NCoC: Public Policy Chat: John Bridgeland

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Public Policy Chat: John Bridgeland

May 17, 2012

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High school dropouts cited service-learning as the number one solution to have kept them in school.

Featured Experts

John BridgelandChairJohn Bridgeland is President & CEO of Civic Enterprises, a public policy development firm.
Alice MurphyProgram Manager, Civic Health InitiativesAlice serves as Program Manager of Civic Health Initiatives. In this role, Alice is responsible for managing the Civic Data Challenge and supporting the development and management of NCoC�s Civic Health Initiatives partner community.

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As part of NCoC.net’s Public Policy Chat, each month we will post a Q&A with an expert discussing policies and legislation that affect NCoC’s focus areas. This month, NCoC Communications Fellow Alice Murphy talks to John Bridgeland about service-learning and how the U.S. has progressed on its promise to be a service nation.

John Bridgeland is President & CEO of Civic Enterprises, a public policy development firm. His work on the high school dropout crisis helped bring national attention to the issue, with the TIME cover story “Dropout Nation” and two Oprah Winfrey shows prompted by his report, The Silent Epidemic. He also was a leader in ServiceNation, which showcased a 10 point plan to increase community, national and international service opportunities. Previously, Bridgeland served as Assistant to the President of the United States and the first Director of the USA Freedom Corps where he worked to foster a culture of service in the aftermath of September 11, 2001.

Alice Murphy: Paint me a picture: What was your most memorable volunteer experience like?

John Bridgeland: Serving in Madagascar, holding babies who need vaccines and malaria bed nets.

Alice: What is the strongest argument you’ve heard in support of service-learning?

John: Service-learning helps keep students in school. High school dropouts cited service-learning as the number one solution to have kept them in school.

Alice: Following the events of September 11th, you played an instrumental role in championing the surge of energy and enthusiasm to volunteer. Where do you think we stand today as a nation—have we effectively captured and carried forward that desire to serve?

John: After 9/11, America responded and sustained the response for at least half a decade. Volunteering grew from 59 million Americans the year after 2001 (a very high baseline) to more than 65 million Americans through 2005. At the same time, federal support for national service grew -- AmeriCorps from 50,000 to 75,000 slots; Peace Corps to the highest levels in 37 years, a new Citizen Corps for disaster response engages more than 1 million Americans today through a new Medical Reserve Corps, Community Emergency Response Teams, Fire Corps, and Volunteers in Police Service. In 2009, the quantum leap in national and community service took shape in the bipartisan Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. Since that time, however, national and community service has been flatlining at best, or at worst, entire programs like Learn and Serve have been eliminated. Volunteering rates are flatlining too. We are not fulfilling our promise as a service nation.

John Bridgeland serving in Madagascar, holding babies who need vaccines and malaria bed nets.

Alice: In your 2008 commentary piece on service-learning on NCoC.net you were hopeful that the Serve America Act’s new support for service-learning would help address the high school dropout epidemic. Several years later, has the legislation fulfilled its promise? Where do we go from here?

John: The Serve America Act was the most consequential legislation in the history of the national and community service movement. But it has completely stalled. The silver lining is that there are outstanding efforts underway, such as City Year and Communities in Schools, that are keeping students on track by boosting attendance, curbing bad behavior, and increasing performance in reading and math to stem the high school dropout tide. This gives me hope.

Alice: In a 2007 blog post , Peter Levine (Director of CIRCLE, and Research Director of Tufts University’s Jonathan Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service) argued that the current strategy in education policy is to hold schools accountable for core outcomes. Little emphasis is placed on methods so long as the desired results are achieved. As such, funding is tied to reaching those outcomes as opposed to investing in specific strategies. Meanwhile, programs like Learn and Serve America that support strategies such as service-learning have faced severe budget cuts. How do we reconcile these different approaches to education policy?

John: I think we need a combination of rigor and creativity in the classroom and accountability for results. Methods such as project-based learning or experiential learning are essential. Tying classroom learning to the real world and careers also makes sense. As George Lucas said, "we don't need more 'drill and kill.'" We also need multiple pathways, since traditional, 19th century-style schools are not engaging a lot of students. We also need to advance career and technical education in the United States, given that is where many of the jobs in the future will be.

Alice: One concern that has been raised around service-learning is that volunteers can be a strain on organizations that lack the administrative structure, resources and capacity to train and supervise students. Is there a policy recommendation for creating a better infrastructure in this area?

John: I don't buy this argument. I have seen too many examples around the country where a capable teacher manages service-learning experiences in stunning ways.

Alice: If you could pose a debate question to Mitt Romney and President Obama, what would it be?

John: A fundamental value of our nation is that everyone should have access to the American Dream. You two have been having the wrong debate around income inequality. The real issue is mobility -- that anyone who plays by the rules and works hard should have access to the American Dream. What does the American Dream mean to you and, specifically, how will you help create an opportunity society during your Administration.

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