The focus of Tracy Unified School District (TUSD) is to expand the existing districtwide professional development program. Staff development presentations include the federal definition of service-learning, clarification of the elements of high-quality service projects, how service-learning projects can be integrated to teach California’s academic content standards, examples of best practices in the field, and, above all, how to encourage the practice of service-learning and a higher level of teacher involvement in service-learning activities.
Three case studies chosen by the district’s Service-Learning Advisory Board include a recycling program managed by fourth- and fifth-grade special needs students at Central School; a school vegetable and flower garden managed by eighth-grade students at Freiler School; and a Bohn School service-learning project in which students collect supplies for American soldiers in Iraq. Each project includes integrated learning; meets a community need; accommodates students’ representation and choice; promotes civic responsibility; gives students time to assess the experience before, during, and after the project; and evaluates the progress toward meeting the project’s academic and civic goals. Information from these case studies is used to revise the district’s CalServe renewal applications.
Organizational structure is one of the strengths of service-learning. The Board of Trustees and the superintendent avidly support the program, and communication flows freely through the curriculum council members, the service-learning sites, each school’s advocates, and the Service-Learning Advisory Committee. Program decisions routinely involve site administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community partners. The district actively engages representatives from eight community agencies for the service-learning program. These include members of the Tracy Boys and Girls Club, Tracy Interfaith Ministries, the McHenry House Family Shelter, Brighter Christmas, the Tracy Historical Society, the Tracy Animal Shelter, the Salvation Army, and a representative from the San Joaquin Women’s Shelter. Nineteen of the kindergarten through grade twelve teachers participate in an annual service-learning professional development program. The program consists of advanced training in service-learning practices and gives teachers time to develop a service-learning project. The district offers kindergarten through grade twelve teachers a service-learning mini-grant of $1,600 to help them to develop and implement innovative service-learning projects that meet community needs. A service-learning coordinator oversees the development of a districtwide, service-learning Web site that is designed to inform teachers about service-learning and offers examples of successful service-learning lessons and ideas for service and action.
Teachers, students, and community partners gain invaluable experience from service-learning. The overall potential of service-learning grows with each experience.
Visit the TUSD Web site (Outside Source), click on Programs, and click on Service Learning.
