implementing service learning initiatives with students? *

Have you thought about implementing

Yes

No

What type of service learning initiative do you think would be most beneficial? *

What type of service learning initiative do you think would be most beneficial?

environmental

cross generational

community-based

school based

Other:

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What would be your reason(s) to include service learning in your curriculum? *(check all that apply)

it will enhance my ability to communicate the core competencies of the subject matter

it will help my students see the relevance of the course subject matter

it will help students see how subject matter can be applied to everyday life

it would fulfill the Richland School District mission statement

it would be beneficial to the character of my students

Other:

What would be your issue(s) in NOT incorporating service learning? *(check all that apply)

interference with students' academic responsibilities

interference with teacher's academic responsibilities

liability/safety issues

lack of monetary support

lack of administrative support

lack of professional development

Other:

Some Wisconsin schools require service learning to graduate. What are your thoughts? *

great idea

not sure

we have enough requirements

need more information to decide

Other:

If not a graduation requirement, do you believe RCHS should have courses with service learning components? *

great idea

not sure

we have enough requirements

need more information to decide

Other:

r

r r r r r

r r r r r r r

r

r

r

r

r

r

r

r

r

r

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Which of the following do you feel are necessary to successfully incorporate service learning into your curriculum? *(check all that apply)

attending conferences, institutes and inservices

researching social issues

faculty collaboration (service learning teacher team)\

monetary resources

having a project coordinator

cooperation of local service agencies

service learning literature and handbooks

Other:

Submit

r r r r r r r r