The Cajon Valley Union School District (CVUSD), located in eastern San Diego County, has an enrollment of 16,650 students, kindergarten through grade eight, at 20 elementary schools and six middle schools. The ethnicity of the student body is one percent American Indian, two percent Native Asian, one percent Pacific Islander, two percent Filipino, 33 percent Hispanic, eight percent African American, 52 percent Caucasian, and two percent other. In the CVUSD, 52 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch and 23 percent are English learners. The CVUSD seeks to enhance students’ academic performance and to develop a strong sense of civic responsibility in students and a youth voice through service-learning in neighborhoods, communities, and schools. This CalServe Developmental Partnership grantee will integrate service-learning principles with science standards for grade four and grade six.
The twenty-hour service-learning experience will be environmentally based and will include standards-based life science, earth science, and investigation/experimentation classroom lessons; a field trip to Crestridge Ecological Reserve; a community project; and a culminating, districtwide service-learning presentation. Field instruction includes such participatory, standards-based activities as native plant restoration and water-quality monitoring. Selection of student projects is student-driven and is based at the school or in the neighborhood.
The Endangered Habitats League provides project coordination and field instruction at Crestridge Ecological Reserve. The CalServe Regional Lead assists with training for teachers and community partners. Multiple service and education partners provide students with project support. Evaluation assistance is provided by Hoffman Clark and Associates, a local evaluation team having more than ten years of evaluation experience with local school districts and service-learning.
All grade four and six teachers at each participating school take part in service-learning professional development. This initiative also identifies and provides professional development to site lead teachers, who support other grade four and six teachers as service-learning mentors at each participating school. Professional development addresses the effectiveness of service-learning for academic outcomes, civic responsibility, and community benefit. School administrators are informed on the service-learning program, its efficacy, and its implementation. Community partners work with teachers and classrooms to establish strong community support and demonstrate the relevance of service-learning projects.
