Stakeholder+perspectives+on+translating+a+service+learning+partnership+into+measureable+and+sustainable+academic+gains+among+K-8+students+at+an+urban+school

**Stakeholder perspectives on translating a service learning partnership into measureable and sustainable academic gains among K-8 students at an urban school** David Shriberg, Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago [dshribe@luc.edu] Gilberto Sanchez, Principal, North River Elementary School [gsanchez@cps.k12.il.us] Kari Jo Bank Wagner, Teacher, North River Elementary School [kbwagner@cps.edu] Rosemary Powers, Teacher, North River Elementary School [rpowers@cps.edu] Pamela Fenning, Associate Professor, Loyola University Chicago [pfennin@luc.edu] Sofia Flores, graduate student, Loyola University Chicago [sofia428@gmail.com] Francesca Pilati, graduate student, Loyola University Chicago [fpilati2@gmail.com] Arielle Schmidt, graduate student, Loyola University Chicago [aschmidt3@luc.edu]



**Keywords:** School psychology, stakeholder perspectives, urban school

**Track:** Community outcomes and impact

**Format:** Team presentation

**Date & Time:** Thursday 10:50-12:00 **Location:** Salon 10

**Summary:** This team presentation will highlight the results of a collaborative research project between a K-8 urban public school and a university graduate program. First, an overview of the graduate program’s service--learning program will be provided. In this section, a brief presentation of the field of school psychology will be provided, emphasizing the importance of a commitment to social justice in the development of future professionals and the potential positive role of service--learning in this process. The two broad goals—to maximize positive benefit to partner sites and to develop further every student’s capacity as an agent of social justice—of the service--learning requirement will be provided including the procedures employed and the main findings from three years of focus group and survey data and an overview of the steps taken to build community and support between the university and partner sites.

The second portion of the presentation will provide the results of the first field-based research study to emerge from this service--learning partnership. Specifically, for the past two years university faculty and students have been involved in an ongoing project to further develop an urban K-8 public school’s capacity for academic data-tracking through mechanisms such as school wide reading screenings and continuous progress monitoring around key academic indicators (e.g., reading fluency probes). The teachers in these grades were part of a research project focused on modifying core instructional practices. Pre and post intervention data collected in spring 2011 indicate that students in these targeted grades made significant academic gains.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">The final portion of this presentation will feature comments from stakeholders in this research project. All presenters will comment both on the impact of the research project on this school, and also on their perspective on the partnership experience itself.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">**References:** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">Cuban, S. & Anderson, J. B. (2007). Where's the justice in service-learning? Institutionalizing service-learning from a social justice perspective at a Jesuit university. //Equity & Excellence in Education//, //40//, 144-155.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 140%;">McCabe, P. C., & Rubinson, F. (2008). Committing to social justice: The behavioral intention of school psychology and education trainees to advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered youth. //School Psychology Review//, //37//, 469-486.

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