[DATE]
Dear School Superintendent:
The Corporation for National and Community Service is conducting a national study of service-learning with a survey of 2,000 K-12 public schools scheduled for March. For your interest, an advance copy of this survey is enclosed, as well as a list showing the school(s) in your district that have been selected under a random sampling plan by Westat, our statistical contractor. For your convenience, we have also enclosed a fact sheet about the study.
It has been almost 9 years since the U.S. Department of Education’s landmark study of service-learning in 1999, which found that one-third of schools were engaged in service-learning as part of their curriculum. This represented a significant increase from prior decades. In 2004 the National Youth Leadership Council conducted a follow-up survey, which indicated patterns consistent with the 1999 study. Using a comparable survey questionnaire, today we hope to learn from principals whether this trend continues by discovering more about the scope, scale, and the kinds of support provided to service-learning.
In March, the principal of the designated school(s) will receive the survey and be encouraged to participate. The survey will take no more than 30 minutes to complete. Responses will be kept confidential and will be reported only in the aggregate. Our report will be released in fall 2008, and you and the sampled principals will receive a copy as soon as it is released.
We ask that you encourage the sampled principals to participate and return the completed survey promptly, by [date]. Your encouragement will help to ensure that this study adequately reflects the realities of service-learning in your district.
This survey is being conducted by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), along with its research partner Westat (who conducted the original study for the U.S. Department of Education, as well as the 2004 follow-up survey).
If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Ellen Tenenbaum, the Westat survey manager, at 1-800-937-8281, ext. 3617 (e-mail: Ellentenenbaum@westat.com). Thank you for helping to achieve the highest participation possible on this study that is sure to be of widespread interest.
Sincerely,
[CNCS Signature]
| File Type | application/msword |
| File Title | January 6, 2003 |
| Author | Marybeth Neal |
| Last Modified By | Cynthia Robins |
| File Modified | 2007-12-10 |
| File Created | 2007-12-07 |