With roots in Dewey's philosophy of education for democratic citizenship, experiential education, voluntary youth service (Serow, Calleson, & Parker, 1996b), and the emphasis on community service and civic education in the 1940s (Henriksen, 1996), service-learning has become prominent in higher education (Eyler & Giles, 1999). The National and Community Service Acts of 1990 and 1993 reflected and strengthened this growing trend. Organizations such as Campus Compact, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), and the Corporation for National Service now sustain and strengthen service-learning initiatives at two--and four-year institutions with research, funding, and support services. Scholars and educators are reviving discourse about the "engaged campus," the "civic mission" of higher education, and educating students for "democratic citizenship," meaning "common action on significant public problems" (Boyte, 1994, p. 65, quoted in Parsons & Lisman, 1996, p. 2). These leaders want to renew a commitment to democratic and civic concerns because they believe educational institutions have become divorced from their communities, prepare students to become workers but not citizens, and fail to use knowledge to understand and solve real-life problems. Seeing Americans' increasing disillusionment with public life, they believe education can involve people and institutions in creating a more just, democratic society.
