Financial Literacy FY 2009

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• Financial Literacy FY 2009
• Family and Community Resources and Economic
  Resources (Parent Program)
• Judy H. Branch, Ed.D., CFCS
• Associate Professor and Extension Specialist
• Family, Youth and Community Development
• Financial Security for All Community of Practice
• (FSACoP)
• Youth Financial Literacy Co-Leader

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VT FY09 Action Plan Inputs

• eXtension CoPs web 2.0 Promotion
• An essential method for teaching scholarship
  for my 1-deep program
• Internal focus, state and national
• VT Ext faculty creating and engaging in XCoPs
• VT Ext faculty and staff using eXtension
  resources
• National Extension workforce engaging in XCoPs
• Public focus, state and national
• 4-H Club Leaders, Train the trainer in curriculum
• National Conference Presentations

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Cultivating eXtension Communities of Practice
Judy H. Branch, Ed.D. University of VT
Extension Family Consumer Sciences
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
BACKGROUND
An almost 47 (192) response rate produced
120 (30) complete data sets . Respondents
reporting engagement at the registration for
an eXtnsion ID had incomplete data sets.
Future research with a higher response rate is
needed to determine whether CoP productivity is
significant influenced by the quality of CoP
collaboration as scored on the DDAE rubric.
Another mixed method study on this
topic designed to explore qualitatively the DDAE
rubric with CoPs first and then survey
individual CoP members is needed for greater
accuracy in responses.
As an educational partnership of more
than 70 land grant universities, eXtensions
mission is to help Americans improve their lives
with access to timely, objective, research-based
information and educational opportunities. The
interactive Web resource, www.extension.org, is
customized with links to local Cooperative
Extension (CE) Web sites. Communities of
practice (CoPs) in eXtension address the topics
for which Americans have, for decades, turned to
CE for reliable information. CE professionals
populate the CoPs and create, review, publish and
maintain content to enhance CE's place-based
education as well as create virtual learning
opportunities. This is transforming the way CE
professionals work together as well as expanding
CE's time and location limited educational
delivery to accommodate unlimited consumer demand.
A mixed method action research project for a
virtual environment examined the relationship
between the collaborative qualities of eXtension
Communities of Practice (CoP) in developing
purposeful cycles of continuous inquiry (John
Goodlad cited in Gajada and Koliba, 2007) in
dialog, decisions, actions and evaluation/
reflection (DDAE) and the attainment of eXtension
goals. An Internet survey obtained quantitative
data of members' CoP participation to indicate
the extent to which the members were engaged in
the best practices Gajda and Koliba (2007)
created for their face to face evaluation of
school improvement projects. Analysis of the
survey data categorized low, medium and high
levels of engagement in best practices for each
cycle -dialog, decision-making, action taking,
and evaluation. Members of three CoPs
representing each category participated in
on-line qualitative focus group sessions to
discuss their collaborative processes in DDAE.
CONCLUSIONS

• Effective, collaborative eXtension CoPs are
  comprised of members and leaders with diverse
  skills sets, engaging with patience, enthusiasm,
  creativity and tolerance for ambiguity in the
  best practices such as
• regularly scheduled contacts, as well as
  spontaneous communication
• sharing skills and perspectives shaped by age,
  positions of responsibility, stage of career,
  career path, education, experience, and
  cultural/ethnic/racial backgrounds.
• teaching and learning simultaneously
• collaborating with other CoPs (boundary spanning)
  
• using unbiased, reliable data for decisions

PURPOSE

• Formulate best practices for eXtension CoPs
  through the exploration of questions
• What are the characteristics of eXtension CoPs?
• What processes enhance CoP performance?
• What factors remove barriers to eXtension CoPs
  performance?

CHART or PICTURE
BIBLIOGRHY
Gajda, R., Koliba, C. (2007). Evaluating the
imperatAPive of intra-organizational
collaboration A school Improvement perspective.
American Journal of Evaluation, 25 (March).
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of Practice
Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge, UK
Cambridge University Press.
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http//about.extension.org/wiki/Mission GOALS

• Enhance accessibility and quality of relevant
  knowledge for existing customers, partners, and
  Extension educators.
• Foster collaboration across the Extension network
  by creating communities of practice to develop
  educational programs.
• Enhance Extension's technological capabilities
  through strategic investments in shared cyber
  infrastructure.
• Continually adopt and employ new technology to
  help customers acquire and apply knowledge to
  improve their quality of life.
• Expand access to new partners and customers
  including an emphasis on the underserved.
• Expand the breadth and depth of content
  accessible at county offices.
• Enhance efficiencies of budget and expand
  resources across the Extension network to support
  the overall Extension mission.

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VT FY09 Action Plan Outcomes

• Internal focus, state and national
• 48 VT Ext faculty and staff are now using
  eXtension resources https//people.extension.org/c
  olleagues/location/53
• VT Ext faculty creating and engaging in XCoPs
  https//people.extension.org/colleagues/leadercomm
  unities
• Entrepreneurs and Their Communities-Mary Peabody
• eOrganicHeather Darby
• Financial Security for AllJudy Branch
• HorseQuestBetsy Green
• Sustainable Ag EnergyVern Grubinger

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http//about.extension.org/wiki/CoP_Application
Create a new eXtension community of
practice (XCoP)
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VT FY09 Action Plan Outcomes

• My internal focus nationally is
• The Financial Security for All CoP
• FSA eXtension registration is now at 269 members
• Less than 100 are actively engaged in work of FSA
  CoP
• eXtension now facilitates outcome evaluation as
  well as professional development in learning new
  technology skills and has many marketing and
  communication resources to draw upon.
  http//about.extension.org/wiki/Main_Page

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http//about.extension.org/wiki/Infometrics
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http//about.extension.org/wiki/Schedule_of_Profes
sional_Development_Opportunities
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http//about.extension.org/wiki/Impact_26_Account
ability_CoP
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http//about.extension.org/wiki/The_Scholarship_of
_eXtension
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VT FY09 Action Plan Outcomes

• Examples of my public focus on eXtension using a
  personal finance topic on state and national
  levels
• Champlain Valley Fair proposal
• Financial Fitness to Survive in Hard
• Times
• 4-H presentations--Club Leaders, Regional
• Train the trainer
• Small Steps H W and the HSFPP
• National Conference Presentations

www.extension.org
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National Presentations

• Women in AgricultureFinancial Resources for You
  on eXtension
• CYFAR ConferenceYouth Financial Education
  Resources on the Internet
• AAFCS-- eLearning Financial Literacy Resources
  and another on Technology Tools to Improve
  Program Effectiveness
• eXtension National CoP conference--Keys to CoPs
  Member Engagement

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eXtension Fellowship Program through November
30, 2008

• Women in Agriculture, OKC 4/1-2
• Children, Youth and Families at Risk(CYFAR) San
  Antonio 5/7-11
• American Association for Family Consumer
  Sciences, Milwaukee 6/19-22
• National eXtension CoPs Conference Kentucky,
  6/23-27
• The American Council on Consumer Interests
  (ACCI), Orlando 7/27-30
• Galaxy(NEAFCS) Indianapolis, 9/15-20
• Association for Financial Counseling and Planning
  Education (AFCPE), 11/19 21, Garden Grove, CA

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http//community.ca.uky.edu/moneyville/?qnode/9
editing CornellsAdding it Up Web
Pages for Middle School Age Youth
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http//njaes.rutgers.edu/sshw/
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http//hsfpp.nefe.org/home/
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Idaho First Lady Promotes Financial Education and
the National Endowment for Financial Educations
(NEFE) High School Financial Planning Program
(HSFPP)

• State Political attention given the issue of
  youth financial literacy

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Jumptart Coalition, April 9, 2008 National
Survey Report

• financial literacy scores of 2008 high school
  senior class rank lower than 2006 peers
• high school seniors correctly answered only 48.3
  percent on biennial financial literacy test
• Drop of more than 4
• Graduating high school seniors continue to
  struggle with financial literacy
• VT Jumpstart first year to get state data
• Press Conference at statehouse 4/10

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http//jbranch.blog.uvm.edu/

• Governor Douglas Supports
• UVM Extension
• Youth Financial Literacy Program

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Welcome to Youth Financial Education Resources on
the Internet

• Please click on http//collaborate.extension.org/w
  iki/CYFAR_2008_Computer_Lab_email_list
• Click Log in, type your user name pin
• Click back to CYFAR 2008 Computer Lab list
• Click Edit tab, double space after last name on
  list, type your name and email address
• Scroll to bottom of computer window, click save.
  X out of collaborate site.
• Thanks for registering for online evaluation
  after returning home of this workshop!

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http//www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financia
lsvcs_dem/press041508.shtml

• Presidents Council on Financial Literacy
• Financial Literacy Challenge   
• Ended May  16
• Prizes 2500 1000.
• Financial Services Committee Hearings

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Media Focus
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http//cop.extension.org/wiki/Managing_Money_in_To
ugh_Times_Managing_in_Tough_Times
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Senator Don Collins, Robert Stevens, VPA Lisa
Helm, State Treasurers Office Planning
Session4/30/08 at the statehouse

• 1)  create excitement, engage youth and parents
  in the pursuit of financial literacy and the
  schools will follow their lead
• 2)  Target middle school youth more because
  programs are more flexible at that level and that
  age group may be very receptive to age
  appropriate curricula and activities.

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FY2009 Outcomes?

• Youth and Parents seek more information about
  personal finance.
• The public school curriculum begins to respond to
  youth and parents seeking personal finance
  information.
• Colleagues and stakeholders create and use
  digital information indicators
• Colleagues, teachers leave messages on my
  blog everyone in UVM Extension has an eX ID

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Thanks for your attention

• Questions?