Washington, D.C. – Three organizations will use service-learning to ignite the passion for math and science in thousands of low-income students, thanks to grants announced today by Learn and Serve America.

The grants will support service-learning programs that prompt students to use the knowledge and skills from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) courses to address challenges in their communities. Grantees will use service-learning to increase student interest and engagement in these critical subjects. The grant recipients will emphasize professional development for STEM educators at the middle and high school levels.

“Math and science are more important than ever in our global economy, but US students are falling behind,” said David Eisner, CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service. “Service-learning is a powerful way to help students learn these crucial subjects and spark their interest in technical fields.”

Increasing the number of students entering scientific and technical fields is crucial. A Department of Labor report states, “Our nation’s economic future depends on improving the pipeline into the STEM fields.”

The STEM Initiative grants will be made to three organizations:

• The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, will receive $675,631 to establish a “Science in Action” program that will create Professional Learning Communities for teachers in Alabama and Georgia to help them use service-learning to advance science achievement.
      
• Earth Force, Inc., of Denver, CO, will use its $670,900 grant to undertake a Watershed STEM Initiative to expand and institutionalize the Global Rivers Environmental Education Network program in seven school districts. Working with universities and other resource partners, local school districts will train educators, provide on-going technical assistance to individual teachers, and help schools form lasting collaborations with watershed associations.
      
• The American Forest Foundation, Washington, DC, will receive $611,353 to infuse service-learning into Project Learning Tree, its well-respected, widely used environmental educational curriculum. The foundation will offer training to teams of teachers in four regions of the country, helping them engage their students in action projects that address environmental issues.

Learn and Serve America is the nation’s largest source of support for service-learning, providing an on-ramp to a lifetime of civic engagement for more than 1.4 million students each year. Research has demonstrated that service-learning increases academic achievement and student engagement, improves civic attitudes and community involvement, and decreases risky behaviors.

Learn and Serve America is administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation improves lives, strengthens communities, and fosters civic engagement through service and volunteering. Each year the Corporation engages more than four million Americans of all ages and backgrounds in service to meet local needs through its Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, VISTA, NCCC, and Learn and Serve America programs. For more information, visit NationalService.gov.

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