News Review Correctional Education Association-Wisconsin
July/August2011
Volume 26, Issue 1
Inside this Issue
1 / CEA CONFERENCE REINFORCES IMORTANCE OF WHAT WE DO
2 / MIKE BRESZEE ENDS REMARKABLE CAREER
4 / ROUNDTABLES PROMOTE NETWORKING
6 / 66TH INTERNATIONAL CEA CONFERNCE SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS
7 / EPLETT APPOINTED DAI EDUCATION DIRECTOR
7 / PAPER OR ELECTRONIC?
8 / TRENDS IN JUVENILE JUSTICE
10 / WANTED: 2011 GED/HSED & ADULT LITERACY PRESENTERS
10 / IS COMMUNITY-BASED CORRECTIONAL EDUCATION AN ANSWER?
11 / CAREERS CONFERENCE
CALL FOR PRESENTERS
11 / POVERTY MATTERS ! CONFERENCE
12 / PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
CEA Conference Reinforces Importance of What We Do
CEA Region III, in partnership with Region IV, held its annual conference May 2nd and 3rd at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The Osthoff Resort, as in the past, again drew positive reviews. Of those conference participants completing the survey, almost 90% strongly agreed or agreed that the hotel facilities met their expectations.
The conference whose theme was “Forming Your Legacy by Transforming Lives” provided a great opportunity for correctional educators representing a variety of locations including county jails, state prisons, detention centers, and technical colleges to network. The two day conference allowed participants time to connect and reinforce the importance of what we do. Wisconsin DOC Secretary Gary Hamblin
We were happy to have national CEA officials, including Past President Denise Justice, Vice President Dave Webb, Secretary Maureen Steffen, Region IV Director Kim Schuller and Executive Director Stephen Steurer, join us.
Attendees were given beautiful hand made bags, sewn by the girls at the Southern Oaks Girls School in Wisconsin. Attendees were even more touched by the bags when they were told that Southern Oaks was closing at the end of June. One attendee wrote a letter to the girls and staff relating just how touched she was by the bag.
The conference began with Patrick Barlow from MadisonCollegedelivering the keynote. Mr. Barlow spent some time visiting institutions, talking with correctional educators and meeting with the CEA-W Board to prepare his presentation. His preparation was evident as he spoke to the
(continued on page 3)
1
News Review Correctional Education Association-Wisconsin
Mike Breszee Ends Remarkable Career
With feelings of regret and deep appreciation for his years of service to corrections and our organization, the CEA-Wisconsin Board has accepted the resignation of Mike Breszee from the Maximum/Minimum Representative on our Board.
Mike has been involved with the Correctional Education Association before there was a Wisconsin chapter. He was selected as Wisconsin’s first CEA Teacher of the Year in 1984 and represented Wisconsin at the International CEA Conference in Cincinnati.
Mike began his 38-year correctional teaching career at Fox Lake Correctional Institution in 1973. He later was a teacher and teacher supervisor at Taycheedah Correctional Institution and teacher at Waupun Correctional Institution.
Mike began serving on the CEA-W Board in 1992 as Medium Security Representative when he worked at Taycheedah Correctional Institution. When he transferred to Waupun Correctional Institution, he became an At-Large Representative on the CEA-W Board. In 1996 he was elected President-Elect and served as President of the organization from 1998-2000. After his term as President, Mike served as Secretary for one year and Treasurer for six years, before becoming Maximum/Minimum Representative in 2007.
Mike helped guide CEA-W from its early lean years to its vibrant and fiscally healthy adulthood. He helped get our financial books in order, helped to amend our constitution to keep abreast of changes in corrections, chaired awards committees, played a key role in the creation of our website, and was an integral member of planning committees for state, regional, and international CEA conferences and other professional development opportunities.
In his retirement, Mike plans to do volunteer work as a program coordinator for St. Vincent DePaul. He has also volunteered to continue to help CEA-W with special projects. The CEA-W Board wishes Mike the best.
To join CEA go to:
1
News Review Correctional Education Association-Wisconsin
(continued from page 1)
120 attendees from 7 different states.
We were joined by Wisconsin DOC Secretary Gary Hamblin for the Teacher of the Year Luncheon. He spoke about the importance of education for the correctional population. Mary Latorre from Ohio was honored as the Region III Teacher of The Year and Mary Wilfer-Feeney from Iowa was named the Region IV Teacher of the Year.
On the second day, we were joined by Office of Program Services Director Dr. Dennis Baskin as our luncheon speaker. He reflected on his own “second chance” and also spoke of the importance of correctional education and his commitment to it.
The break out sessions, held over the two days, provided something for everyone and received very positive feedback. There were so many interesting topics presented and the presenters did an excellent job. The evaluations of the breakout sessions were overwhelmingly positive with 98% of those responding strongly agreeing or agreeing that the selection of conference presentations met their needs.
As in years past, the ever-popular Silent Auction was full of a wide variety of items for people to bid on. A big thank you goes out to everyone who donated an item for the auction and all the winning bidders.
The CEA-W Board wants to thank the speakers and presenters for sharing their knowledge and experiences with us. We also want to thank the staff and girls from Southern Oaks for the beautiful bags. And thank you to all of the attendees! The conference was a success thanks to you!
by: Mary Stierna, CEA-W President-Elect
1
News Review Correctional Education Association-Wisconsin
The SothernOaksGirlsSchool education staff pose for a picture.
(back row, l-r) Linda Eberle, Jennifer Donat and Holly Audley
(seated, l-r) Pam Richter-Boss, Tracy Williams and Carl Van Hemelryk
1
News Review Correctional Education Association-Wisconsin
Roundtables Promote Networking
To meet the request for time to network with colleagues, the Conference Planning Committee included a series of Roundtables in the Region III & IV CEA Conference format. The Roundtables were well attended and of those conference participants completing the survey, 56% strongly agreed or agreed that the roundtable discussion sessions met their needs for networking with other professionals in their area of interest. Almost 75% would like to have the Roundtable discussion sessions continued at future conferences. The main criticism was that more time was needed.
Here are summaries of some of the Roundtables submitted by their facilitators:
ABE/HSED Roundtable
Facilitator – James Gilles, Jackson Correctional Institution, Teacher
Most of the discussion was on how our institutions incorporate ABE skills training. Some have one teacher develop all skills before the student begins HSED preparation. Some have one teacher coordinate, with two or three others assigned to different levels. Others, like DOC schools in Minnesota, have standards ABE students must meetbefore moving on to higher level skills and eventually beginning HSED classes. These standards are actually set by the DOC of Minnesota for all education departments. Each school has to have teachers for those areas, and students are re-TABED in order to advance to the next level. There was discussion on how this re-TABEing was done, because many institutions in Wisconsin only TABE when the students enter school (sometimes not even then). There are no such setstandards in Wisconsin or Indiana. Most roundtable participants thought the Minnesota plan was good.
There was also a discussion as to the extent of actual classroom teaching occurring during the week in our GED classes. Most comments were regarding the inability to designate time to this, but rather allow free, focused discussion and use "teachable moments" to bring important information to the rest of the class. It was mentioned that in this type of teaching it was harder tocontrolspecific content, but it may be better for the overall interest level for the students.Some classes like Social Studies and Science seem to require greater organization when subject material is presented. Some schools, like SOGS, make teaching subject matter a required part of the curriculum.There was also some discussion on the fact that when positions are not filled in the schools, such as Education Director, Guidance Counselor, etc. This makes the teaching process become much more difficult, especially in the areas of important decision-making and staff unity.
Guidance Counselor Roundtable
Facilitator – Dave Chapman, WaupunCorrectional Institution, Guidance Counselor
Discussion centered around the job duties tasked to Guidance Counselors and how we address and complete those assignments.These include:
- HSED testing
- TABE testing
- Scheduling academic and vocational classesand programs.
- Interviewing and assessing inmates
- Proctoring college correspondence coursework
- Completing WICS updates
- Completing OSS updates
- Dealing with inmate complaints and educational concerns
- Assisting with the II program
10. Assisting with graduations
11. Sitting on the Program Review Committee
12. Assisting with Re-entry classes and curriculum
Successes:
1. The number of inmates that earn their HSED or complete a vocational program
2. The number of inmates that earn a vocational diploma
3. The number of inmates that raise their math and reading levels
Challenges:
- The large amount of work assigned to Guidance Counselors
- The lack of understanding by other staff of the work that Guidance Counselors do
- The lack of clerical support or inmate clerk support needed to effectively do the job
- Large waiting lists due to positions not being filled or the lack of vocational programming
- Re-entry curriculum that is not educationally focused or developed by educational staff
HSED5.09 Roundtable
Facilitators – Mary Knox and Sharon Nesemann, WisconsinResourceCenter, Teachers
Participants representedthe Department of Health Services, Department of Corrections and jails.
Discussion focused on curriculum and transfer of documentation/records from one location to another. Main concerns included the lack of a uniform curriculum; difficulty in transferring documentation/records from DOC to DHS to CountyJails; and inconsistency in record-keeping
To continue communication among the group, business cards were exchanged. Two teachers from DOC will be visiting the WisconsinResourceCenter to look at curriculum and record-keeping.
Jail Roundtable
Facilitator – Sharon Abel, LakeshoreTechnicalCollege-SheboyganCountyDetentionCenter
Challenges:The most commonly concern brought forthwas"Money!" Also mentioned were concerns for specific populations suchas,"What do we do with those under 18?"
Training and Presentation Opportunities:Jail Instructor Training Day, CEA-Wisconsin State Conference(1-day), Regional CEA Conference (multi-state, 2-days), CEA International Training Conference (3-4 days)
Publishing Opportunities:CEA-Wisconsin newsletter (available online and hard copy), CEA National SIG (Special Interest Group) e-site, American Jails (a publicationof the American Jail Association), and Corrections Today (a publication of the American Correctional Association)
Contact information was updated and collectedfor the County Jails Educators Directory that Jerry Bednarowski regularly shares with interested parties.
Librarian Roundtable
Facilitator – Libby Kraft, WisconsinResourceCenter, Library Services Assistant Senior
The Reaching In and Reaching Out handbooks for parents incarcerated in a Wisconsin State Correctional Facility are in the process of being printed, bound and distributed to each correctional library. The website is a source of pamphlets on incarcerated parents and their children.
Other items discussed were the MUSTY plan for weeding a collection, Book Clubs, Diversity Circles, the challenges of Interlibrary loan, respect for librarians, climate issues, and having staff available to watch the library when the librarians are gone. We are glad that Librarians are keeping in contact through email.
66th Annual International CEA Conference
Soars to New Heights
The 66th Annual Correctional Education Association International Conference and Training was held on July 17-20, 2011 in Charleston, West Virginia. The “Soaring to NewHeights: Education for the 21st Century” Conference began with numerous pre-conference meetings and activities. Of course my favorite pre-conference activity was the motorcycle ride through the mountains of Charleston. This ride, organized by local CEA members, provided a great scenic view of Charleston and the surrounding communities. While we were out enjoying the beautiful weather and views, others were back at the hotel attending the Standards Commission Meeting.
On Saturday, the CEA Executive Board met, while many other CEA members worked with Indiana University of Pennsylvania evaluating their newly developed Master of Education program in correctional education curriculum. Currently, this proposed curriculum is composed of two distinct tracks: Certificate of Recognition and a Masters Degree in Correctional Education. With the addition of two additional courses, beyond the Master Degree, it would be possible to acquire a Pennsylvania State Certification in Special Education which is recognized through NCATE and reciprocal agreements in approximately 40 states. The group provided several great suggestions, improvements, and ideas to assist in developing a masters program related to correctional educators’ needs.
Many excellent workshops at the 66th Annual CEAInternational Conference and Training provided new tools, techniques, and information in preparing our students for a successful reentry into society. Those of us working with GED students crowded into the workshop room to hear what’s new with GED testing and the GED Testing Service. The next generation GED assessment system will be online as of January 1, 2014. In addition, the current five tests will be reduced to four; literacy (combined reading and writing), math, science and social studies. Two essay questions will also be part of the new requirements. The most important issue many of us discussed was the importance of developing computer literacy skills for our students prior to taking any of the GED tests.
Besides workshops geared toward working with GED students, there were also many options for vocational instructors. Just like GED testing, computer-based testing (CBT) is available for our vocational students. One of my favorite workshops for vocational instructors was “Providing Offline Testing via Computer in the Correctional Setting.” which workshop provided techniques in how to overcome security and technology challenges to CBT.
In addition to GED and vocational workshops, there were many other workshops from career development and reentry strategies for offenders to professional growth for educators. As in the past, I have come from attending anotherfantastic conference motivated to soar AnDee Flohr, 2012 Conference Co-Chair, to new heights and apply the knowledge and tools I gained from this Kim Schuller, Region IV Director and experience. Last, but just as important, is the meeting of new friends Dave Webb, CEA Vice-President
besidesseeing the friends of the past! Since being a member of CEA I have made friends fromMinnesota, Iowa, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Oklahoma, Washington, Alaska and Canada, and I believe this to be one of the most important benefits from being a member of CEA.
In closing, I would like to promote next year’s CEA Annual International Conference and Training being held in St. Paul, Minnesota on July 29-August 1, 2012. Ruth and AnDee have organized many activities already and the 2012 conference looks like another great conference and training event worth attending! I hope to see many of you there and know you will enjoy the experience you gain from attending a CEA International Conference and Training event.
by: DeNeal Ericksen, Region III CEA Assistant Director
Eplett Appointed DAI Education Director
Director of Office of Program Services Dennis Baskin, Ph.D. has announced that DOC Secretary Gary Hamblin has approved the appointment of Chris Eplett as Education Director in the Office of Program Services with the Division of Adult Institutions effective Monday, June 6, 2011.
Chris Eplett has over 14 years experience in teaching, counseling, administration and management of personnel. Chris has an in-depth knowledge of federal and state policies related to correctional education and experience working in higher education. He holds a M.S.E Degree in Guidance and Counseling, University of Wisconsin-Superior; a B.S. Degree in Applied Psychology, Saint Cloud University; and an A.A. Degree from Gogebic Community College. In addition to serving as the Interim Education Director in OPS for the past four months, Chris was the Education Director at Fox Lake Correctional Institution from 2007 until his appointment as Education Director in the Office of Program Services. He has federal correctional experience where he served as Director, College Programs, with Oxford Federal Correctional Institution (2005-2007). Chris has over 6 years of experience working with college students in his capacity as a TRIO Advisor and Coordinator (1998-2004). Lastly, he has served in the United States Navy and Navy Reserves from 1985 through 2005.
Paper or Electronic?
Do you like the feel and smell of paper? Are you a techno-phobe? Or are you comfortable with doing all of your reading electronically and want to “bring it on?”
To CEA-Wisconsin, the most important thing is that our members are able to conveniently access the information we make available.