Topics include:  No Place for Hate, Religion in the Public School, Civil Rights Issues:  Past & Present, CYberbullying and A World of Difference!  Speakers include notables such as:  Austin City Council Member Randi Shade, Represntatives Elliott Naishatat and Mark Strama, TASB Associate Executive Director of Governmental Relations, Jacqueline Lain and many others.

More information is available at the ADL: 2010 Austin Summer Educators’ Website. To receive the FREE admission, you must email mflowers@adl.org directly–do not use the registration link!

On way to help young people identify their interests, find their voice, and connect with others is through service-learning. Often confused with community service, service-learning is actually a teaching and learning strategy that combines student service with academic learning. Service-learning experiences share five major attributes:
1. Students have a strong voice in determining the actions they want to take and in implementing their plans.
2. Service-learning is aligned with the curriculum.
3. Students partner with others to take action.
4. Students reflect on their experiences in multiple ways before, during, and after performing the service.
5. Service-learning is of sufficient duration to allow students to meet community needs and also achieve learning objectives.

When students are engaged in these kinds of experiences, what they’re learning suddenly matters—for them and for others. It’s the path of Relationships, Relevance, and Rigor (not the other way around!), which Ray McNulty of the International Center for Leadership in Education has aptly noted.

Service-learning enables students to make a difference in their community at any age or ability level. The following examples are all based on actual service-learning:
• Pre-kindergarten students can visit a local nursing home every week to perform songs and dances that reflect the patients’ cultural traditions, thereby learning about different cultures and the contributions they can make to other generations.
• Third graders can create a community garden to provide vegetables for low-income senior citizens and learn science and math skills while improving their understanding of the needs of others.
• Fourth graders can develop planning and problem-solving skills while designing and implementing a plan to conserve environmental resources.
• Sixth graders can design wheelchair accessible ramps and make a presentation to the city council about the importance of accessibility, which can help them learn about abilities and disabilities and nurture compassion for others.
• Eighth graders can learn about the Korean War by interviewing local veterans.
• High school Spanish students can improve their fluency by becoming pen-pals with bilingual fourth-grade students—who in turn can bolster their language skills by writing back in English.
• High school seniors can develop a public service announcement for a teen crisis hotline, thereby applying knowledge and skills in language arts and social studies.
• High school students who struggle with state mandated testing can improve their math skills and their self esteem by tutoring middle school students who struggle in the same area.

It’s never too early or late for students to learn to make a difference by addressing real needs, starting right in their community. By discovering their interests, expressing their voice, and getting the support they need, young people can become the change agents we need to make our world a better place.

John Spence
Director, Service Learning Texas

If you want to learn more about service-learning, including information on the 7th Annual Summer Institute in Austin on June 16-18, please visit the Service Learning Texas website at www.servicelearningtexas.org.

It is the only parenting site based on Search Institute’s Developmental Assets® which are forty common-sense, positive qualities and experiences that help influence the choices young people make. By combining the assets with the power of positive parenting, ParentFurther provides innovative and successful approaches to a wide variety of topics relevant to families.

Visit ParentFurther for the parenting Tip of the Day or sign up for the Everyday Parenting newsletter.

Make a difference with ParentFurther:
• Catch kids doing good things! Remember to acknowledge the things you appreciate about your children, not just correct misbehavior.
• The next time you have a dilemma, ask your kids to help you think about solutions. Their beginners’ minds might be just what you need.
• Be your kids’ hero by always doing what you think is right and best, even when it’s very, very hard to do.
www.parentfurther.com

The Texas State Board of Education established the Heroes for Children Award in 1994.  The award is given annually to individuals who volunteer their time, efforts and support to public schools and students.  These individuals also serve as advocates for students and public education in Texas.

This is a great way to recognize those who go the extra mile to put in many hours of service and dedication to making education more rewarding for students in Texas.

ICW Monthly Webinar

Date: Wednesday, May 12
Time: 1:00-2:00 pm ET
Register online
Extended Learning Opportunities

Join ICW today, Wednesday, May 12th from 1:00-2:00 pm ET as we dive deeper into learning more about extended learning opportunities such as afterschool programs and longer school days and calendars. These types of programs often offer students a safe learning environment that can be used to reinforce what’s learned in a core academic curriculum (including language arts, mathematics, and science) through a variety of alternative means, such as work-based learning opportunities, the arts, and physical education.

These educational programs are tailored to meet community desires and needs, filling in the gaps left open by the traditional school day. Research suggests that extended learning opportunities also have a positive impact on reducing crime, raising graduation rates, and increasing productivity among workers with children. Extended learning programs can reinforce skills that are vital to building a workforce capable of competing globally in the 21st century-the “soft skills” that often mark the difference between success and failure among potential employees. Chambers of commerce and corporations can-and do-work closely with afterschool providers and extended learning time programs to reinforce these skills and help secure a workforce that meets local and regional needs.

Speakers include:

* An-Me Chung, PhD, program officer, C.S. Mott Foundation
* Betsy Brand, executive director, American Youth Policy Forum
* Melissa Lazarín, associate director of education policy, Center for American Progress

Learn more online!

Register now for this webinar:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation, is working to drive public policies that increase opportunity and prosperity through advocacy, intelligence, and our worldwide network. Through the Chamber’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce (ICW), the Chamber promotes high educational standards and effective workforce training systems to attract, educate, and empower works for successful careers.
U.S. Chamber of Commerce

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