Michigan

Civic engagement is one of the four core elements of all Earth Force programs, along with environmental stewardship, youth voice, and service learning. The Carnegie Corporation of New York awarded a grant to Earth Force to support the infusion of civics-based service-learning programs into school districts in Michigan. The ultimate goal of this project is to create model programs that convince additional districts to adopt civic education practices that prompt students to address community problems. In addition, the Initiative advocates for state education policies that place civic engagement at the heart of public education along with academic achievement and job preparation.

What districts provide:

• Districts select middle schools to participate in the Initiative. The program works best when conducted by a team of teachers from social studies, science, and language arts..
• Schools that are involved in this project serve as a model for other schools and districts to visit so that other schools and districts can learn from and adopt the program.
• Participating students and teachers will take part in the Earth Force evaluation, which is conducted by Brandeis University.

• Hands-on training (customized to meet specific school and district needs) from Earth Force staff on how to use the Protecting Our Watersheds curriculum that has been customized for use in Michigan. Focusing equally on science, civics, and language arts, the curriculum helps educators meet academic standards and prepares students for the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) Test.
• Water monitoring equipment and hands-on training for each teacher so that educators are comfortable using the equipment.
• On-site support (e.g., in-class demonstrations and follow-up professional development sessions) from the Michigan Civics Initiative director.
• Opportunities to be involved with other community resource organizations, such as watershed councils.
• A final report from Brandeis documenting the impact of the program.

What participating students do:

• Explore local water quality conditions and challenges
• Choose an issue to work on
• Meet and work with adults in the community who want them to succeed
• Develop a civic action plan to address a local environmental problem
• Use knowledge and skills from class to take action in the community