| Service-Learning is an educational strategy that involves students in meaningful service to their schools and/or communities, while engaging them in some form of reflection and/or study related to the service. Well designed service-learning projects connect with, reinforce, enrich, and enhance what students learn in the classroom by providing them opportunities to apply classroom content and skills to address real-world problems. | ||
Step 1: The Alliance shows a service-learning class how to collect seat belt data at their school.
Step 2: The students devise a program to increase seat belt use by their peers.
Step 3: The students collect data to measure their program's results.
Conclusion: Drivers are 12% more likely to be observed wearing seat belts with each increment of service-learning quality. |
Not only did the seat belt service-learning projects help students academically—language arts (speeches and presentations), math (data collection), and science (physics of car crashes)—but they also helped with important intangibles: self-discipline, connecting learning with the real world, self-esteem, leadership. "Students gained confidence about their roles in their school and community." Teacher observations from the Teen Service-Learning Project |
Officer Hectar Delvalle, Meharry-State Farm Director Irwin Goldzweig, and Ray Gora, teacher at Roosevelt High School in Chicago, implement the TEACH project, which combines service-learning with enforcement to improve students' seat belt habits. |
How teens are using service-learning to change classmates' seat belt habits... (Source: Teen Service-Learning Project, Meharry-State Farm Alliance)
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| ...in Detroit, Mich. | At Detroit City High School, teens researched seat belt designs, held a slogan contest, and ran a campaign promoting seat belt use to peers. YEAR TWO: Students studied the physics of auto crash impacts and then developed designs for "user-friendly" seat belts that would prevent more injuries. Students at Redford High School held a "Pre-Prom Program" to stress seat belt safety to their peers and conducted a child passenger safety check at a local women's health center. |
| ...in Romulus, Mich. | Teens at Romulus High School held an auto safety day, a "Safe Prom" program, and a child passenger safety training for expectant mothers. YEAR TWO: Students developed a documentary complete with testimonials from victims and expertise about car accidents and injuries from students, community members, school staff, police, and health care workers. Students played the documentary at an assembly they organized for the entire school. |
| ...in Columbus, Ohio | Teens at Worthington-Kilbourne High School researched seat belt use, developed public service announcements, and conducted a letter writing campaign to local legislators in support of primary seat belt laws. |
...in Ripley, Ohio |
Students at Ripley High School researched the benefits of seat belt use and held a letter writing campaign supporting primary seat belt laws. |
...in Worthington, Ohio |
Students at Thomas Worthington High School researched seat belt use, developed public service announcements, and urged legislators to support primary legislation through a letter writing campaign. YEAR TWO: Students wrote weekly service announcements stressing the importance of seat belt use, sponsored a mock crash during Prom Promise week with help from the Ohio Patrol and State Farm Insurance, and distributed brochures on seat belt safety at prom week activities. |
| ...Memphis, Tenn. | Students competed in a T-shirt design contest promoting seat belt use at Hamilton High School and, at Kingsbury Career Technology Center, students studied seat belt use in their community and issued their findings in a marketing and advertising campaign through radio, TV, and news releases from Memphis City Schools. They also conducted a billboard design contest and designed T-shirts. |
| ...in Mesa, Ariz. | Students at Westwood High School developed education materials and presented them to peers, parents, and middle and elementary school children. |
| ...in Jacksonville, Fla. | Students at Raines High School made fliers for the school that listed seat belt laws and the consequences of violating them. |
| ...in Louisville, Ky. | Students at Central High School named themselves the Buckel Up Kids and staged a play on seat belt safety that they performed at nearby elementary and middle schools. |
The TEACH project, now under way in Chicago, will measure the effectiveness of service-learning in combination with enforcement of seat belt laws at school parking lots. The Alliance thanks the following schools, which are participating in the 2010 phase of the project. Foreman High School |
| Julian High School |
| Kelvyn Park High School |
| Morgan Park High School |
| Prosser High School |
| Roosevelt High School |
| Taft High School |
The Jackson Teen Study, now under way in Jackson, Miss., is measuring the effectiveness of service-learning in urban schools. The Alliance thanks the following participants from the Jackson public schools system. Bailey Magnet High School |
| Callaway High School |
| Murrah High School |
| Wingfield High School |
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