The purpose of this paper is to describe a major revision process to the early childhood teacher education program at our 4-year university. We briefly outline the major policy and standards changes that we have witnessed impacting our work as early childhood teacher educators that were, in part, the impetus for our program changes. We describe…

Many career and technical education (CTE) courses not only provide students with vocational and technical skills and knowledge, but engage them in academic content as well. Designed thoughtfully, these courses can address rigorous academic content standards and be as intellectually demanding as traditional academic courses (Southern Regional…

It all started when the author's daughter, also a Madison teacher, called her. "We need to call people to the rally at the Capitol." That Sunday rally in Capitol Square was just the first step in the massive protests against Governor Scott Walker's infamous "budget repair bill." The Madison teachers' union declared a "work…

The standard evaluation forms used in most college and university courses are ill suited to assess courses and instructors whose goals and pedagogy differ significantly from the "chalk and talk" approach to undergraduate instruction. This article discusses an evaluation form that the author, a professor emeritus of economics at the…

Undergraduate research experiences have been shown to enhance the educational experience and retention of college students, especially those from underrepresented populations. However, many challenges still exist relative to building community among students navigating large institutions. We developed a novel course called "Entering…

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction defused a potentially explosive situation involving the teaching of biological origins by involving members of the educational community in statewide committees that produced two documents focusing on the distinction between science and religion and providing technical assistance. (DCS)

The date is September 9, 2005. This article is set in a rural Wisconsin community, a thousand miles north of New Orleans, where Hurricane Katrina is about to make landfall. The four- and five- year- olds in Mrs. Olson's classroom have never experienced a hurricane or seen flood waters rise to cover the farms and houses they know, but they cannot…

Although the creation of new models of higher education is revolutionizing the way colleges compete for students, distance education has a long history, with correspondence courses as the earliest examples. Presently, distance learning through multimedia technology and the Internet is the newest solution for delivering instruction to personnel who…

This guide outlines curriculum and performance standards for second language instruction in Wisconsin elementary and secondary schools. An introductory section describes the rationale for development of, and use of the standards for foreign language instruction and briefly discusses applications across the curriculum. A second section gives an…

Project Career Exploration's overall purpose was designing and implementing a method of providing juniors and seniors in high school with career exploration opportunities relative to the occupational programs offered by the Waukesha County Technical Institute and other postsecondary institutions. Course outlines make up the body of the report,…

Describes a two-week summer course for elementary and secondary teachers on soil and water conservation taught in Wisconsin. Discusses the efforts to recruit teachers for the course, the course content, the field trips, and the evaluation procedures. Stresses the cooperation between educators and conservation agencies in developing the course. (TW)