Need in Deed engages students in service-learning around community issues of each classroom’s choice.
Need in Deed’s approach to service-learning extends through the school year and is designed to
- deepen students’ connection to school,
- improve their academic skills, and
- build habits of inquiry, problem-solving, and civic participation.
Need in Deed staff supports each classroom from initial inquiry through project implementation. A unique set of partnerships makes this experience possible for more than 3,600 Philadelphia public school students grades 3 through 8 every year:
- classroom teachers in the School District of Philadelphia voluntarily elect to integrate service-learning into their practice; and
- representatives of the city’s vast network of public agencies, nonprofit organizations, and higher education and health institutions voluntarily serve as classroom resources during the students’ inquiry and design process.
Monitoring our impact
Since 2015, Need in Deed has participated with a cross-section of Philadelphia-based education and health nonprofits in the Building Agency Capacity for Program Evaluation Initiative supported by the Barra Foundation, the Philadelphia Foundation, and the Scattergood Behavioral Health Foundation. Working with our partner in this program, the Yale Consultation Center, we annually monitor the impact of our work.
Teacher Network
Need in Deed teachers believe in students’ potential and the importance of student voice. They are part of a vibrant network of educators who are integrating service-learning into their classroom practice.
Community Partners
Need in Deed’s community partners bring the “real world” into the classroom. Every year, across the city, individuals from local government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and higher education and health institutions step into Need in Deed classrooms.
Student Projects
Need in Deed Students learn while making a difference in their communities. Every year, the students in Need in Deed classrooms tell us what community issues they care about and why. Below is a list of featured student projects.
5th graders advocate for Homeless Pets
Cayuga 5th graders host Pet Expo to educate their community What did they care about? Like many children, Pam Kieffer’s 5th graders were concerned about the fact that many dogs and cats were living in shelters or on the street. They wanted to know what they could to do to make sure the pets […]
Learn MoreFighting Racism with Antiracism
Russell Byers 4th graders want to see change happen What did they care about? Developmentally, 4th graders are often fixated on the idea of fairness. They are passionate and outspoken when they perceive something in or outside the classroom to be unfair. Toward the beginning of the school year, Lucy Strother’s students participated in […]
Learn MoreChange Your Mind, Change the World
Bache-Martin ESOL Students create museum to help fellow students celebrate their home cultures. What did they care about? Rachel Gelb’s students are learning English and adapting to a new culture. They loved the chance to come to class and talk about things they wanted to change about their community. As conversations unfolded it became more […]
Learn MoreSaving Honeybees
What did they care about? Thanks to a partnership with Fox Chase Farm Sonia Thornton’s 3rd grade class were able to make weekly visits to the farm. On an early visit, they noticed the bee hives and, of course, the bees! The children panicked, screaming and running from the bees, swatting and trying to kill them. […]
Learn MoreCUSTOMIZED SERVICES
Our workshops, trainings, consultations, and technical support are highly interactive and tailored to each setting and need.
Join Us
Need in Deed accepts new members of the teacher network from March through June annually.
It helps kids make connections between what they see happening in the world and what you are trying to accomplish in the classroom.
Year 2 Need in Deed Teacher