This meta-analysis of the impact of service-learning on students shows empirical support for the position that following certain recommended practices—such as linking to curriculum, voice, community involvement, and reflection—was associated with better outcomes.
Flavia Peréa, Lecturer in Sociology (FAS) and Director of the Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship, teaches Pursuing Truth and Justice: Principles and Methods of Equity Through Inquiry. This course aims to be “an example of what equity and inclusion can look like in the curriculum” both through the topics covered—for example, liberatory research methods, oppression, and structural injustice— and by supporting students “to be able to think about messy things, put out hard questions, and really wrangle with ‘what does it even mean for me as a student at Harvard to be doing this work’?”
The Phillips Brooks House Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship created the Mindich Program for Engaged Scholarship, to integrate academics, public service, and community engagement.
The Office of Enrichment Programs and Division of Service learning at Harvard Medical School assists students in developing quality service programs locally and internationally.
In October 2014, the FAS Standing Committee on Public Service held a “Connecting Community Service to the Classroom” symposium that brought in national experts to share best practices.
This research paper provides an overview of the complex topics, personal and collective challenges, and benefits for students, faculty, and communities attempting to integrate promising pedagogical practices with service-learning and community-based research.
María Luisa Parra-Velasco, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, requires her advanced Spanish language learners in Spanish 59: Spanish and the Community to complete four hours a week of engaged scholarship with local organizations as part of their language learning experience. Through classroom discussions, travels from Cambridge to Chelsea (for example), meaningful interactions, and conversations in Spanish with members of the Latino community, they explore powerful concepts like “the borderlands” as related to global migration, changes in local demography, and in-between identities.
Flavia Peréa, Lecturer in Sociology (FAS) and Director of the Mindich Program in Engaged Scholarship, teaches 
María Luisa Parra-Velasco, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, requires her advanced Spanish language learners in