STATE OF MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION GRANT APPLICATION

Application due August 17, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time (must be received in our office-not postmarked).

2008-2009 Service-Learning Extension Grant

Any Missouri school district or charter school is eligible.

The National and Community Service Trust Act of 1993 created a new federal agency known as the Corporation for National and Community Service. The Corporation’s purpose is to provide funds, training, and assistance to states in order to develop and expand service opportunities for young people. A portion of this national legislation created the Learn and Serve America Program for state departments of education to fund local schools that wish to implement service-learning. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has received federal dollars from the Corporation for National and Community Service in order to administer the Learn and Serve Missouri Grants Program.

Focus Areas:

Applicants must incorporate at least one of the following focus areas into their service-learning program. The applicant can also include other community needs it wishes to address.

• Development of a program which include at-risk students/students with special needs/disabilities into a service-learning program.
• Development of an alcohol and/or drug abuse prevention and/or intervention program to reduce the number of alcohol/drug related offenses in the school district.
• Development of an anti-violence/anti-bullying program to reduce the number of bullying or violent offenses between students.

Program Objectives:
Applicants must fall within one of the following program objects in their proposed service-
learning program:

• Projects shall be consistent with the K-12 Standards for Quality Service-Learning Practice;
• Projects shall align service-learning activities with the Show-Me Standards;
• Projects shall meet a real community need determined through a community needs assessment;
• Projects shall show youth participants involved in decision making at some level;
• Projects shall further the development of school partnerships with the community;
• Projects shall encourage the involvement and training of classroom teachers in the planning of service-learning or implementing it into their classroom or school;
• Projects which further intergenerational learning concepts linking the young and old together in the schools;
• Projects shall further the development of school volunteerism; and
• Projects shall be inclusive, reflecting the diversity of the community and the state.

For more information, please refer to their PDF here.