Strong Community Service Learning

Students engaged in community service learning (CSL) learn how to work cooperatively to solve problems and build community. This book reaffirms CSL's philosophical foundations in an era when CSL has been appropriated by a number of different perspectives. Sheffield (foundations of education, Missouri State U.) reviews the conceptual history of CSL and explains its core principles (community, service, experiential learning, and reflection), connecting philosophic and practical implications. At the same time, the author presents a defense of practical philosophy as a viable research method. He makes the case for incorporating a critical perspective into CSL to make it more transformative for individuals, schools, and communities, drawing on his 14 years of experience teaching high school in an impoverished community in Florida. An appendix lists books and papers on CSL outcomes. The book is for teachers, school administrators, educational scholars, and students. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Eric C. Sheffield is Associate Professor of Foundations of Education at Missouri State University in Springfield, where he also serves as Assistant Director of the Academy for Educational Studies and editor of the Academy’s online journal, Critical Questions in Education. He is author of several articles on Community Service Learning and co-editor of three books, Why Kids Hate School; Challenges to Academic Freedom Past and Present; and The Role of Religion in 21st Century Public Schools (Lang, 2009).