Public Education
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The "Public Education" panel, moderated by Mr. Albert Wat, (Georgetown University), opened with a comparative analysis by Mr. Jason Willis (Columbia University) of CBR education projects in New York City and Washington, DC. Willis has worked with community members in both school systems on a range of topics from after-school programming and curriculum decisions to literacy initiatives and voucher programs, and finds CBR methodological approaches are critical to successful buy-in by community members and appropriate evaluation and policy outcomes. Second, a team from the Catholic University of America presented on "Preparing Pre-service Teachers Beyond the University Classroom." Drs. Sarah Pickert, Merylann Schuttloffel, and Joan Thompson outlined ways to incorporate academic service-learning into a teacher preparation program intended to enable pre-service teachers to deepen their understanding of social justice and diversity through community involvement. In particular, they shared how a service-learning requirement will be implemented in their human development and children's literature courses. Third, Dr. Heidi Elmendorf and undergraduates Kara Carpenter, Giselle Mason, Marybeth Sexton, and Melinda Weiss (Georgetown University) presented "Deepening Disciplinary Learning through Education Outreach in DCPS," the introduction of a capstone experience in the Biology Department in which students develop and teach modules in the Life Science curriculum to students at Ron Brown Middle School. They shared their insights regarding the strengths and weaknesses of science instruction and the trajectory that early educational opportunities predict will help inform curricular decisions not only for the middle school students but also for Georgetown students' undergraduate education. Finally, Georgetown undergraduate Sean Garrett presented "Small Successes," an overview of LINK DC, a non-school hours service program for middle school students located in Southeast Washington. He detailed the extent to which LINK meets the needs of the students and shared his insight as to areas in which LINK's services can be improved.
Affordable Housing and Homelessness
"There's no such thing as 'affordable housing' in DC!" was the recurrent theme throughout the panel on "Affordable Housing and Homelessness," moderated by Dr. Sam Marullo (Georgetown University). Mr. Clark McKnight, Ms. Lisa Mincieli, and Ms. Shella Fon from Project South DC, a D.C. grassroots advocacy organization, spoke about their project to support tenant struggles and organizing in Trinity Towers to preserve racial/ethnic diversity and affordable housing in the Columbia Heights neighborhood. Georgetown University student Natasha Dasani presented her CBR project on "Mapping Food Service Assets for the Homeless in the District of Columbia." Through collaboration with the Urban Institute and other Georgetown University volunteers, Dasani has generated a map to track agencies, meals and services available to help those in need throughout the District. Similarly, Georgetown undergraduate Emily Athy collaborated with the Perry School Community Services Center, Trinity College students, and National Student Partnerships Volunteers to survey landlords throughout the city to develop a map of affordable housing options, including an assessment of apartment units that accept vouchers and the responsiveness of landlords.
Students of Color, Service-Learning and Justice
Session moderator Dr. Deanna Cooke (Georgetown University) observed that conducting community-based research in a U.S. city with a "majority minority" population offers unique insights into the relationship between "Students of Color, Service-Learning and Justice." Presenting first, Dr. Roxana Moayedi (Trinity College) led a discussion on "Service Learning and Civic Engagement Among Minority Students," focusing on the relationship between service learning, academic performance, and civic participation among students in the context of structurally diverse campuses and communities. Moayedi concluded that the structural diversity of Trinity's student body and the community it serves has had a positive influence on the academic and civic engagement outcomes of Trinity undergraduates. In her presentation on "Understanding Success in Science Amongst Young African American Women: The Role of Community," Ms. Melissa Cidade's secondary analysis of National Educational Longitudinal Survey data suggests that those African American women who are active in the community are more likely to have positive attitudes about science and may be more likely to earn better grades in science. Dr. Minette Bumpus of Howard University presented on "The Service-Learner: Understanding the Differences in Satisfaction Levels between Undergraduate and Graduate Level Students." Using a similar service-learning curriculum and same site placement, Dr. Bumpus has found her Howard University undergraduates much more open to the pedagogical innovation and learning challenges offered by CBR than are HU business school graduate students. Graduate students were less motivated by learning and skeptical of educational or practical benefits of service-learning placement in an area elementary school. Dr. Kerry Strand of Hood College concluded with a discussion of the "Cultural Variation in Service Learning: Latino Families in the Frederick County Even Start Program." Hood's service-learning students found that the racial and ethnic barriers for service providers were more than merely linguistic when offering services to Latino families. Cultural misunderstandings skewed program evaluation results and required more resources be directed to staff training and observation.
The Arts and Media in Service-Learning
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Summarizing her panel's thematic focus, moderator Chitra Subramanian (American University) noted that "the arts are an important means to bridge cultural divides" and that given their interactive nature, the performing arts can and do generate audience participation and reflection on community development issues. Opening "The Arts and Media in Service-Learning" panel, Ms. Dorothy Marschak, Director of Community Help in Music Education (CHIME), presented "Banding Together: The Glory Days of School Bands in DC and How to Bring Them Back." With a backdrop of how funding cuts have all but eliminated music programs in DC schools, Marschak described the "Banding Together" initiative, in collaboration with the Anacostia Museum and the Smithsonian's Center for African American History and Culture, to document the role of school-based DC marching bands in fostering neighborhood pride and cohesion. Second, Dr. Ana Patricia Rodriguez (University of Maryland) presented "D.C. Latinidades: Visuals, Music, and Community Action," discussion the creative ways in which DC's Central American community has used poetry, music, and other artistic venues to describe the common immigrant experience and create unity among disparate groups. In "Service-Learning and Inter-disciplinarity for Museum Curators," Ms. Sarah Wilson (American University) described the venues through which the museum curator field intersects with the arts and community-based learning and research. In conclusion, Dr. Simone Seym (Georgetown University) presented "Collaboration, Democratization and Social Change: Creative Dissemination Venues for Popular Education," and the use of drawing, dance, creative writing, and music with residents in a women's transitional housing program to change their outlook and transform their lives.
