Characteristics and roles of service-learning with at-risk students at Hawthorne School

This qualitative case study sought to examine the use of service-learning at Hawthorne School, an alternative school that serves mostly students who are considered at-risk for not graduating from high school due to behavioral problems in school. This school was founded with the intention of integrating Deweyan educational practices, also referred to as authentic and/or constructivist pedagogy, into the curriculum. Service-learning is the principle educational technique employed at Hawthorne School to put Deweyan educational theory into practice, and service-learning theory provides much of the intellectual foundation of this school. Thus, this study sought to examine the nature of service-learning as it is seen at this school, the role it plays in the life of this school and the education of its students, and the possible effects that may have accrued to students through its use here.; A series of interviews was conducted with nine students, the principal of the school, the service-learning coordinator/teacher, two teachers, the two founders of the school, and one representative of a state-level, non-profit environmental education organization. The interviews, as well as observations and archival documents, revealed a complex and multi-faceted service-learning program at this school that was found to be beneficial in engaging these students in school, providing hands-on learning and real-world problem-solving experiences, and promoting and providing opportunities for positive relationships to be formed between these generally troubled youth and the adults and children who live in this community. Furthermore, it was revealed that service-learning provided students with interesting ways of learning, promoted individual student research on a wide variety of academic topics, and promoted some student voice and initiative in educational activities.; This study revealed that service-learning plays an especially significant role in the curriculum development of this school, and that, at least partially through the mechanism of service-learning, students and teachers have input into decisions regarding the academic content students will engage in. Finally, it was also found that service-learning plays a critical role in this school in forming and promoting positive relationships between the members of the community and these students, as well as informing and promoting positive community perceptions about this school and its students.