CEW Annual Reports:

CENTER ON EDUCATION AND WORK
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN - MADISON
ANNUAL REPORT 2002-2003

July 18, 2003

The Center on Education and Work (CEW) in the School of Education enables educators to engage youth and adults in learning and lifelong career-related growth and achievement. Based on its successful 39-year history, the Center undertakes research, professional development, capacity-building technical assistance activities, and dissemination to strengthen the connections among educational institutions, workplaces, communities, and families. Specifically, CEW has been recognized for providing the premier national Careers Conference for the last 17 years and has developed expertise in the use of technology in a variety of educational areas. Key accomplishments in support of the University's priorities during the past year are described below:

I. Promote Research

  • An Investigation of Factors Associated with Degree Completion and Postschool Success of University Students with Disabilities Served Through Disabled Student Services (DSS) Offices is a major U.S. Department of Education-funded follow-up study with former students at five sites, including the Universities of Iowa, Arizona, Wisconsin, Georgia & Texas A&M. It was piloted with 150 former students, and a total of 625 will be surveyed.
  • A project on Charter High Schools and Real-World Practices, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is being conducted in a total of 21 locations- 11 schools at 8 sites (426 students) plus 10 additional sites across the nation where web-based surveys are being conducted. Many charter high schools use innovative practices to foster connections between students and the world beyond the classroom. As a result, students acquire the skills, experiences, and attitudes needed for success as adults in the world of work, family, and community. Charter high schools that center on real-world practices are the focus of this study.
  • An investigation into Accountability And Results For Students With Disabilities In Nationally Recognized High-Performing High Schools is being conducted through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education (OSEP). This project will focus on the participation of students with disabilities in high-performing schools at 6 sites across the nation. Research questions address the attainment of student goals in the general education curriculum and how special education and regular education programs coordinate educational services for students with disabilities.
  • The Center is conducting the program evaluation component of a 5-year State Improvement Grant (SIG) project, Improving Results for Children With Disabilities, for the State Enhancement Grant in Special Education with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI). The evaluation focuses on how DPI is using $1.5 million in federal dollars each year over a five year grant period to strengthen services provided to pre K through grade 12 students with disabilities in all Wisconsin school districts. The evaluation is based on data secured from 60 service providers under contract with DPI, including: 13 CESA agencies, the Waisman Center, 6 UW System institutions of higher education; the Wisconsin Technical College System; and non profit service providers, such as the Wisconsin Parent Education and Training Centers.
  • The Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship Program: Conducting Action Research to Document and Disseminate Inclusion and Support Strategies, a U.S. Department of Education Directed Research Project, generated ;A Practitioner's Guide: Accommodating Youth With Disabilities In The Workplace, plus research briefs and other related materials.
  • A program evaluation on The Career Development Program (CDP), funded by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, is being conducted through interviews with 40 graduates of the CDP program in Wisconsin prisons. Additionally, 24 interviews are being conducted with administrators and educators in the Wisconsin Corrections System.
  • A study on The Effect of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Courses on Academic Achievement in Selected Wisconsin High Schools for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction is examining the relationship between student achievement and student participation in career and technical education programs in matched pairs of Wisconsin high schools, including 10 Wisconsin high-performing high-poverty schools & 10 schools that need improvement.
  • Field Initiated Research: Secondary Special Education Students Performance in Block vs. Traditional Schedules has been completed. It focused on the issue of secondary special education students' performance in block vs. traditional schedules in 26 Wisconsin sites. Results of this study were recently published in Education Week and are available on a CD-ROM.
  • The AODA Peer Program Evaluation Survey is a field study conducted for the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to determine program characteristics of state-funded, K-12 peer programs designed to prevent health-related risk behaviors. The study identified the extent to which program characteristics were implemented within and across six types of peer programs: Peer Education, Peer Mediation, Peer Tutoring, Peer Leadership, Peer Helpers/Support, and Peer Mentoring.
  • The Tackle Box Model District Initiative: Developing Action Research Projects to Improve Gender Equity in Technology Education, funded by Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, was conducted in Appleton, Janesville, and Wausau, Wisconsin. This project, utilizing collaborative action research, focused on addressing the lack of vocational equity in technology education.

II. Advance Learning

  • The Equal Access Means Equal Opportunity For Creating a "Real-Time" Statewide Advanced Placement (AP) Consortium project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education with matching funds from UW-Madison. This innovative approach using state teleconferencing facilities was cited in The Nature of Progress, University of Wisconsin-Madison Annual Report 2002. In Fall 2003, this project will provide "real-time" AP classroom instruction in 28 Wisconsin school sites to 184 high school students who had not previously had access to AP courses.
  • The Electronic Accessibility For All: Failure is Not an Option/Web Access project, in collaboration with the University's McBurney Disability Resource Center, seeks to offer a solution to the challenge of insuring electronic accessibility for all. Web-based media is quickly becoming a centerpiece of higher education nationwide, and the issue of providing equitable access impacts not only the UW-Madison campus, but also the other 25 campuses within the UW system, the 16 Wisconsin Technical College districts, and ultimately, post-secondary institutions across the nation. The three-year program will provide professional development workshops and online tutorials for faculty and staff, create user-friendly Web accessibility analysis, and provide technical assistance to those who create and maintain Web content. In year one, the project will target the UW-Madison campus; year two efforts will include all forty-two of Wisconsin's state-sponsored colleges, universities, and technical schools; and year three will expand to include a national audience of postsecondary institutions. The project is currently being piloted in the School of Human Ecology.
  • A Model Demonstration Project for Children with Disabilities - Using School-Based Enterprises (SBE) to Help Special Education Students Connect Classroom, Community and Career Options, a U.S. Department of Education-funded project, is being developed at two school sites in Wisconsin. It includes a total of 50 students and 12 educators in school programs in Winter and Clintonville, where state-of-the-art computerized embroidery machines are being utilized for student learning in the project.
  • Thirty educators have earned 3 credits each through the U.S. Department of Education- funded project, Designing, Delivering and Evaluating a Distance Education Program That Prepares College Staff to Develop and Implement Summer College Preparation Programs for Individuals with Disabilities Who Have Enrolled But Not Yet Begun College. This distance education professional development project introduced educators to practices that pave the way for a smooth transition for their students from secondary to postsecondary education.

III. Amplify the Wisconsin Idea

  • The 17th annual Careers Conference "Learning to Work…Working to Learn", offered by CEW, drew 1200 educators, career professionals, administrators, and others from across the nation for the three-day professional development program. The conference has become known as an outstanding national conference for its comprehensive coverage of career development and preparation. Participants came from 29 states, plus others from outside the domestic U.S., including American Samoa and Guam. Attendees hailed from many types of career, education, government, and employment settings-from kindergarten through adult. Of those in attendance, 82% rated the conference overall as either Excellent or Good. In more that 150 sessions, participants explored innovative programs and educational practices for career preparation and development in this challenging economy.
  • WISCareers, a computer-based career system, is one of the Center's outreach resources to Wisconsin educators, students and parents. The mission of this program is to facilitate lifelong career development, a meaningful work life, and a sound economic future for all Wisconsin residents. This subscription internet site includes tools for students to take assessments, create a résumé, build a budget, investigate further educational/training opportunities, and plan for a successful career. It also provides classroom activities and other resources for education professionals. During the last year, 93,790l individuals used the WISCareers system. This included: 79,283 K-12 students at 333 school building sites (45 elementary, 94 middle, 181 high school, 13 multi-grade), 5760 across 13 of the 16 technical college districts, 3677 across 27 UW System campuses, 3275 across 85 Wisconsin Job Centers, 1795 miscellaneous users, plus the Milwaukee Public Library.
  • CEW provided national Career Development Facilitator Training (CDF), which consists of 120 class hours, for 13 professionals who work in a variety of career settings, from case managers to workforce development personnel. The Center also provided a two-day professional development session to 32 previously certified CDF professionals.
  • CEW customized career development workshops were provided at approximately 30 sites in a variety of educational settings by Center staff. These range from the National Institute of Corrections training programs to the state of South Carolina Education Department, to the Appleton, Wisconsin School District. The topics of these workshops vary depending on the needs of the educational organizations, but all focus on improving the comprehensive career development programs in each setting to enhance the successful transition of students from school to career. These workshops grew out of the Center's earlier recognition as a Certified Technical Assistance Provider by the National School-to-Work Office
  • CEW disseminated 140,000 School to Career Resource Guides nationwide to teachers, counselors, administrators, other educators, and employers at the K-12, postsecondary and adult levels. These mailings, combined with CEW presentations and exhibits at a variety of major national educational conferences, resulted in the sale of approximately 12,916 educational publications.

IV. Accelerate Internationalization

  • A representative from Careers Scotland participated in the CEW Careers Conference. Dialogue about opportunities to enhance career development in their locations continues with this organization.
  • A CEW grant from the Center on International Business Education and Research (CIBER) supported the visit of 5 technical educators from Denmark to Wisconsin in June. They were exploring technical education in Wisconsin and opportunities for faculty, administrator and student exchanges.
  • Center staff were invited to present Current Trends in Education in the United States to a group of 30 educators from the Hessen area of Germany who were on a Wisconsin educational exchange.
  • Center staff were invited to present Trends in Technical Education in the United States, through an interpreter, to a group of 20 Russian mayors who are responsible for technical education in communities where they have aluminum factories.

V. Nurture Human Resources

  • CEW is committed to professional development of staff. Twelve monthly meetings for project directors and six for all staff focused on issues of research and development and other topics, including diversity.

VI. Strategic Planning

Following the completion of the Center's external review, a comprehensive strategic planning process was undertaken. This has resulted in a new document titled, Living, Working, and Learning in the New Economy: A Strategic Plan for the Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2003-08. The Center's new mission for the future has evolved as: "To produce and disseminate knowledge about learning and career development education in workplace, family and community settings."

The four following strategic priorities will guide CEW work toward this mission:

  • Examining and Re-defining Career Development and Learning
  • Optimizing Teaching and Learning Processes
  • Strengthening Organizational and Institutional Capacity
  • Aligning Policy and Systemic Improvements
To guide and assess the implementation of this Strategic Plan, the Center is committed to developing, using, and reporting both progress and impact using a set of performance benchmarks.