Service Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Service - Essay Example The service learning traces its root to the mid-1980s. The mission of the program was to increase national service efforts among youth (Strom 1). As it is, the majority of colleges and universities have incorporated the program into their curriculums. In the United States, over one million students and 22,000 community organizations have taken part in the program (Strom 1). The mandatory service requirement may vary in different schools. It may entail building community support, allowing students to decide what to perform, training teachers, recognizing students initiatives as well as allowing students a chance to reflect on what they do (Loupe 1). These aspects are considered when it comes to enlisting the program into the curriculum. In some schools, the issue of mandatory service requirement has been adopted and received an acknowledgement from the students. However, in others, there is some form of resistance with no noticeable impact. As a result, this has led to a serious debat e on whether to adopt this program wholly or to shelf it for further consideration on its effects on students and schools. Therefore, the idea of having a mandatory service requirement of 30 hours needs further consideration in EFSC. The idea should not be implemented as it has failed in some schools; it is a way of forced work, substitute academic purpose, financial challenges, as well as criticism from leaders. First, it is clear that the policy of mandatory service requirements has been a failure in those schools that it has already been started. In Jefferson Parish School, the program has been implemented with dismal outcomes. In the school, the administrators viewed the program as a way of detracting students from academic achievements (Loupe 1). The detraction can occur as the students may be required to earn hours of service during class time. The effect is that a considerable amount of time will be lost that could be used for other academic activities such as