The Future of Service-Learning: New Solutions for Sustaining and Improving Practice (review)

The Future of Service-Learning: New Solutions for Sustaining and Improving Practice, edited by Jean R. Strait and Marybeth Lima, is a timely volume asking the reader to consider what is next for service-learning. Primarily geared toward service-learning practitioners and those interested in service-learning research within higher education, this edited volume raises numerous questions to push service-learning further and to address the current climate of higher education. Discussions regarding changing student demographics, an increase in web-based courses, and the current financial climate facing institutions of higher education are addressed in this volume, which includes case studies, anecdotal best practices, and reviews of current research on various aspects of service-learning in higher education.

The book is divided into three sections. Part I explores issues of service-learning administration, part II examines service-learning's ability to lead to research, and part III discusses future directions for service-learning design. Although the chapters nestle within their section, each can be read on its own, allowing the reader to jump to the chapters of most significant interest.

In part I, chapter 1 begins with an overview of the volume by Jean Strait, addressing the rationale which led the book to be produced, presenting the logic behind each section's organization, and providing a brief overview for each chapter. In chapter 2, Strong, Green, Meyer and Post discuss where service-learning is housed on various campuses, and provide specific examples from a range of institutions explaining the rationale for how these institutions determined the best home for service-learning based on the campuses' commitment to civic engagement and service-learning experiences. Chapter 3, written by Gilbert, Johnson and Plaut, examines long-term sustainability of service-learning programs and how collaboration with strategically identified community partners can strengthen service-learning programs even in economically testing times. Chapter 4, written by Furco and Holland, offers five "maxims" that can lead to the institutionalization of service-learning. For those intending to institutionalize service-learning or imbed service-learning practices within their institution's mission, part I will be of particular interest.

In part II, chapter 5, Sandman addresses the long-standing tension between faculty engagement in service-learning and promotion and tenure. She reviews the literature on this topic and provides examples of new ways faculty are effectively highlighting their service-learning pursuits in the promotion and tenure process, thus giving the reader strategies for including community-based scholarship in their dossier. Chapter 6, written by Jacoby and a highlight of the volume, asks seven provocative and important questions about the goals for, and the impact of, service-learning, for the student, institution of higher education, and the community partner. These simple questions, in no way lead to simple answers, and should prompt extensive and needed debate about service-learning as a practice. In chapter 7, Erickson uses contact theory (a theoretical framework used in social-psychology) to explore service-learning outcomes on college students. This theoretical article provides a framework that practitioners and scholars might be interested in using to both design and assess student service-learning outcomes. Shifting from the theoretical, Lima's chapter 8 provides a practical toolkit to help service-learning practitioners seek funding for their service-learning endeavors. This chapter, a nuts-and-bolts guide, provides useful tips for identifying and applying for funding for service-learning projects and programs.

Part III discusses future directions for service-learning. Veering from US-based higher education, chapter 9 by Murphy, Tan, and Allan discusses service-learning experiences for future teachers, focusing on the reflection component and calling for critical reflexivity. In chapter 10, Strait forces the reader to confront the notion that if service-learning is to change with higher education, it needs to be reshaped in ways that can be offered in an on-line format. This chapter provides the reader with practical tools and tips to begin...