Giving Compass' Take:

· Education Dive analyzes a new study from the University of Maryland's Do Good Institute which shows that the rate of high school volunteerism and charity work has declined since 2005.

· How can schools encourage their students to participate in charity? 

· Learn how volunteerism helps social sustainability.

While most educators agree that volunteering benefits students, there has long been some debate over whether  volunteering should be required. Students benefit not only because they gain a better understanding of the world around them, but also because they gain confidence by seeing how their actions can benefit the lives of others. Volunteer activity can also improve a student’s chances of college admission or gaining a scholarship.

However, efforts to force students to volunteer seem to not have much effect. States and districts have a wide variety of policies concerning service learning. The “Do Good” study indicates that states that require the most are not necessarily the ones with the highest rates of volunteerism.

Civics education teachers are more likely to have an impact by weaving the benefits of volunteerism and civic engagement within the curriculum through field trips or project-based learning opportunities because volunteerism is more effective when students have an opportunity to reflect on the experience rather than just ticking off a requirement box.

Read the full article about volunteerism by Amelia Harper at Education Dive.