- ACT preparatory course builds confidence of Hmong students planning to take their college entrance exams
Students of Hmong descent who completed an ACT preparation course at UW-Marathon County say the class helped them feel more confident about taking their college entrance examinations. Those with the lowest English and reading scores on simulated tests at the onset of the class were often able to improve their scores significantly on course post-tests. The 18 students who subsequently reported taking the ACT in April 2004 performed better on average than their Hmong peers who received no ACT training.
- 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.
- Advocates find their voices at the Wisconsin Child and Family Institute
The annual Wisconsin Child and Family Advocacy Institute helps grass-roots community representatives improve the quality of life for Wisconsin children and families. Participants say the institute helps them apply current university research, access the state''s public policy planning process, and network effectively with local, state and federal policymakers to influence legislation and regulations affecting Wisconsin''''s children and families. Several participants have been elected to public office or taken positions with organizations that advocate for children.
- Affordable Housing – Building individual and community capacity for housing low-income families
Inadequate housing leads to family stress, and strains local resources. As low-income households spend greater portions of their income keeping a roof overhead, they forego other basic needs. Through consumer education and housing coalitions, UW-Extension and community partners are building local capacity to create, obtain and sustain safe, adequate, affordable housing.
- 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.
- Diversity Circles dialogue builds cross-cultural awareness in Fond du Lac
Participants in Fond du Lac County’s Diversity Circles program report an increased understanding of their own and of others'' attitudes about race—and they say they are now better able to communicate with people of different backgrounds and beliefs. The success of the initial groups formed in 2003 has kept the project going with continued circles and action forums. By 2006, 150 adults and 20 public school students had participated in the program. Administered by the UW-Fond du Lac Office of Continuing Education and Extension, the program represents a far-reaching, community-wide effort to promote cross-cultural sensitivity.
- El Centro Empresarial offers bilingual training and resources to strengthen Milwaukee’s Hispanic business community
Since opening its doors in 2004, El Centro Empresarial, the Hispanic Entrepreneurship Center at UW-Milwaukee, has graduated 76 area Latinos from its certificate program, with 24 graduates going on to start their own businesses. The program promotes entrepreneurship in the region’s Hispanic community through bilingual training, counseling, technical assistance, and networking activities. It is the initiative of UW-Milwaukee’s School of Continuing Education, which has teamed up its Small Business Development Center with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin and other community partners.
- Fire science camps teach youth about safety, careers in emergency services, and the value of a college education
For generations, children have aspired to be fire-fighters and interest has grown in recent years. But most of these potential emergency response professionals aren’t aware of the skills and education they need to qualify for these jobs. UW-Oshkosh’s Office of Continuing Education and Extension offers two popular summer camps that introduce young men and women to emergency response-related careers. An impressive 100% of participants in 2005 say the program gave them a better understanding of their career choices, with 99% reporting improved proficiency in firefighting, teamwork, and leadership skills. The program—which places special emphasis on attracting girls, students of color, and economically disadvantaged youth—also teaches the value of obtaining a post-secondary education.
- Food security education helps lessen hunger among families and children at risk
About 1 in 11 Wisconsin households is at risk of not having enough food, making them food insecure. Severe food insecurity includes hunger. The Wisconsin Nutrition Education Program helps lessen hunger among families at risk, helping adults get the most nutrition for their limited food dollars, and helping develop more free or reduced price School Meal Programs for children.
- Free tax service nets refunds for low-wage workers
Research shows that many eligible low-income families do not use public assistance programs such as tax credits or Food Stamps. When an advisory committee identified a neighborhood in critical need, UW-Extension led a broad-based community partnership to provide free tax preparation and referrals for financially vulnerable families. Low-wage workers are using their new tax refunds to pay bills and add to savings.
- Green Bay area agencies team up to promote school success among Latino and Native American youth
A year-long UW-Green Bay initiative encouraged area Latino, Oneida, and Menominee teens to succeed in school and to plan for their academic futures. The Green Bay School District, the Oneida Youth Educational Services (YES) Program, and the College of Menominee Nation, teamed up to create two distinct programs appropriate to the needs of each student group. As a result, 90 percent of participating Latino youth say they are likely to attend college or technical school after high school, representing a 30 percent increase from student plans before the project. Menominee and Oneida teens were also inspired by the project, and important connections between the university and tribal officials were established that will help teens meet their higher education goals.
- Health career project for Hmong youth addresses a workforce shortage
At the same time, this population shift presents an opportunity. Officials at UW-Stevens Point realized that if newly relocated Hmong youth were recruited to health care jobs, these same youths could later treat their aging community members. Consequently, the Hmong Health Career Exploration project was developed to encourage Hmong teens to consider medical careers. Nineteen Hmong youth participated in the project’s hands-on workshops for a week in the summer of 2006. After completing the program, most indicated an interest in attending college and in pursuing medical training. Follow-up studies show that continued outreach may be necessary to sustain participants’ interest through high school.
- Hearing misdemeanor cases of their peers in Teen Court curbs repeat offenses
In 41 Wisconsin counties, teenagers who paint graffiti or are truant appear before a jury of their peers who "sentence" them to community service, classes, or letters of apology. Marinette County jurors find this such a positive experience that they assign offenders to serve as teen court jurors. Those simply charged a small fine in traditional juvenile court return for later offenses in far greater numbers than those held accountable by their peers
- Odyssey Project humanities courses inspire underprivileged adults to embrace lifelong learning
Exposure to the humanities can help low-income adults develop skills that help them end a cycle of poverty and encourage future learning. In 2003, UW-Madison introduced the Odyssey Project, an educational program that would offer underprivileged residents the opportunity to receive free college credit for taking humanities courses. By Spring 2006, three classes of Odyssey students had graduated from the program–79 of the 88 students enrolled, or nearly 90% of them. Many Odyssey graduates continue to pursue education at UW-Madison and at other institutions. UW-Madison''s Division of Continuing Studies is one of many university and community partners who have collaborated to make the program possible.
- 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.
- Poverty training increases teacher awareness and builds opportunities for Fond du Lac children
To respond to a local poverty crisis, the Fond du Lac School District-in partnership with the UW-Fond du Lac Continuing Education Department-offers a Framework for Understanding Poverty in-service to all district employees. Developed by scholar Ruby Payne, the nationally regarded training has inspired teachers and staff from both institutions to develop a series of community projects, all aimed at giving underprivileged children their best chance at academic success. Faculty and staff say the workshop profoundly impacted their teaching and their attitudes towards their students. These programs enhance students' confidence, thus increasing the likelihood that they will pursue an educational degree and perhaps break the cycle of poverty in which they have become trapped.
- Professional training gives teachers tools to help special needs students further their social development
Meeting the learning goals of an entire class is a challenge for even experienced teachers, especially as the numbers of mainstreamed special needs students continue to rise. University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Office of Continuing Education courses address these concerns for K-12 teachers who work with autistic and/or behaviorally challenged children. Teachers say the new skills help them in empathizing with and developing expectations for their special needs students, averting disruptive behaviors, teaching students individual responsibility and better decision-making, and involving family members in positive ways. The techniques, tools, and strategies they adopt lead to more productive classrooms, allowing all students to learn in a safe environment.
- Rock County youth, S.T.E.M. program sows the seeds of interest in science and math careers
In today’s technology-driven marketplace, institutions of higher education need to attract students to careers in mathematics and the sciences. A UW-Rock County workshop held in 2006 sparked area middle school students’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math (or S.T.E.M.). As an early step towards recruiting youth to the fields, eighty-two percent of participating students said they would consider pursuing a career in math or science; compared to only 45 percent of those surveyed prior to the event. A UW-Extension grant enabled S.T.E.M. administrators to make a special effort to enroll students of color and economically disadvantaged students, two groups typically under-represented in advanced math and science courses. Partnerships developed through the grant have helped to expand the program and broaden its impact.
- Understanding generational differences in the workplace, community and home develops dynamic teamwork and common values
Hearing employers voice frustrations, UW-Extension Washburn County developed Communicating Across the Generations team-building workshops to train educators, managers and employees of all ages, cultures, socioeconomic and immigrant status through partners in state and tribal government, public and trade schools, communities and business. Those learning to blend the creative energies and work styles of four generations are creating dynamic teams.
- UW-Milwaukee's Career Paths Program is an early step to a college degree for participating Latino youth
Latino teens participating in a UW-Milwaukee College for Teens program say the experience influenced their outlook for the future. They report giving more consideration to their vocational options and say they are more likely to think about setting academic goals that will help them enter into a chosen field. The UW-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education partnered with the Milwaukee Latino Community Center for the week-long event.
- Wisconsin Bookworms™ brings the joy of reading to young children
Reading to preschoolers kindles their enthusiasm for learning. To ensure this experience statewide, a UW-Extension partnership, Wisconsin Bookworms™, provides free books annually to more than 6,000 children who may not otherwise have their own. Trained volunteers prepare book activities in English and Spanish, distribute book sets and read to the children. Parents report reading more with their children, talking about books and visiting the public library more often.
- Wisconsin Unions Address Diversity and Succession Planning
Impact Summary: Sixty-seven active union members have engaged in focus groups to address the need for diversity and succession planning in their unions. These participants, along with members of their unions and institutions which supported the project, have worked together to identify and recruit potential new union leaders and mentors.
- 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.
