| EDUCATION 
 REPORT - June 26, 2003: Community Service by American Students By Jerilyn Watson
 This is the VOA Special English Education Report. Millions of American students take part in service 
 programs. They help people in their communities as part of their education. 
 They work on projects like improving the environment and feeding homeless 
 people. Many school systems in the United States now require students 
 to do some kind of community service as part of their studies.  Students involved in service projects help themselves 
 as well as their communities. They learn about the needs of people and 
 aid organizations. Some college administrators say public service may 
 also help high school graduates gain acceptance to the college of their 
 choice.  Many schools in the United States offer courses 
 in what is called service-learning. These educational programs teach 
 methods to aid the community. Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago, Illinois, 
 is one of these schools. It has received national honors for its service-learning 
 program. Students there were not doing well in their studies back when 
 the program began in1997. Teachers say doing community service has led 
 many students to work harder in school. School officials say mathematics 
 and reading skills have improved.  Teachers try to link their classroom material 
 with current community needs. For example, a history teacher talked 
 about the issue of hunger in some American communities. After that, 
 students helped at a food center for poor people.  Students at Nicholas Senn High School come from 
 seventy-five countries. They speak fifty languages. Even students who 
 have just arrived from other nations perform community service. Wilkinson Junior High School in Middleburg, 
 Florida, also has received national honors for its service-learning 
 program. Its twelve- and thirteen-year-old students work on two major 
 projects. They are helping to find the best ways to restore trees to 
 an area of land that was used for mining titanium. They also test water 
 from the nearby Saint John's River and report the results to local water 
 officials.  Public schools are not the only ones that require 
 community service. Bishop Ireton High School is a private Roman Catholic 
 school in Alexandria, Virginia. In one project, students there organized 
 programs for people who live in a retirement center near the school. This VOA Special English Education Report was 
 written by Jerilyn Watson.  |