The Purpose of This Presentation:

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The Purpose of This Presentation

• To provide an overview of the Corporation of
  National and Community Services Learn and Serve
  America Program.

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• Established in 1993 to engage Americans of all
  ages and backgrounds in community-based service
• Supports a range of national and community
  service programs, provides opportunities for
  participants to serve full-time and part-time,
  with or without pay, as individuals or as a part
  of a team
• Encompasses AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, and Learn
  and Serve America

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Issue Areas for
Corporation for National Community Service
Programs

• Education
• Environment
• Public Safety (Including Homeland Security)
• Other Human Needs (e.g. health and housing)

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Learn Serve America
Our Goal...

• To build the field of service-learning in
  schools, community- based organizations,
  and in colleges and universities across the
  country.

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Learn and Serve America

• gives grants to fund programs at K-12
  schools, community-based organizations, and
  institutions of higher education that engage
  participants in structured, hands-on projects
  that meet community needs while helping
  participants develop personal, civic, and
  academic skills

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The Definition of...
Service-Learning

• students or participants learn and develop
  through service that is conducted in and meets
  the needs of the community
• coordinated with an elementary school, secondary
  school, institution of higher education, or
  community service program, and with the
  community
• fosters civic responsibility
• integrated into and enhances the academic
  curriculum of the students, or the educational
  components of the community service program in
  which the participant is enrolled
• provides...time for...reflection

Source National and Community Service Trust Act
of 1993
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Distribution of LSA of Grant Funds, 2003-2006

• 20 M Formula Allotment Grants to State
  Education Agencies
• 6.5M School-based Competitive Grants
• 4.5M Community-based Competitive Grants
• 10.75M Higher Education Competitive
  Grants
• 800K Tribes and Territories for School-
  based Grants
• Total

43 M
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Grant Distribution for Higher
Education Grants
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Eligibility for Higher Education Grants
Eligible organizations

• Institutions of higher education as defined in
  the Higher Education Amendment of 1998
• A consortia of such
  institutions
• Partnerships composed
  of higher education
  institutions and
  other
  public or private
  non-profit organizations

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Elements of Higher Education
Programs

• Service may be integrated across an entire
  academic department, a school, an entire year
  and into the core curriculum or throughout the
  entire institution

Teacher education programs train pre-service
teachers in service-learning concepts which
impacts K-12 education
Engaging faculty can impact promotion and tenure
systems
Equal service-learning partnerships maximize
benefits to both campus and community
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Examples of How Grants Money May Be Used

• hire program coordinators to work with local
  agencies in linking students to meaningful
  service opportunities
• train teachers, staff, faculty,
  and community members
• develop service-learning
  curricula and projects related
  to civics
• partnering with community to
  identify and address local needs

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Our Portfolio

• For the 2003-2006 grant period,
  Learn and Serve America
• made 133 awards

reaching over 1500 colleges and universities,
K-12 schools and nonprofit organizations
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Resources

• You can locate national service information from
  www.nationalservice.gov.
• In addition you can obtain information on
  service-learning from www.servicelearning.org

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www.servicelearning.org

• gathers and disseminates information about
  service-learning across all streams of service.
• has several partners who have expertise in all
  areas of service-learning.
• collects and abstracts current articles,
  research and other publications, making it easily
  available to anyone who needs it.

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For any additional information
Elson B. Nash Associate Director, Project
Management 1201 New York Avenue, NW Washington,
DC 20525 enash_at_cns.gov- 202-606-6834