Volunteers in Public Schools (1990) / Chapter Skim
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6. Factors in School Volunteerism
6. Factors in School Volunteerism
Pages 92-102
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From page 92... ...
Committee members did talk with a few teachers who had made such arrangements, but the members were not able to identify and study many of them. In its review and report on those factors that foster or inhibit volunteer programs, the committee focused its attention on organized volunteer programs.
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From page 93... ...
Support by Top Policy Levels Strong support at the top policy and administrative levels in a school system is one of the major characteristics of a successful school volunteer program. In many cases, support for volunteers in schools is expressed in writing or regulations by the school board; a number of volunteer administrators said they believe that such a board position, publicly announced, is essential.
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From page 94... ...
The district volunteer coordinator usually develops procedures to be followed by the schools in managing their volunteer programs. The committee was impressed with the quality of many of the manuals, recordkeeping forms, recognition programs, and public relations materials developed by volunteer offices.
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From page 95... ...
In one major urban school system, the policy of the board of education in support of school volunteers actually specifies that they may not be used to justify a reduction in force. Recruitment, Training, and Placement of Volunteers Successful school volunteer programs recruit volunteers from many sources: the PTA or PTO, the Junior League, the local RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteers Program)
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From page 96... ...
Programs reviewed by the committee indicate that they now spread a wide recruiting net, hoping to bring in not only retired senior citizens and college and high school students but also employees on released time from their jobs in business and industry. Recruiting is conducted in many ways: with brochures, posters, newspaper articles and advertisements, spot announcements on radio and television, and, very importantly, by word of mouth.
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From page 97... ...
In other cases, the volunteer program staff or consultants may present seminars on such subjects as tutoring, reading, mathematics, working with handicapped youngsters, and listening to children. The amount of training volunteers received in programs reviewed by the committee varied considerably, depending on the task assigned.
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From page 98... ...
However, the committee heard from a number of volunteers, particularly corporate volunteers and professionals providing specialized services, that they would prefer recognition in the form of information from the schools about whether and how their volunteering makes a difference to students, specifically youngsters they have been tutoring or mentoring. In one case, volunteers declined to attend a recognition event that conflicted with their regularly scheduled activities with students.
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From page 99... ...
Instead they work in a school with those teachers who do want help. In attempting to understand the factors that inhibit success or even result in failure of volunteer programs after they are initiated, the committee found that they are often simply the reverse of the factors identified as essential for successful programs: poor coordination or sloppy management, lack of adequate orientation and screening, and confusion over objectives are among factors frequently cited.
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From page 100... ...
Because most volunteer programs have very small staffs, any cutback can severely inhibit a program. OBSERVATIONS ON NATIONAL VOLUNTARY YOUTH SERVICE During the course of the committee's study of school volunteers, the U.S.
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From page 101... ...
The committee urges Congress to consider such issues in connection with any voluntary youth service legislation. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS As a result of its examination of school volunteer programs, the committee has concluded that volunteers do make significant contributions to education and that schools have need of and could not otherwise afford many of the services volunteers can provide.
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From page 102... ...
102 VOLUNTEERS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS · The committee recommends that educators, school boards, community leaders, and state and federal public officials become informed about and support the development of school volunteer programs. · The committee recommends that volunteer programs be designed to complement and support the educational objectives of schools.
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