Part A | Issue Analysis
In an increasingly global world and economy, good jobs with a secure future will now require some level of higher education. This requires communities to take a more active role in assuring that all students have access to a quality education and are prepared for their future. Currently, a significant number of young people are not prepared and are not meeting achievement expectations that allow them the opportunity for success. The achievement gap refers to the observed disparity on a number of educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by gender, race/ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Any country’s ability to compete globally depends on the educational attainment of its citizens.
According to the Education Commission of the State’s Closing the College Participation Gap Study by Sandra S. Rupert, America must have 8,044,374 students enrolled in college in the year 2015. Currently, out of one hundred ninth grade students, only thirty-eight of those students are likely to graduate from high school and enter college within one year.1 At this rate, we will not make the 2015 goal. In the U.S, only 23.1% of low-income students attend college.
Looking at population characteristics, half of the U.S. population had incomes above $49,242 and the other half had incomes below this amount. In 1999, the poverty threshold for a family of four was $17,000.2 Unfortunately, the average cost of college in the United States is nearly $19,500, according the College Board’s Trends in College Pricing Study.2
Lately, there has been much attention on the ever growing achievement gap in the United States and Canada. In 2002, the U.S. federal government passed an act of legislation entitled the No Child Left Behind Act. The law, which reauthorized federal investment in public K-12 education was designed to help schools target resources toward underserved children from low socio-economic households, with disabilities, with limited English proficiency and from major ethnic and racial backgrounds. Now schools are measured on their ability to meet the needs of all subgroups of children and to close the achievement gap. The challenge with this piece of legislation has been in the implementation at the state level. The main focus of the law was to assure that all students were meeting academic learning standards at grade level. For this to be accomplished, additional emphasis on early childhood care and education, improving teacher quality, early intervention for college, and providing extra learning opportunities for students who need additional help are stressed. By focusing on these key elements, the achievement gap can be addressed. Through service-learning, teachers have an additional teaching strategy used to engage and reach students who may not have been learning by other teaching methods. To get different achievement results, it may be necessary to do things differently. Service-learning is a great way to encourage innovative and creative hands-on approaches to teaching and learning. It is also important to help parents be more informed and involved in their children’s education. This contributes to a holistic approach to increasing access to higher education and closing the achievement gap for all students, particularly those students who are lagging behind.
Different states have dedicated time to researching the achievement gap issue on a state level. Texas has passed legislation requiring students to pass a proficiency test every year to help assess where gaps in learning occur. North Carolina’s governor has assembled a task force to examine the most effective practices to close the achievement gap. Missouri’s state task force saw that improving teacher quality in schools was the best method to use when dealing with the achievement gap. There are a plethora of organizations such as the Center for Education Reform (CER) that work to increase teacher quality and provide research based information to teachers, parents, and policy makers. The information is being disseminated among various communities, but there is always the question of strategic use of resources.
According to Eyler and Giles, service-learning is an experience that enhances understanding and understanding leads to more effective action. Part of the State Farm Youth Advisory’s Board mission is to help other students become active citizens in their communities. Service-learning is positive and meaningful to the participants. It involves cooperation rather than competitive experiences so service-learning promotes skills associated with teamwork, community involvement and citizenship. Service-learning also promotes deeper learning because results are immediate and uncontrived. If students start service-learning at an early age as part of their childcare development, then there is a sense of lifelong civic participation instilled in children. There is also a direct connection to what is being learned and a direct application of that learning.
The Corporation for National and Community Service collected data revealing the use of service learning,
- 32% of elementary and secondary schools have adopted service-learning.
- 35 states have adopted some form of service-learning policy.
- 25% of all higher education institutions and 50% of all community colleges have adopted service- learning programs.
The State Farm Youth Advisory Board believes that through service-learning, our grantees will have access to funds that will help support innovative and creative teaching and learning opportunities for students. The board is also able to connect our partners to additional organizations if necessary.
Access to Higher Education and Closing the Achievement Gap is important to State Farm Corporation because those individuals touched by the projects funded will constitute the future workforce. This directly correlates to the increasing need for skilled labor and the demands of global competition. This issue is aligned with State Farm’s commitment to community development and service while remaining true to our motto: “Like a Good Neighbor, State Farm is there.”
Part B | Examples of Access to Higher Education/Closing the Achievement Gap Service-Learning Projects
The superintendent of education visited a low-to-middle class school district to encourage students to pursue engineering careers so that they could help improve the infrastructure and economy of their community. After a class discussion, students realized that they needed more knowledge about engineers. Their research revealed that there are over 15 different branches in the engineering field.
Students then organized five forums for engineering professors, professionals, and engineering students to talk about their specific area of interest. Seniors and juniors from neighboring school districts were invited to attend. After the last forum was completed, students took a survey of the three most appealing branches. Computer engineering, chemical engineering, and biomedical engineering were the top choices.
The students decided to identify community needs that could be addressed by working with a forum participant who specialized in one of the top fields of choice. One need that arose concerned the lack of Web access by many students and residents. The students decided to help provide community organizations by improving their computer and Web capabilities. For four months students took an introductory course in computer science during the weekends. The college student who taught the course also helped students and teachers create a gift program with a university. The program donated university computers and software to community organizations that benefited underserved youth. Students would also receive free training to help with the maintenance of the computer systems.
Participants in the program brought together videos from the different projects undertaken over the course of the year and made an advocacy DVD for students in other districts in the state. The purpose of the video was to demonstrate the power of youth-led action. It also encouraged more universities and technical colleges to provide introductory training to students and new/used computers to community organizations whose missions helped to improve the lives of youth. The program was later adopted by 8 colleges in two years.
1 “Closing the College Participation Gap” Education Commission of the United States. [Online] http://statefarmyab.com/members/docs/ECS.NationalR.port.College.pdf. 10 September 2006
2 “Trends in College Pricing” The College Board [Online]
3 Closing the Achievement Gap is dedicated to providing examples for closing the achievement gap www.subnet.nga.org
4 National Service Learning Clearinghouse www.servicelearning.org
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