Call for Chapter Proposals: Deadline for Submission is May 1, 2007.

Anker Publishing, a publisher of professional development resources for higher education, is undertaking a book series that will focus on interdisciplinary concepts and models for service-learning courses that address specific social issues and public concerns. This new series, Service-Learning and Contemporary Social Issues, will consist of multiple volumes that provide concepts and models of the distinctive ways in which service-learning courses address contemporary social issues like second language acquisition and global citizenship, K-12 education, hunger and the politics of food, and watershed management. According to Bringle and Hatcher (1995), ‘Service-learning is a credit-bearing, educational experience in which students participate in an organized service activity that meets identified community needs and reflect on the service activity in such a way as to gain further understanding of course content, a broader appreciation of the discipline, and an enhanced sense of civic responsibility.’ Edited by Dr. Ed Zlotkowski, Bentley College, and John Saltmarsh, University of Massachusetts, Boston, the series represents an important new resource examining disciplinary work that has specific social application in the community.

Anker Publishing has asked the national non-profit Jumpstart, in partnership with Dr. Laura Berk and Jennifer Greer-Morrissey, to coordinate the development of an interdisciplinary volume that will focus on the key social issue of school readiness. Research indicates that children who enter school unprepared for the intellectual and social demands of classroom instruction are at-risk for poor academic achievement, grade retention, special education labeling and placement, early drop out, and persistent unemployment. However, a wealth of research indicates that early intervention can offset the negative consequences of living in a poverty-stricken environment. One early intervention program that shows promise in meeting the needs of at-risk children and their families is Jumpstart, a supplemental service for children enrolled in low-income preschools or child-care settings. Jumpstart’s mission, working toward the day every child in American is prepared to succeed, is to improve the quality of existing early childhood education programs for low-income children and, thereby, to improve school readiness. Dr. Laura Berk, Professor of Psychology at Illinois State University and widely published researcher in the field of early childhood education, and Jennifer Greer-Morrissey, the Associate Director of Service-Learning and Community Action at Emerson College, will serve as volume editors.

The volume will describe the current state of school readiness and early intervention, highlighting the opportunities that service-learning affords to begin addressing early childhood education. Designed to meet the needs of educators, policy makers, and community members, and other non-academic readers, this volume aims to create a unique resource that underscores the impact of service-learning on social change by disseminating current research, models and best practices, and personal accounts of outcomes achieved. The editors, along with Anker Publishing, welcome contributions from a variety of disciplines, including chapters that may be co-authored with community partners. Anker Publishing is excited to hear from faculty connected with Jumpstart as well as faculty and staff members working with other innovative programs addressing the issue of school readiness.

The editors are seeking chapter submissions that focus on the effects of poverty on child development and school readiness, the current state of early intervention, and innovative service-learning projects and programs that link institutes of higher education with organizations addressing school readiness and early education in their communities, such as community-based preschools, Head Start centers, and non-profit organizations that provide outreach services and information to families with young children. All proposals must address research topics in relation to service-learning.

Each chapter proposal must fit into one of the following categories:

I. Theoretical Essays: a formal piece of scholarly prose that highlights the relationship between a specific theory and service-learning research to demonstrate how service-learning can have an impact in the area of school readiness. The chapter should include the purpose/organizing construct, conclusions, and implications of the research. (2,000-3,000 words)
II. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Essays: a description and analysis of pedagogical practice involving school readiness, early intervention, and/or service-learning methodology and student learning outcomes. (5,000-8,000 words)
III. Research-Based Essays: an examination of child poverty and school readiness, the effects of early intervention/supplement programs like Jumpstart, the role of non-profit organizations in early intervention and service-learning, and an examination of the effects of service-learning courses and programs on the community and in early education settings that includes a description of the experimental method, findings, and conclusions. (5,000-8,000 words)

The deadline for chapter proposal submissions is May 1, 2007. Interested contributors should send an abstract or synopsis of the proposed topic, identifying the category they wish to be considered for and how their proposed topic represents an innovation in the efforts to make on impact on the issue of school readiness through service learning. The editors welcome examples of school readiness that reflect a wide range of disciplines, not just education-related fields. Faculty from all areas are encouraged to submit proposals for this volume. If you intend to write a research-based or pedagogical chapter, please include descriptions of context, assessment practices, and nature of partnership. Proposals should be double-spaced and include a cover page with the submission date, and the author(s) address, phone number, email address, fax number, and title(s).

Please send questions to Laura Berk at leberk {at} ilstu(.)edu or Jennifer Greer-Morrissey at Jennifer_Greer {at} emerson(.)edu.

Please send completed proposals to Sara Harris, Department of Psychology at Illinois State University, Campus Box 4620, Normal, IL, 61790 or to sara22harris {at} netscape(.)net.

Timeline for Service-Learning and School Readiness

Chapter Proposals Due May 1, 2007
Selection and Notification to Contributors June 1, 2007
Chapters Due to Volume Editors October 1, 2007

Respond to Contributors with Editing Comments November 1, 2007
Revised Chapters Due to Volume Editor December 15, 2007
Completed Manuscript to Series Editors January 15, 2008
Completed Manuscript to Publisher March 31, 2008