Educational Leadership Through Service-Learning

Abstract

Leadership is the ability to envision connections and inspire change. The University of Idaho, College of Education is engaged in a project to integrate service learning into coursework for educators. These efforts are designed to inspire the leaders of tomorrow to link formal learning with community needs. The purpose of the study is to discuss the use of service-learning as a leadership strategy to help teachers become independent learners continuously seeking to integrate community concerns with educational needs. The authors discuss how to partner with community organizations, both public and private, to augment university coursework in education. Results of a survey of participants will be reviewed with discussion of implications for teacher education.