Radio Commentary
Americans
put public education high on their list of priorities, and they support
learning civic responsibility through service projects along with traditional
academics.
A
study by the Kellogg Foundation showed that 94 percent of Americans agreed that
a serious problem facing the country was that people lack the skills they need
to succeed.
89
percent agreed that continuing to improve the K-12 education system should be a
very high priority for our nation.
Most
also agreed strongly that a good education is much more than just learning to
read, write, and “do math.” They included social skills, tolerance, and good
citizenship as important skills for all students to learn.
Service-learning
— a teaching method that combines service to the community with K-12 curriculum
— was seen as key to reaching these goals.
Said former senator John Glenn, previous
chairman of the National Commission on Service-Learning:
“Service-learning
is unique because it enables teachers to improve students’ academic
performance, sense of civic responsibility, self-confidence, and workplace
skills with a single teaching method. It links classroom lessons with real-life
learning.”
It is
effective, and it makes a difference.
I
salute those local schools that include community service components, and
service-learning projects, for their students.
