SERVICE LEARNING MINI-GRANT 2009-2010

The 2009-2010 school year is the first of a three-year Service Learning grant from the Tennessee Department of Education. Service Learning is a teaching and learning strategy that integrates meaningful community service with instruction and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. Results of student participation in the past couple of years has shown the following: 

•Increased student confidence

•Increased student self-esteem

•Decreased discipline referrals

•Improved community perception of school

This year’s grant will focus on projects that support attainment of skill deficiencies or provide opportunities for students to use skills mastered in their courses of study.  The Service Learning mini-grants will be distributed to selected K-12 teachers throughout the district who wish to utilize the Service Learning pedagogy as an instructional strategy to meet learning goals and/or content standards. All teachers may apply for a service-learning mini-grant. Training will be conducted for teachers who are awarded mini- grants but have not received prior training in the service-learning methodology.

The Service Learning application form must be completed and submitted for review. Please share this application form with all teachers interested in participating in this year’s Service Learning grant. (Schools are not limited to the number of teachers who may apply and teachers may work together on projects.) Teachers will need to complete one form for each project they plan to implement. Each activity will require an itemized budget. All projects are limited to a maximum award of $4,000. The completed, typed application form(s) are due on or before Friday, October 30, 2009. Please submit to Diane Raley in the office of Careers, Technology and Adult Education.

 Each teacher who is awarded a mini-grant for this year is expected to implement a separate violence prevention project related to MLK day in January. Small, one-time projects are permissible for this event. Applications for this project will be distributed to the awarded teachers at the first grant meeting.

 If you have any questions, please contact Diane Raley at 416-8050.