PHILADELPHIA – Students who participate in school-based service that includes elements associated with high-quality service-learning are almost three times as likely as students who participate in school-based service without those elements to believe that they can make a great deal of difference in their community, a new study has found.

The youth are also more than twice as likely to report that their experience has a very positive impact on them; 40 percent more likely to say that they will probably volunteer in the upcoming year; and significantly more likely to take an interest in current events and to talk about politics with friends and parents.

The findings are contained in “Educating for Active Citizenship: Service-Learning, School-Based Service, and Civic Engagement,” a new report by the Corporation for National and Community Service that was released today at the 17th Annual National Service-Learning Conference in Philadelphia. The study and a fact sheet can be found at http://www.nationalservice.gov/.

“This study demonstrates that exposure to school-based service, especially service that contains high-quality elements of service-learning, has a strong and direct relationship to fostering positive attitudes and behaviors among youth,” said Amy Cohen, Director of Learn and Serve America, which provides funds to support service-learning programs and is administered by the Corporation.

“Whether we’re talking about students’ belief in their personal efficacy, their willingness to help out in their communities, or their interest in current events and politics, we know that exposure to school-based service is a powerful starting point for unleashing the energy and idealism of young people and creating a new generation of active citizens,” Cohen added.

The new study is one of the most comprehensive yet of the state of school-based service in America. Among other facts, the study found that:

• 38 percent of youth ages 12 to 18 -- or approximately 10.6 million students nationwide -- have ever participated in school-based service, which is defined as community service that takes place as part of a school activity or requirement.
  
• 64 percent of students who ever participated in school-based service did so as part of one class; 22 percent participated in two classes; and 14 percent participated in three or more classes.
  
• 77 percent of students who have engaged in school-based service report that their service included at least one of three “quality” activities typically associated with service-learning: more than half (51 percent) wrote or reflected on their experience, 36 percent helped plan the activity, and 36 percent participated in service that lasted at least a full semester.
  
• High school students (grades 9-12) are more than 30 percent more likely than middle school students (grades 6-8) to participate in school-based service, whether participation occurred within the previous year or some time in the past.
  
• 40 percent of students' experiences in school-based service included one high-quality service-learning element, 26 percent included two elements, and 10 percent included all three high-quality service-learning elements, which became the basis of a Quality Index developed by the Corporation; only 23 percent of students' experiences did not include any of the three quality elements.

The study also found that while economic background had an inverse relationship to exposure to school-based service – that is, students from low-income families are less likely than those from other families to participate in both school-based service and service-learning courses – it also revealed that low-income youth who do participate demonstrate many positive civic attitudes and behaviors, particularly volunteering attitudes and behaviors, discussion of politics, interest in current events, personal ability to make a difference, trust, and optimism for the future.

The report, the second in the Corporation's Youth Helping America Series, was based on the Youth Volunteering and Civic Engagement Survey conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with the U.S. Census Bureau and the nonprofit coalition Independent Sector. In early 2005, a cross-section of 3,178 American youth between the ages of 12 and 18 were asked in telephone interviews about their volunteer activities and experiences with school-based service and service-learning projects. Beyond gathering information on youth volunteering, the survey gathered information on youth religious involvement, academic achievement, family relationships, and ties to community groups.

The first report based on that survey, “Building Active Citizens: The Role of Social Institutions in Teen Volunteering,” found that 55 percent of American teenagers volunteered last year – nearly double the rate of adults, and that nearly all of them – or 74 percent – participated as part of one of three key social institutions: school, family, or church. The new study takes a closer look at the 38 percent of students nationwide – some 10.6 million students in total -- who ever participated in school-based service as part of school activity or requirement, and it constructs a Service Quality Index that rates school-based service based on the level of high-quality service-learning elements that are incorporated into it. Both of the studies based on the survey, as well as a variety of supplemental materials, can be found at http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/role_impact/performance_research.asp.

The Corporation for National and Community Service provides opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities and country through three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. Together with the USA Freedom Corps, the Corporation is working to build a culture of citizenship, service, and responsibility in America. For more information, visit www.nationalservice.gov.

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