New Books: AmeriCorps Experiment and 51 Innovative AmeriCorps programs

Posted by on July 1, 2005

[posted from Higher Ed Service-Learning listserv]

We wanted to bring your attention to two new publications released yesterday during a forum at the National Press Club, “The AmeriCorps Experiment and the Future of National Service.” Convened by the Progressive Policy Institute, the Hudson Institute, and sponsored by the Case Foundation, the forum featured remarks from a host of national thought leaders, each of whom have played a prominent role in the development of national service.

The first publication, The AmeriCorps Experiment and the Future of National Service, was released by the Progressive Policy Institute. The book includes a variety of perspectives on AmeriCorps’ performance over its first decade, and offers alternative visions for national service’s growth and evolution featuring two separate chapters by CEO David Eisner and Chairman of the Board Steve Goldsmith. To download a copy of the book, please visit http://www.ppionline.org. For information on obtaining print copies of this book, please contact the Progressive Policy Institute’s publications department at (publications@ppionline.org)

Also released during the Forum was a new publication by Innovations in Civic Participation called Transforming Communities Through Service: 51 of the Most Innovative AmeriCorps Programs in the United States. The book provides brief descriptions of innovative AmeriCorps programs selected by state commissions, their key innovative elements, and examples of the program’s success. The print version of this report is due out next week, but the PDF version can be downloaded from the ICP website today. To download a copy of the book please visit http://www.icicp.org.

While the Corporation was not involved in producing or editing these publications, we thought the national service field would be interested in the way that each highlights the valuable contribution that AmeriCorps makes in communities throughout the country and differing visions for where national service should go in the years ahead. We are also very interested in any thoughts or reactions they provoke.