effects of community service on the academic performance of students at a Massachusetts middle school

• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2047/d20002835

In many schools, community service participation is becoming an integral part of a student's education. Some school districts are requiring community service as a graduation requirement, and others are considering doing so. Because of a possible district mandate of community service, administrators at Somerset Middle School in Somerset, Massachusetts, wished to determine if performing community service is likely to affect the academic performance of Somerset Middle School students. To emphasize what community service encompasses, the Somerset Middle School Community Service Committee defined community service as a way for students to help others by volunteering their time, effort, or talents, and is performed to benefit at least one other unrelated person without compensation.