January Progress Report
Submitted by BJ Berquist
Juvenile Justice Forum


Reaching Beyond the Bars

It's exciting to see the many new opportunities that are being offered for correctional educators! Legislation, grant writing for research, online classes and online discussion groups are increasing the options for educators to reach beyond the bars. Paul Bohac and John Platt are working on an online Florida Teacher Survey for the Juvenile Justice System and will be guest speakers at the February 21 Alternative/Correctional Education Forum in Tapped In. The discussion should be rather lively! Paul leads a monthly Tapped In discussion for Special Education, drawing on his vast experience with our special populations. His insights into correctional education are excellent. I try not to miss a single session and always look forward to sharing dialogue with Paul.

The CEA Forum is gradually starting to have more contributions posted to the many specific disciplines and fields of correctional ed. Nothing succeeds like success, so please share with everyone what successes you've had this year by posting your story to the Forum! And if you have questions or concerns, post those too. By collaborating with your colleagues those obstacles can often be resolved.

With a greater focus on transitioning our students back to their home schools and to their communities, it's more important than ever to keep up to date on standards and maintain contacts "beyond the bars" and out in the real world. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to attend regional and national conferences for professional development. To reach a greater number of correctional educators, I frequently post information to our Juvenile Justice forum that I feel might address a variety of topics not specifically related to correctional ed. Those posts might include links to relevant special ed sites, links to related regular education information, newsletters, discussion groups that offer real time chat and listserves, wikis and blogs for asynchronous discussions. Each of us has our own way of learning and obtaining professional development. If you don't see something that helps you extend your experience beyond the bars, post to the list with your request. Perhaps you've found your own "gem" that you want to share!

Please remember that each one of you is an important member of the Correctional Ed community and each person has something of value to contribute. Let your voice be heard!

BJ Berquist
JUV SIG Chair