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1982 - In his book, High School,
Former Federal Commissioner of Education Ernest Boyer
advocated that all public schools adopt a new Carnegie Unit
of 120 hours of mandatory service-learning.
1983-84 - Maryland Superintendent of Schools, David Hornbeck
vigorously pushes the State Board of Education to adopt a
mandatory service requirement for all public high school students.
The board does not adopt it.
1985 - The State Board of Education adopts a rule requiring all
school systems to offer credit bearing community service opportunities
for high school students.
1985-88 - Very little change is made by local school systems as a
result of the 1985 "opportunity mandate."
1988 - Through support from foundations, the
Maryland Student Service Alliance (MSSA) is created as a
public/private partnership with the State Department of Education
to enhance service-learning efforts in Maryland.
1988-92 - Through MSSA's teacher training, curricula development,
and technical assistance efforts, a strong foundation for
service-learning is established in a growing number of schools statewide.
1990 - State funding adds full-time technical assistance capacity to MSSA staff.
1992 - The Federal Commission on National and Community Service
awards $523,546 to the Maryland State Department of Education to
advance the service-learning initiatives in the state and designates
Maryland as one of 8 leader states.
1992 - The State Board of Education adopts the current mandatory
service requirement which becomes effective in 1993 and affects
the graduating class of 1997 and beyond.
1992-93 - Considerable publicity, some of it hostile, was given
to the mandatory requirement, focusing almost exclusively on the
75 hour option. Most local school boards, teachers organizations
and student groups initially opposed the requirement.
1992-93 - MSSA conducts a vigorous public education campaign
focusing heavily on having involved and engaged students change
other students' attitudes toward the requirement.
April 1993 -
MSSA inducts its first class of 14 Fellows, teachers
who run exemplary service-learning programs and are willing and
able to share their expertise and enthusiasm with their peers.
As of March 2003, MSSA has 144 Fellows representing all twenty four
school systems.
January 1993 -
An effort by state legislators to overturn the
Board of Education requirement is defeated. Similar efforts in
later years will likewise fail.
March 1993 -
All 24 school systems opt to design their own
service-learning programs and submit plans to the State Superintendent.
January 1995 -
MSSA receives a three year grant from the
W.K. Kellogg Foundation to fund Youth RISE
(Youth Representatives Involved in Service-Learning Education),
a statewide leadership program for middle and high school students
who want to help promote quality service-learning experiences.
May 1995 -
MSSA produces Maryland's Best Practices:
An Improvement Guide for School-Based Service-Learning in Maryland.
It is the product of interviews with 80 teachers around the state who
use service-learning as a teaching method. This guide gives teachers
concrete ways to improve their service-learning practice.
In response to requests from teachers and administrators for
replicable models, MSSA searches the state for teachers doing
service-learning that meets all seven Best Practices.
April 1996 -
MSSA produces Shared Learnings:
Administrative Strategies for Service-Learning.
These strategies are based on the experiences of Maryland educators
who operationalize the state policy that all students must participate
in service-learning prior to graduation. These ideas serve as a
program improvement guide for administration of large-scale service-learning.
March 1997 -
MSSA launches the "Service Stars" recognition program
highlighting high school students from every school system that
significantly go beyond the service-learning graduation requirement.
Spring 1997 -
Youth mini-grants are first awarded to youth-developed
and written grant proposals. These mini-grants continue to be awarded
after original funding from the Kellogg Foundation ends.
Winter 1997 -
MSSA website is created with information on local, state,
and national service-learning programs and issues.
April 1997 -
MSSA hosts its first annual Combined Service-Learning
Leadership Retreat. 130 administrators, teachers, and students attended.
June 1997 -
42,000 Maryland public school students graduate with their
service-learning requirement fulfilled. Only 49 students in the state
did not graduate solely because of the service-learning graduation requirement.
1997-2001 -
Service-Learning Leadership Retreats continue with 200-250
participants gathering to examine specific issues related to the quality
of service-learning programs.
1998-present -
More than 99% of Maryland students complete their
service-learning requirement prior to graduation.
1998 -
"Next Steps: A School District's Guide to the Essential Elements
of Service-Learning" is published as a self-assessment tool for
school districts in Maryland and nationally. The guide is a result
of collaboration between MSSA and national experts and is funded through
a Corporation for National Service competitive grant. This guide remains
one of the most frequently ordered MSSA publications.
1998 -
"Excellence Awards"
are given to school systems that excel in
program implementation. Systems are asked to share strategies for
institutionalizing service-learning with all other systems across the state.
1999 -
"Leadership Development Awards" are given to all school systems
specifically to develop service-learning leadership capacity among
teachers, students, and administrators.
August 2000 -
MSSA is awarded a competitive "Community, Higher Education,
School Partnership" grant from the
Corporation for National Service.
A partnership is established among schools, colleges, and community
agencies in a distressed Baltimore City neighborhood to improve quality
of service-learning practice and projects
September 2000 -
MSSA starts two new recognition programs to promote
high quality service-learning practice. The
"Sherry Unger" award, named
posthumously for an exemplary service-learning Fellow, prominently
features a service-learning project on our website each month and
provides a $200 stipend to the school. Each project must detail how
it meets "Maryland's Seven Best Practices" for service-learning
activities. Also, the "Service-Learning
Principal of the Year"
award is a competition that awards money to the winning school
and several honorable mentions. The Principal of the Year
award winner is the featured speaker at a service-learning
celebration each year.
October 2000 -
"Statewide Quality Review" initiative begins with
MSSA specialists visiting every school district during the school
year to monitor service-learning implementation policies and assess
quality of service-learning activities. The State Board requests an
annual presentation on the status of this initiative.
2001-present -
"Statewide Quality Review" initiative expands and
deepens at the request of the State Board of Education.
2000-2001 Review produces "Key Characteristics of Quality Service-Learning"
presentation to State Board. 2001-2002 Review produces specific action
steps in the areas of accountability, delivery models, and teacher training.
The June 2002 annual State Board presentation articulates comprehensive
Service-Learning Guidelines for all school districts.
June 2001 -
"Rising Service Stars" begins as a middle school equivalent
to the "Service Star" recognition program. Exemplary middle school
students are selected by school administrators.
August 2001 -
MSSA expands and improves website to provide users with
efficient navigation and pertinent information. New features include
Power Point presentations, pre-formatted training materials, PDF files,
additional links to national organizations, and additional archived materials.
September 2001 -
State Department of Education forms new
"Youth Development Branch" combining service-learning, character education,
and student government programs into a single strategic entity.
The Branch is part of the Division of Student and School Services.
September 2002 -
"Statewide Quality Review" initiative expands again
to include scoring rubrics for use during structured interviews with
each school system. Rubrics are developed with input from school system
administrators and are intended to inform strategic improvement plans
for local systems.
November 2002 -
MSSA provides "Training Awards" to systems that create
customized quality service-learning training for any combination of teachers,
administrators, community agencies, and students. MSSA pledges technical
assistance in support of these local training initiatives.
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