- ACT Together eases the transition to college for Hmong students and their families
Preparing for post-secondary education can be stressful for any student, but teens of Hmong descent often face even greater pressures. To smooth the way for 29 area Hmong students, UW-La Crosse offered a six-week ACT test strategy course in the spring of 2007. In conjunction with the course, students and their families had opportunities to tour the campus, meet with student services and admissions, and attend a panel discussion about college life. Most students completing the course increased their ACT practice test scores, and they report feeling more interested in and prepared for college. Parents who participated say they better understand the demands of the admissions process and of their integral role in helping their child transition from high school to college.
- Annual conference helps teachers meet the wide range of learning needs among students
Teachers are challenged to meet the wide range of learning needs among students in mixed ability classrooms. To address this issue, an annual conference in La Crosse offers them an opportunity to learn from national experts, network with colleagues, and bring strategies back to their schools that are simple, workable, and effective. In 2006, 74 teachers, curriculum specialists, and gifted and talented coordinators from 29 school districts attended. Most participants who were subsequently interviewed report that the conference led them to change their teaching practices to better suit the individual styles and aptitudes of their students. In particular, teachers have noted improved learning outcomes when they offer students choices within the curriculum.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate program addresses a growing need for training care providers to those with special needs
The incidence of an autism spectrum disorders diagnosis is 10 times more likely than it was 10 years ago. Education, health and human services providers who completed a UW-La Crosse/Extension Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program developed skills to help improve communication, social and physical skills in autistic persons. These individuals are better able to provide appropriate care based on currently recommended practices than colleagues who did not enroll in the training.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program Addresses a Growing Need for Training Care Providers to Those with Special Needs
The likelihood of an autism spectrum disorders diagnosis has increased dramatically over the last decade. Education and health and human services providers who completed a UW-LaCrosse/Extension Autism Spectrum Disorders Certificate Program developed skills to help improve communication by those with autism, as well as their social and physical skills. As a result of this training, these professionals are better able to provide appropriate care based on currently recommended practices than are colleagues who did not receive the training.
- Family caregivers in La Crosse County’s Hmong community come together to discuss challenges and solve problems
In the La Crosse area, local partners are listening and responding to the concerns of Hmong residents who care for sick or aging family members. With sponsorship from the UW-Extension School for Workers and other agencies, Hmong caregivers in the area have established an advocacy and support group to communicate their challenges to each other and to the community. Meanwhile, a program at the local Hmong Community Center offers monthly health and wellness information sessions specific to their needs. These measures occurred in direct response to a health needs assessment and a caregiver summit, both conducted in 2006 and made possible by a grant from the UW-Extension.
- Gerontology Certificate Program fulfills a growing need for specialists in the field of aging
A heightened compassion and understanding towards the elderly are some of the benefits students received from UW-La Crosse's Gerontology Certificate Program. These courses meet the continuing education requirements of adults in southwestern Wisconsin who have either a personal or professional interest in the field of aging¿from health care and social workers to educators to primary care givers and others. Along with UW-La Crosse faculty and area professionals, students examine physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual issues confronting the elderly. And as the demand for qualified geriatric workers rises, participants complete professional development requirements and become members of a supportive network of gerontology experts, most of whom report sharing their new knowledge with co-workers.
- La Crosse area entrepreneurs learn how Geographic Information Systems can strengthen local economies
Geographic Information Systems (GIS), a multipurpose technology that links map features with related databases, represents a growing marketplace in which the demand for services far outweighs the supply. To keep pace, a UW-La Crosse GIS applications and training program introduced area business, government, and higher education personnel to the versatility and features of GIS. In addition, project planners held meetings with local decision-makers to discuss potential GIS projects. The effort resulted in contract work for UW-La Crosse''s Center for Geographic Information Systems.
- Long Term Care Promotion and Recognition
Through this EDvantage grant, UW-LaCrosse Continuing Education and Extension (UWL CEE) engaged and challenged community leaders and providers to address the state’s critical long term care workforce issues. The Coulee Region Long Term Care Workforce Coalition has a growing membership of 26 long term care providers of services for elders and people with disabilities. Providers have additional tools to recruit and retain young workers and workers over age 55. Workforce development agencies and elected officials are equipped with information and personal accounts of the workforce crisis and its impact, and city and county planners and officials are exploring ways to make neighborhoods and LaCrosse-area communities more aging-friendly. This EDvantage grant embodied the outreach and engagement ideal of the Wisconsin Idea.
- Long-term care initiative leads to improved job satisfaction among direct care workers
In La Crosse and Monroe Counties, supervisors in the long-term care industry are taking part in a sweeping effort to improve their workplace cultures and retain employees. UW-La Crosse’s Continuing Education and Extension logged 105 enrollments in 2006-07 in a new leadership development series designed to improve the management skills of long-term care supervisors. Participants’ employees report that positive changes in their supervisors’ workplace behaviors have led to higher levels of trust, worker satisfaction, and teamwork. A recently formed regional coalition is advancing the effort, too. While continuing to promote supportive supervision of direct care workers, Coulee Region Long Term Care Workforce Coalition advocates for better pay, workplace conditions, and training.
- Master’s in education program offers practicing teachers quality, convenience, and results
Teachers who are earning their master’s degree in education through the UW-La Crosse Learning Communities say the program’s focus on learning from other teachers helps them define and meet their individual and classroom goals. In a 2006 evaluative study, graduates report improvements in their teaching practices, their students’ learning, and their school cultures. In fact, more than 82 percent of respondents say their participation in the program led to an increase in their students’ learning. Most feel this directly relates to the improved confidence they acquired through the program.
- Parenting education program helps Hmong refugees adjust to American family life
Hmong parents in the La Crosse area are practicing more appropriate disciplinary techniques and communicating more openly with their children since a series of Continuing Education Extension workshops designed to help blend their traditional parenting practices into American culture. Parents have also taken steps to interact more positively with school teachers and administrators. Parents and teens say they appreciate the support, as they adjust to family life in a society vastly different from that of their native Laos. The workshops help families build better relationships with each other and with community institutions, while offering a measure of protection against problems that have plagued Hmong children in the United States, such as gang membership, delinquency, and drug use.
- Program teaches healthcare professionals to make better business decisions
Forty-five healthcare specialists in western Wisconsin received healthcare management certification through the UW-La Crosse’s Office of Continuing Studies in 2005. The new program focused on the business management aspects of healthcare, to meet the training needs of regional hospital administrators and employees. Many of the participants claim they are managing their departments more efficiently after completing the certificate program. For the convenience of the students, classes originated from UW-La Crosse’s Health Science Center and were transmitted via the TeleHealth video network to several sites in western Wisconsin.
- Self-Sufficiency Program prepares low-income parents for successful college work
UW-La Crosse's Self-Sufficiency Program (SSP) is a free service for low-income adults who want to learn how to succeed in college. SSP curriculum emphasizes reading, writing, and critical thinking skills, but it also aims to boost the self-confidence of its participants as they prepare to enroll in degree programs. The SSP team recognizes that obtaining a bachelor's degree can greatly improve the economic prospects of low-income citizens, which in turn benefits workers' families and entire communities. In 2004-2005, six individuals who completed the Self-Sufficiency Program sought and gained admission to UW-La Crosse for fall 2005.
- Small Business Development Center state network counseling services retain and develop Wisconsin’s businesses
The UW-Extension Small Business Development Center (SBDC) network provides one-to-one business counseling to help entrepreneurs and established businesses become more profitable, retain jobs and better compete in today's global market. Businesses receiving SBDC counseling increased sales by $113 million incrementally, created 1452 new jobs and retained 601. These businesses generated $ 4.6 million in state tax revenues, and obtained $1.7 million in financing, according to a recent survey.
- Wetland delineation training improves the consistency and accuracy of wetland mapping in Wisconsin
A pair of workshops taught by experts on Wisconsin soils, hydrology, vegetation, and wetland policy has filled a statewide need for training in wetland identification and delineation. Working with the Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and other governmental agencies, the UW-La Crosse Office of Continuing Education and Extension created the classes to help standardize the state’s delineation procedures. Government agents who oversee Wisconsin wetlands say the courses have improved the quality and consistency of delineations filed by the private sector. This not only saves government staff time and energy, it prevents mistakes that could be costly to landowners, developers, and consultants.
- Workforce Diversity Collaborative
The Workforce Diversity WorkGroup provided opportunities for learning and networking, as well as collaborative projects for area employers as they seek to recruit, retain, and manage a diverse workforce. The collaborative included major employers in the LaCrosse area, including the hospital systems, county government, three higher education institutions, and the public school system, along with the NAACP, the workforce development agency (Workforce Connections), and the diversity educators network. The information sessions, educational forums, relationships, and projects led to present efforts to create a staffed diversity council of area employers and organizations.
