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Alabama State Department of Education

School/Organization:

Alabama State Department of Education, Learn and Serve Alabama

Overview:

On September 21, 1993, the National and Community Service Trust Act that created the
Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) was signed into law. The Corporation’s mission is to engage Americans of all ages and backgrounds in community-based service that addresses the nation’s educational, human, public safety, and environmental needs. The Alabama State Department of Education (SDE) has been awarded funds for over 15 years from CNCS to implement the statewide service-learning program Learn and Serve Alabama. The majority of this money is to be used to award new subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) to administer service-learning programs. Service-learning subgrants are awarded on a competitive basis for a term of up to three years and are funded on a yearly basis. All grants are subject to an annual performance review, as well as the availability of funds from the CNCS.
Service-learning is defined as a teaching method by which students learn and develop
through active participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences that:

• Meet actual community needs.
• Are coordinated in collaboration with the school and the community.
• Are integrated into the school’s academic curriculum.
• Provide structured time for students to think, talk, and write about
  what was experienced during the actual service activity.
• Provide students with opportunities to use newly acquired academic skills
  and knowledge in real-life situations in their own communities.
• Enhance what is taught in the school by extending learning beyond the classroom.
• Help to foster the development of a sense of caring for others.

Contact Information:

For information concerning Learn and Serve Alabama contact Sherry Coleman, Education Specialist over Learn and Serve Alabama at 334-242-8216 or by email at scoleman@alsde.edu. 

Length: 05:40

Content Areas: Professional Development

Alabama Course of Study Alignments and/or Professional Development Standard Alignments:

AQTS_2.D.4: Instructional Strategies [Knowledge of the importance of parents and/or families as active partners in planning and supporting student learning.]
AQTS_4.A.1: Cultural, Ethnic and Social Diversity [Knowledge of the ways in which student learning is influenced by individual experiences and out-of-school learning, including language and family/community values and conditions.]
AQTS_4.A.4: Cultural, Ethnic and Social Diversity [Ability to develop culturally responsive curriculum and instruction, i.e., model, teach, and integrate multicultural awareness, acceptance, and appreciation into ongoing instruction.]
AQTS_4.E.2: General [Ability to involve families, community agencies and organizations, and colleagues in helping support academic achievement of diverse learners.]
AQTS_5.C.3: Alabama-Specific Improvement Initiatives [Ability to integrate statewide programs and initiatives into the curriculum and instructional processes.]
ASIL_5.2: [Ability to identify community leaders and their relationships to school goals and programs]
ASIL_5.3: [Ability to communicate the school's vision, mission, and priorities to the community]