• MHLT Community Education
              "A Commitment to Life-Long Learning"

The MHLT School Board approved the first official community education program at MHLT to begin in the Fall of 2004. Kathy Jolin was the first director of Community Education and worked hard to get the program started.. For the Fall of 2006, Joanne Krueger was selected to replace Kathy as the new director of Community Education.

Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to pass legislation supporting evening classes and community education ‘type’ programs.  The 1911 legislation supported opening up schools in the evening to encourage adult education and literacy programs. 

As years progressed passage of the 1975 Federal Community Education Act occurred.  The Act provided incentive funds for state education agencies to create community education positions at the state level.  Initially it was considered that the position might best be served housed at the State VTAE offices.  However, the Act required that the position be K-12 oriented, so the attention turned to DPI.

When community education was just developing the state advisory council was a key factor in the statewide development of community education.  In addition to their mission to provide a definition, they took on the task of developing an understanding among such agencies as the VTAE system and UW-Extension, among others.  Members of the first councils included some names that would later become synonymous with community education achievements.  They included George Wilson of the Milwaukee Public Schools, Frank Joswiak of the Pulaski Schools, and George Longo, District Administrator for the D.C. Everest Area School District. 

The five components of the Wisconsin Model of Community Education provide a philosophical base for program development. When established in a school district, these components can provide a guide for action. Each of the five components operate most effectively when educators and citizens work together in planning how they are best implemented in the school district. 

The Five components provide a process framework for local school districts implementing or strengthening community education. They are:

1)  Citizen Involvement

Citizen involvement strengthens solutions by bringing a variety of perspectives to each issue. People who know the most about the problem should be the ones coming up with the solutions. Community advisory councils provide this avenue of citizen input.

2) Needs Assessment and Planning

Conducting a needs and a resource assessment lets citizens determine what the needs are, how the needs should be responded to, and how current programs can be made more responsive. 

3) Extended Use of Public Education Facilities

Many public education facilities are underused. The community education model emphasizes extended use of school buildings and equipment, encouraging everyone to use the facilities. It also promotes a sense of ownership among all citizens and emphasizes the increased importance of lifelong learning.

4) Interagency Coordination and Cooperation

Services delivered through interagency cooperation are more efficient than those that result from fragmented efforts. By relying on teamwork and reducing duplication of effort, a community education-based program makes the most of limited resources.

5)  Leadership and Accountability

For the community education model to flourish and for its desired results to occur, solid leadership and a method of accountability is required. It takes effective public leadership to sustain a community based on learning and cooperation.

Community Education Links:

WI Community Education Association:  http://www.wi-communityed.org

WI Department of Public Instruction Community Education: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/dpi/dltcl/bbfcsp/slcepage.html

Nicolet College: http://www.nicoletcollege.edu

Minocqua Chamber of Commerce:  http://www.minocqua.org

Family Resource Connection/Northwood’s Resources:  http://www.familyresourceconnection.org