Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2008

The purpose of this federal Learn and Serve America grant program is to:

1. increase the practice of Community Service-Learning (CSL) as a methodology for implementing the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, K-12; (See the definition of high-quality service-learning in Additional Information below.)

2. strengthen school/community partnerships across the Commonwealth and support mutually beneficial relationships that maximize CSL opportunities both in school and during out-of-school time;

3. improve the quality of CSL initiatives;

4. provide more opportunities for low-income students to engage in CSL;

5. support the institutionalization of CSL district-wide;

6. provide an opportunity for youth to take on leadership roles in making changes and improving their communities;

7. increase the capacity of communities to support CSL and other youth programming during in-school and out-of-school time; and

8. increase civic engagement among participants.

Priorities for the use of these funds are to:

1. demonstrate increased coordination with identified community partner(s) to meet community needs and to sustain service-learning; or, based on lessons learned in FY2007 (2006-2007), identify and work with a minimum of one new community partner to build a mutually beneficial relationship that supports CSL practices in the community;

2. continue action steps towards institutionalizing/sustaining CSL practices in a community by connecting to the district's and community partner's mission, policies, and practices;

3. share resources with community partner(s) to support the implementation of CSL activities that meet the needs of the local community;

4. provide professional development opportunities for teachers, administrators, and staff of community partners needed to implement high-quality CSL activities;

5. implement and align classroom-based CSL activities with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks;

6. share established best practices and lessons learned relative to both community partnerships and CSL with other communities in the Commonwealth;

7. identify and engage at-risk students in service-learning activities; and

8. implement CSL projects that meet needs that have been identified jointly by school personnel, community partners, and youth participants in the broader community.

The following schools/districts are eligible to apply.

Boston Public Schools

(for Boston Community Leadership Academy, Ellis Mendel Elementary, Nathan Hale Elementary)

Applicants may apply for up to $15,000. The Department reserves the right to alter the award to each funded school district.

• A minimum of 20% of the grant award must be shared with a community partner (identified in Part III - Required Program Information as well as in Schedule C).

• Budget forms that must be completed include Budget Detail Pages, Schedule B, and the Budget Narrative Form. (See the Required Forms section.)

  • Applicants must demonstrate they can meet a 125% cost share. Community partners may contribute to this match requirement. Complete Schedule B to document the 125% in-kind and cash match.

  • The Budget Narrative Form should describe both the grant request and the proposed in-kind/cash match.

• Grantees will be eligible to apply for one additional year of subsequent continuation funding based on successful completion of the grant and an increased match commitment.

Funds may be used for stipends or salaries for staff to coordinate the CSL initiative, curriculum development, teacher stipends, consultants, substitutes, transportation of student participants, travel, conferences, purchase of materials and supplies, printing, and reproduction of materials.

Funds may not be used for the purchase of computer/audio visual hardware, copiers, or vehicles. Funds may not be used to pay student participants. Funds from this grant may not be used to support indirect/overhead costs; however, applicants may show indirect/overhead costs of up to 10% of the total grant as a match, provided that these costs are documented and in accordance with the district's approved indirect cost rate.

Note: In-kind and cash match must be tracked and documented as a requirement of the grant and cannot include a match from other Corporation for National and Community Service funding. See the Learn and Serve America provisions for grant spending requirements.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. on the date due.

• Summary of Grant Priorities (See Priorities for additional information.)

  The Massachusetts Department of Education, in partnership with the Massachusetts Service Alliance, the Massachusetts Campus Compact, and Brandeis University, secured federal funds from Learn and Serve America to build and improve partnerships among schools and community-based organizations that enhance and sustain community service-learning.

  The following needs have been identified as a priority by the Department CSL program:

  • increasing opportunities for all youth to take a leadership role in identifying and addressing community challenges;

  • reducing risky behaviors among youth; and

  • facilitating and strengthening school/community partnerships.

    To accomplish these goals, the Department will focus CSL efforts on addressing local community needs that have been identified with youth input.

• Definition of Community Service-Learning

  In 1990, the Corporation for National and Community Service said that service-learning:

  • promotes learning through active participation in service experiences;

  • provides structured time for students to reflect by thinking, discussing, and/or writing about their service experience;

  • provides an opportunity for students to use skills and knowledge in real-life situations;

  • extends learning beyond the classroom and into the community; and

  • fosters a sense of caring for others (as adapted from the National and Community Service Act of 1990).

    The National Commission on Service-Learning defined service learning in 2001 as follows: "Service-learning is a teaching and learning approach that integrates community service with academic study to enrich learning, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities."

• Key Elements of High Quality Community Service-Learning

  • Service that meets a community need;

  • Explicit, authentic, and guided learning;

  • Youth decision-making; and

  • Analytic reflection.

• Required Program Evaluation Activities

  All grant recipients are required to participate in the following evaluation activities. The program evaluation will be conducted by Brandeis University.

  • Student Surveys: pre- and post-program, of both participants and non-participants in CSL activities. Districts should plan to have a participant and comparison classroom at each school involved in service-learning through this initiative.

  • End-of-Year Teacher Cover Sheet: one-page cover sheet to accompany student surveys. The cover sheet asks teachers questions regarding classroom practice and projects.

  • End-of-Year Teacher Survey: (web-based) for all teachers who are running projects under the umbrella of the grant.

  • End-of-Year Partner Survey: (web-based) for partner organizations working with project classrooms to gather information on community impacts, including changes in services, attitudes, and relationships within the partner organization and between the partner organization and schools.

• Learn and Serve America Grant Provisions

Submit one (1) unbound complete application with the original signature of the Superintendent, as well as two (2) stapled sets. Mail to:

Donna Pisaturo
Student Support
Massachusetts Department of
Elementary and Secondary Education
350 Main Street
Malden, MA 02148-5023