Connecting The Classroom and the Community
Service-learning programs allow students to apply real-world experience with classroom study
By Phaedra Brotherton

The events of Sept. 11 have been credited with awakening a desire for many to do something meaningful and give back to their communities. But for the past decade, a growing number of institutions of higher education have been doing their part in developing civic-minded citizens through service-learning programs that allow students to earn credit for performing community service.
More institutions have bolstered their service-learning efforts by joining Campus Compact, a coalition of more than 800 public and private two- and four-year colleges and universities. The coalition promotes community service to develop students' citizenship skills and values and to encourage partnerships between campuses and communities.
Campus Compact formed in 1985 at a time when the media portrayed college students as materialistic and self-absorbed and more interested in making money than in helping their neighbors. The presidents of Brown, Georgetown and Stanford universities believed this public image was false after witnessing the many students on their campuses involved in community service. The founders believed other students would participate in community service if they had campus support. Campus Compact formed to encourage and support more students in serving.
Liz Hollander, executive director of Campus Compact, says the organization's membership continues to increase due to a growing concern in the country about educating citizens who will actively participate in the democracy.
As more colleges and universities see the need to be engaged in their surrounding communities, Campus Compact has seen the number of its member colleges grow from 235 in 1991 to 814 today. A 2001 study of its members shows 72 percent offer service-learning courses; another 87 percent have formal community service programs.
One reason for the growth, says Hollander,  is that service learning is a powerful form of teaching. "The most powerful learning experience is when you teach somebody else," she says. "The second is when you do something. Service learning does both."
In general, service learning combines community service with classroom study, which includes discussions, readings and writings to reflect and integrate the students' experiences. To ensure learning has taken place, students must reflect on their experiences, often in the form of journal entries, field notes and essays.