Need in Deed

With a mission to improve the education of students grades 3-8 in philadelphia's traditional public and charter schools, Need in Deed serves 3,600 to 3,900 students annually, helping them to increase their academic and 21st-century skills through the transformative experience of service- learning that connects the classroom with the community. We engage students in a yearlong process of active problem-solving around community issue of each classroom's choice. Known as service-learning, the process deepens students' connection to school; improves their academic, social, and emotional skills; and builds habits of inquiry, problem solving, and civic participation. We make this experience possible through a unique partnership in which up to 150 school district of philadelphia teachers in some 60 schools across the city voluntarily elect to integrate our approach into their classroom practice; representatives of the city's vast network of public agencies and private organizations voluntarily serve as classroom resources during the students; inquiry and design process; and Need in Deed staff supports each classroom from initial inquiry through project implementation.