Service-Learning Folks,
The purpose of this communication is to inform interested people and seek active
participants in an upcoming workshop at the NSEE Conference taking place Oct.
22-25 in Kansas City. This workshop is entitled "Service-learning and the
America reads Challenge': The train is moving...on what kind of track?"
As we planned this workshop the America Reads Initiative was new, impacting
service and service-learning planning on campuses, elementary schools,
classrooms and teachers. Many service-learning folk were beign tapped to be
involved, with suddenly expanded protfolios, while in other cases people with no
service-learning connections were tapped. It was exciting and confusing last
winter. Sudenly there was a lot of new money being dangled for work-study. There
was politcal mileage in the concept. There were many questions and concerns and
pacticalities about how programs would be structured, about new collaborations
and about to what extent the K-5 educators on the front lines were being
involved and how they would be partners, about working with financial aid folk,
about impacts on other service-learning programs etc.
Our vision for structure of this workshop is to facilitate a process that will
prioritize the content of discussion and enable participants to share resources.
In order for this to work, we need many people to bring materials about program
stuctures/models, and be willing to talk about challenges and concerns.
We want to identify some of you who are doing America Reads ahead of time who
would be willing to serve as resources/facilitators. Please contact us by
advising: Who you are and the nature of your involvement with America reads,
your willingness to bring copies of your model, and let uys know if you would be
willing to facilitate a table concersation or just say a few words about your
program. Thanks.
Amy B. Eilert, Coordinator
Grinnell College Community service Center
Grinnell, Iowa (515) 269-4247
EILERT@ADMIN.GRIN.EDU