Corporation for National and Community Service

2006 Learn and Serve America Higher Education Grants

The Child and Family Policy Center at Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies was awarded a 2006 Learn and Serve America Higher Education grant by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The purpose of Learn and Serve America Higher Education grants is to expand participation in community service and service-learning in colleges and universities in the United States . Programs engage students, faculty and staff in service activities in partnership with and in support of local community organizations, including schools and nonprofit organizations. Colleges build sustainable programs in which service is integrated into academic, civic and extracurricular activities. Higher education service-learning meets community needs in areas such as the environment, education, public safety and other human needs.

This grant proposes to achieve two objectives. The first objective is to enhance mentoring outreach at three high schools in Nashville which are experiencing high rates of academic failure, high absenteeism and high drop out rates. Vanderbilt students enrolled in service learning classes will mentor students at these high schools with the goal of keeping students engaged in their academic studies, prepare them for the tests required for high school graduation and encourage them to seek post-secondary educational opportunities. The second objective is to expand this service learning model to community colleges across Tennessee . Vanderbilt faculty and students will train community college faculty on this service learning model with the goal of increasing service learning opportunities in community colleges and stimulating mentoring outreach to local high schools.