Over the past 50+ years, Wisconsin has been a leader in educational innovations in correctional institutions. This workshop will discuss the creation of institutions with educational foci, the expansion of academic programs, the partnership between the Wisconsin Technical College System and the Department of Corrections, re-entry initiatives, the Incarcerated Youthful Offender program and other Wisconsin initiatives.

        Correctional Education: Transforming Lives
Presenters:

Research has shown that involvement in educational programs reduces recidivism rates. This presentation will give an overview of the academic, vocational, and lifeskills programs available in state institutions and the role that the Correctional Education Association plays in supporting correctional educators and promoting education programs in the correctional system.  

New Directions is a film that explains what happens to a person when a judge sentences a person to prison. It details all of the issues an inmate may face. It provides ways that a person can use their time incarcerated in a positive way in an effort to turn their life around. This film gives families, and the general public, an understanding of how Wisconsin prisons guide offenders in choosing new directions for their lives. It shows how they can make changes to become productive citizens upon release. A Q&A session will follow the film.

Jerry Bednarowski, Correctional Education Association-Wisconsin jerrybednarowski@new.rr.com
Mike Breszee, Waupun Correctional Institution michael.breszee@wisconsin.gov
Peggy Meyers, Wisconsin Technical College System, peggy.meyers@wtcsystem.edu
Mary Stierna, Wisconsin Resource Center, mary.stierna@wisconsin.gov

How does CEA serve its members? Learn about the different membership types, benefits, Wisconsin chapter initiates, and conference sponsorship information.

Teaching in a county jail brings unique challenges. Even veteran teachers when asked to teach in a correctional setting face many questions, concerns, and situations that they do not know how to answer. The speaker will describe the educational programs offered in county facilities. The problems faced by County Jail teachers will be examined, including survival techniques used by the teachers to overcome these problems.

        Reaching Challenging Clients: Overcoming Barriers between Learner and Educator
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Sharon Abel, Lakeshore Technical College Instructor responsible for the Adult Inmate Education Program in Sheboygan County since 1991, shares researched-based teaching strategies she puts into action every day of her life both “in jail” and “on the outside.”  The presenter’s goals include encouraging session participants to return to their work sites with fresh and/or refreshed ready-to-apply techniques for connecting with clients. 

Instructor Sharon Abel & Cpl. Roy Kluss tell of their experiences with forming a network of alliances throughout the community resulting in Lakeshore Technical College’s Adult Inmate Education Program becoming “an integral part of Sheboygan County’s jail operation” and “Wisconsin’s shining star, a model for other counties to follow.”

        Getting Funding:  The Money Is There Somewhere
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Goals for increasing literacy & successful reentry, a “poster child” that doesn’t elicit sympathy, and tough economic times…  Now what do we do?  Sharon Abel and Roy Kluss tell of their experiences with garnering support for adult inmate educational programming in their community – Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

        Creating a Positive Buzz: Promoting Your Jail Education Program
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        What Your Jail Does for the Community
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For years, Kent had the responsibility of teaching youth (under 21) charged as adults and housed with adults in a county jail. Kent will discuss curriculum modifications, reading programs, special education services and other educational strategies used to fulfill this mission. A major portion of the presentation will be reserved for Q&A involving special considerations required to educate incarcerated youth in adult settings.

Juvenile Institutions ---------------------------

Adult Basic Education ------------------------
        Effectively Writing a Five Paragraph GED Essay
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This session will explain and demonstrate the steps in the process of  writing a 5 paragraph essay. Questions, interaction, and discussion will be encouraged throughout the workshop. During the session, participants will have the opportunity to write an essay. A variety of handouts will be available.

        Dealing with Difficult Readers
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As a special education teacher of 35 years, Mary has had to learn some very specific reading techniques to help the dyslexic reader better to be able to decode words. In this workshop Mary will explain and demonstrate various techniques that she has learned to help teach syllabication rules, decode multi-syllable words and building meaning. Mary will also share materials that she has found to be useful.

Why do we have eyes in front of our face and not in back of our head? We are built to look forward and not behind. Decision making and goal setting skills are integral tools in looking forward. How do we begin to look forward? How can we get there? This session will focus on ways to make Life Skills classes meaningful and real.

        Reading Power! – Effective Reading Strategies: An Integrated Approach to Becoming
        a Powerful Reader
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A veteran Adult Basic Education teacher will share her expertise teaching reading to students at the Waushara County Jail. She will discuss the ins and outs, dos and don’ts, and the ups and downs of teaching reading. Learn strategies and acquire ideas you can use with your students!

Correctional students have two big voids: background knowledge and things to talk about. During off-task class time, we offer fodder to fill these voids. This workshop suggests short engaging activities for beginning and ending sessions and for breaks from focused study. The activities aim to build vocabulary, stimulate creative thinking, fuel healthy interaction, expand life skill concepts, and encourage further research

Offenders often lack empathy for others and are delayed in their moral development. This workshop will describe the stages of moral development through which everyone moves on their way to moral maturity. A systematic instructional format that encourages students to revise their world view and accelerate their movement through the developmental stages will be presented. Exercises for exploring the inter-relationship between obligations, ideals, and consequences will be illustrated.

Vocational Education -------------------------
        Wisconsin Technical College System & Department of Corrections Partnership
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Learn about a Vocational Literacy Course that demonstrates a 43% average increase in post-test scores over pre-test scores. The resources and philosphies utilized in developing this course for the Dunn County Jail will be shared. The 12-hour course covers goal setting, attitudes & excuses, career exploration, job search techniques, resumes, cover letters and interviewing

Workplace Success is a WTCS course designed to prepare inmates for success in the vocational and academic programs in the Wisconsin correctional system. The Workplace Success curriculum will be described and ways of integrating the materials into correctional settings will be discussed.

            This workshop explains how to hold a job fair inside the walls of a prison. It also emphasizes the benefits for inmates, businesses and the community.           

Re-Entry -----------------------------------------
        Re-Entry: A Bridge to Success
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This workshop will discuss the Department of Corrections reentry initiative, its history and development. The 10 modules and the portfolio in the program will be presented. The presenters will brainstorm ways to help sites facilitate the delivery of the 10 modules.

        Re-Entry, A Team Approach for County Jail and State Correctional Inmates
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Wisconsin Community Services will demonstrate how a matrix of Re-Entry services can work for all types of offenders: male and female, juvenile and adult, county jail and DOC. Effectiveness of service delivery is dependent on an inter-agency collaboration based on a wrap-around model for those in/out of correctional facilities. This includes, but is not limited to: 1) Team approach: i.e. “reach-in”, identified advocate, utilizing a uniform assessment tool and tracking systems and 2) Providing case management, services for sex offenders, mental illness, adults/juveniles, housing, employment, gangs, AODA, and family re-unification.

        Re-Entry, Evidenced Based Practices
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In order to reduce recidivism and to promote public safety, programs should be designed around research regarding what works in corrections. This presentation will discuss the general principles which have been identified to guide program development: 1) The RISK Principle (WHO) - Intervention and treatment, 2) The NEED Principle (WHAT) - Programming should target crime producing needs, and 3) The TREATMENT Principle (HOW) - Programming should focus on behavioral issues.

        Family as a Key to Re-entry
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Family Connections is a volunteer driven, non-state funded organization whose mission is to foster reintegration by strengthening the ties between children and their incarcerated parents. This workshop will discuss their programs at which are centered on transportation and literacy, both allowing the children and parents to communicate, given different situations. These programs are currently operating at Taycheedah and Burke Correctional facilities with plans for expansion

Post Secondary Education -------------------
        Effective Collaboration: Wisconsin’s IYO Academic Program
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DOC initiated the Incarcerated Youthful Offender/Milwaukee Area Technical College/Corrections Learning Network collaboration that has become a national model. In this workshop, a brief overview of the grant will be given, with much of the session focused on MATC’s involvement in IYO, the certificate and AA degree, and how IYO students can continue with the program upon transfer or release and eventually transfer credits to the UW system.

 Library Services -------------------------------
        Being a Librarian in a Prison
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Library staff working in correctional settings will discuss the challenge of developing collections for various unique population groups including inmates with psychiatric problems, learning and adjustment problems, and limited English proficiency. They will also describe strategies and programs to attract library users, including poetry slams, book clubs, and other cultural programs.  

        Beginning a One-Stop Job Center in Your Institution
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As successful reintegration becomes more than a philosophy in corrections, creating an Employment Resource Center can help facilitate successful transition to the community. In the Employment Resource Center, those soon to be released get assistance with creating portfolios, interviewing, job searches and utilizing the JobNet. The goal is to provide resources and assistance similar to the One-Stop Shop design of Wisconsin Job Centers.

        Breaking Loose Through Literature
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Book clubs in correctional institutions help inmates develop important language skills. Participation in discussions lets participants practice these skills and encourage them to use language to analyze, make predictions and solve problems. Find out about setting up your own book club. Learn about basing activities on books and the positive effects of a book club.

        Fighting Hate with Literacy:  Let’s Call It What It Is
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Sharon Abel with support and encouragement from a partnering agency, Eastern Shores Library System, offered a series of book discussion groups for inmates in Sheboygan County.  Hoping to encourage her peers to facilitate similar learning opportunities, Sharon tells her story of climbing the learning curve with her students.

 Tutoring Projects ------------------------------

Wisconsin Institutions Literacy Council, an affiliate of Pro-literacy America, is comprised of 17 correctional institutions. The affiliate began with just 3 institutions in 1989. This workshop covers the establishment and growth of the tutor program.

        Games Tutors Play
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Tired of the same old ways to train tutors? Add some new games to your “bag of tricks.” This workshop will introduce you to how Wisconsin Literacy Council operates within the Wisconsin Department of Corrections and will share games used to train tutors. You’ll leave with a variety of new ideas that you can use at your next training

Volunteers in Corrections -------------------
        Volunteers Enhancing Your Institution’s Education Program
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In this workshop you will learn about various family, re-entry, and general literacy and educational programming developed, coordinated, and facilitated by Community Connections volunteers working at Oakhill Correctional Institution. Discussion will include practices for collaboration with community volunteer organizations within your education department.

Literacy Council/Jail Partnerships --------
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Instructor Sharon Abel & Cpl. Roy Kluss tell of their experiences with forming a network of alliances throughout the community resulting in Lakeshore Technical College’s Adult Inmate Education Program becoming “an integral part of Sheboygan County’s jail operation” and “Wisconsin’s shining star, a model for other counties to follow.”

Financial Literacy -----------------------------
       Financial Literacy
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Financial literacy is critical for us all. This workshop will provide an overview of DOC’s Financial Literacy curriculum, including resources for teaching.

        Financial & Economic Literacy for Inmates & Their Families:  One Educator’s Quest
        for the Core of Applicable Learning
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People laughed when Sharon Abel spoke of her goal to find the most efficient and effective way to teach financial literacy.  Since then she has earned an award from the Governor for excellence in promoting financial literacy among Wisconsin citizens.  She and Lisa Anne Arneson share their to-be-continued story.

Parenting Programs --------------------------

Nationwide, more than 2 million children have a parent incarcerated in prison or jail. Correctional educators have designed programs to teach parenting skills and encourage incarcerated parents to maintain positive relationships with their children. In this workshop a parenting curriculum that is adaptable to a variety of settings and effective instructional methods and resources will be presented. Projects which supplement parenting education, including Parent/Child Literacy Projects, Parent Support groups and Parent Fairs, will be described. The services provided by the CEA Parenting Special Interest Group will be detailed.

        Extra, Extra Read All About It….Suggestions for Teaching Incarcerated Parents
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The Department of Corrections has been trying a new parenting program called Inside/Out Dads. Some institutions were fortunate to be able to attend a workshop put on by the publishers of the Long Distance Dads Program. We are presently instructors of parenting and have utilized Inside/Out Dads and Families in Focus materials. Our presentation will include suggestions and ideas on how to utilize the two programs. The goals of the programs are to keep incarcerated fathers connected with their children and to assist them with re-integration back into the family structure. It also covers the requirements for the Re-Entry program. Randy will also introduce his United Through Reading Program that encourages incarcerated fathers to maintain contact with their children.

We have the unique ability to present a workshop focusing on the life of children already incarcerated, their options now that they have chosen that pathway and how they respond given those choices. Yet we also present our organization’s efforts to prevent children from reaching the same point and what can be done to help them along a different pathway, avoiding the mistakes of their incarcerated parents.

        Bridging the Gap Between Incarcerated Parents and Their Kids Through Books
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Book-sharing is a wonderful tool to help make/maintain family connections for incarcerated parents—and also a great way to increase reading and writing skills.  Connect with your “inner child” during this interactive workshop that discusses how Fatheread® is used to promote both family connections and literacy skills.

Arts Education in Corrections --------------

Learn how beginning literacy to HSED-level incarcerated students are encouraged to write by printing their works in a creativity booklet. The particulars of conducting an annual Creativity Contest and publishing a creativity booklet will be discussed.

        What’s in a Story?
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Does storytelling and use of the arts validate a student’s experiences and expand learning opportunities? What does research have to say about the subject? How do short stories, poetry, art, and writing fit into the learning experience? Using the thought that everything in life is a story, the participants will have an opportunity to learn to write curriculum through personal application, group work, and lots of discussion.

        Bad Actors and Key Grips: Developing an Inmate Drama Group
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Are you a frustrated actor? Would you really rather direct? We have facilitated an inmate drama group since 2003. In this workshop we will outline how the Wisconsin Resource Center’s Drama Group works, its benefits to participants and teachers, and suggestions for starting such a group. We will also perform some of our original work.

Inmate Newsletters ----------------------------
        Creating an Inmate Newsletter
Presenter:

Use Journal Writing and The Hero's Journey to get your students to participate in a jail newsletter. The      steps it takes to edit and publish the La Crosse Co. Jail Newsletter will be presented. Learn ways to generate different themes using inmate discussion and the model by Reg Harris called, "The Eight Steps of the Hero's Journey." Learn several techniques to get your students motivated to write, along with an introduction to the Hero's Journal. Journaling, personal reflection and vocabulary development will also be discussed.  Newsletter worthy, or not? You decide.

Mental Illness -----------------------------------
        Recognizing Mental Illness and Strategies that Encourage Student Cooperation and
        Learning
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Participants will be provided an overview of Depression, Schizophrenia and Bi-Polar Disorders as well as typical behaviors associated with these illnesses. Participants will be introduced to strategies and techniques used to connect with, understand and effectively instruct that emphasize empathy, awareness of non-verbal communication, patience and individual instruction.

Restorative Justice  ----------------------------
        Restorative Justice Practices
Presenter:

Jason has been actively involved both professionally and personally in learning, teaching, and practicing Restorative Justice Practices since 1999.  Restorative Justice Practices, modeled after traditional tribal wisdom, are used to deal with conflict in a manner that allows all participants to follow their natural capacity for compassion and empathy, to develop options and choices that can lead to enhanced mutual benefit, through increased communication and understanding.  Since initially being re-introduced into the mainstream society of North America during the 1970's the variety of applications has grown in settings as diverse as schools, prisons, communities, and businesses, in both the USA and Canada.  Worldwide the use of Restorative Practices is regarded with increasing confidence and enthusiasm as a critical component in successful resolution of a variety of social conflict including criminal acts.

Graduation Ceremonies ----------------------
        Celebrating the Positives: Graduation/Recognition Ceremonies in Prison and Jail
        Settings
Presenters:

Come and learn about the history of graduation/recognition ceremonies inside a state prison and a county jail, how the idea started, the approvals that were needed, and the obstacles that had to be overcome. We will also discuss the details of our ceremonies including --- how often they are held, what types of diplomas are awarded, who is invited, how are visiting rules handled, guest speakers, how food is served, caps and gowns, pictures. We will also discuss the reaction of the students, families, staff, and state and community leaders to the ceremony.