In both cases, the school districts' requirements were upheld. Despite such obstacles, the service learning trend is gaining ground. National model Pioneer High School in San Jose has been designated a National Service-Learning Leader School by the Corporation for National Service. Steve Holman, project director of Educational Services Inc., in Washington, D.C., which administers the program, says many of these schools have formed strong community partnerships. High school students work with the American Lung Association to counsel middle school students on the dangers of smoking.
Students give swimming lessons to elementary school students with disabilities.
High school students offer mentoring to elementary and middle school students as part of an environmental program called BIOsite funded by San Jose's Children's Discovery Museum. Pioneer High will host a service learning conference May 21 when it and several of the other 136 National Service Leader Schools will showcase their projects. While these schools receive some limited federal funding, most service learning initiatives nationwide are supported by state, local, or private funds. South Carolina, for example, strongly supports service learning as a strategy for education reform. Collaboration The Philadelphia school district says it is the first in the nation to engage all students in all grades in meaningful service-learning activities directly connected to the district's academic standards and learning goals.