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Students in America, right from junior classes to higher education universities and colleges have immense ability and energy to make a significant difference to their communities. Learn and Serve America is a unique initiative that helps students skilfully integrate classroom learning with community service projects.
 
Students are engaged in the process of education and are taught how to effectively use classroom knowledge to solve problems in real life. They perform service in order to contribute in an active manner to the community at large apart from learning about citizenship and democracy.

This program encourages service learning among students throughout America. At least a million students are given an opportunity to make contributions towards the development of their community even as they build their civic and academic skills.

All higher education institutions, community groups and K-12 schools are hugely benefited by this program which provides grants, provides technical assistance resources and training to schools, community groups, parents, administrators and teachers, collects and disseminates curricula, effective practices, research and program models. 

At the higher education level, Learn and Serve America offers service learning programs which were campus based and benefited both the serving participants and the community. There is a lot of competition for grants among the higher education institution consortium and individual institutions for grants which can help implement these programs. Service learning programs engage staff, faculty, students and volunteers to effectively serve the local community.

Funds are allocated for supporting Federal work study programs in aid of community support, curricular and co-curricular service, course development and funds support training. Grants are provided with the aim of achieving certain objectives. These include enhancing the student’s sense or responsibility and enhance their academic learning, foster through service learning their civic skills, training participants to deal with hitherto unmet environmental, human, public safety and educational concerns in their community.

Funds are also necessary for increasing the sustainability, quality and number of student opportunities by building capacity across and within institutions of higher education in the nation and strengthening the infrastructure. Enough funds can also provide strong leadership training for post secondary, secondary and elementary teachers with respect to this program.

Institutions strive to create some of the most replicable and innovative programs which will make them eligible for grants. This is done with an aim to integrate service learning into the life of the institution and integrate community service across entire departments. Effective partnerships are formed by faith based organizations, traditional student groups, community agencies and private/public schools to meet the needs of the community.

Consortia grants deepen the efforts and also promote spread of service learning and community service. These intermediary organizations assist in paving way for sub grant funding for new programs, provide technical assistance and training to a target group with crisp and clear expectations and also conduct research. There are various proven strategies for service learning in the campus culture and curriculum and community service which are integrated by the grantees even as they adapt to the unique environment of the community and institution.