While research has generated abundant insight into effective professional learning methods, the field continues to suffer from a lack of systemic approaches. In response, a group of national professional learning leaders recently developed a framework that links proven professional learning methods to the strategic priorities of higher education…

Land-grant Extension institutions face increasing expectations to use data to communicate value and drive program and organizational development. In this article, we introduce the University of Wisconsin--Extension Data Jam Initiative, an integrated qualitative software, methods, and data analysis curriculum. The Data Jam Initiative is an…

This report chronicles planning grant activities undertaken by the Lakeshore Technical Institute (LTI) and documents findings of a study to determine the feasibility and costs of extending public and educational programs from the LTI campus in Cleveland, Wisconsin, to surrounding communities. The geographic service area, regional…

Describes Wisconsin's cooperative education service agency program organized to help groups of small rural schools get special industrial education expertise that would be too costly for a single school to support. Presents K-12 curriculum descriptions for a cluster of five school districts with sequenced course content. (MF)

A model for involving local planning and support committees in the process of planning Wisconsin county extension education programs was developed as a way of improving the planning of extension programs statewide. The key components of the planning model developed were (1) the use of influential officials and community representatives and (2) the…

This document is intended to give Wisconsin teachers and administrators the background knowledge to understand the nuances of the various work-based learning (WBL) programs and determine whether they want to develop one or more new WBL programs in their district or enhance or otherwise customize existing WBL programs. Each of the first 11 chapters…

The numerous layoffs of low-income workers that occurred when the nation's economy slowed in 2001 have created numerous challenges for local Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. By increasing collaboration between community economic development and workforce development efforts to serve low-income residents, states and…