Service-Learning Case Study:
Madison, WI

As one of the nation's oldest alternative schools, Malcolm Shabazz City High School is used to being a leader in developing new and creative methodology. They got a jump-start with service-learning when a group of three teachers first introduced this program to the school fifteen years ago.

Not only do students in the still-running class about the Mississippi Delta learn about the region's rich history and culture, but they travel there, providing service to local organizations and families in exchange for learning opportunities. Upon returning home, they share their experience of one of the nation's poorest areas through a series of presentations.

That project, coupled with the school's mission of non-harassment, served as a solid foundation when the school applied six years ago for a grant that would help them to weave service more thoroughly throughout the curriculum. One of the first things they did after receiving funding was to train Jane Hammat-Kalvaloski, the school social worker involved in the Mississippi Delta project. Her leadership has helped service-learning to become well-established at Malcolm Shabazz.