RUS GRANT PROVIDES
NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR DISTANCE LEARNING
IN NORTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
State: Wisconsin
Grantee: Nicolet Distance Education
Network
Counties: Vilas, Iron, Forest,
Oneida, Florence, Lincoln, Marinette &
Rusk
Subject: Native American Reservation,
Internet Access
There is a 5,000 square mile area in rural
northeastern Wisconsin that has one of
the highest concentrations of lakes in
the world. It is served by low quality
two lane highways and two lane county
roads. The harsh winter weather only adds
to the trouble of traveling from place
to place. The poverty rate in the area
is 25 percent higher than the rest of
the state, and the proportion of residents
without high school diplomas is 15 percent
greater than the state average. Dispersed
throughout the area are 20 school districts
located more than 30 miles apart from
each other. Rurality has made these school
districts attempts to attract more
qualified teachers futile.
In 1992, the Nicolet
Distance Education Network (NDEN), a grassroots
consortium of local school districts was
formed to explore solutions for providing
a cost effective, comprehensive curriculum
for these low enrollment, rural school
districts. NDEN membership includes sixteen
K-12 districts, four K-8 districts, Nicolet
Area Technical College, and the Stone
Lake Native American Reservation. In the
fall of 1994, after more than two years
of meetings, developing strategies, and
planning, NDEN concluded that distance
learning technologies were the solution
to their problems.
NDEN applied for and
received an RUS Distance Learning grant
in August 1995. The $325 thousand grant
allowed the NDEN to purchase a state-of-the-art
digital two-way interactive audio/video
system. Distance learning equipment placed
at 22 educational institutions provides
educational opportunities to consortium
members and the community as well. The
system enhances K-8 education through
access to educational speakers and programs.
High school courses required for graduation
and personal enrichment which previously
have been difficult to provide are now
available, including Physics, Calculus,
Analytical Geometry, and college and advanced
level courses. Traditionally, the Native
American population has been reluctant
to leave the reservation for educational
opportunities, resulting in most of their
population not receiving an adequate curriculum.
The system expands the educational opportunities
on the Native American reservation by
connecting their schools with other NDEN
members and other tribes enabling them
to receive the necessary educational skills
to compete for area jobs. In addition
to school district use, the community
utilizes the network for higher education
courses which provide baccalaureate and
graduate school instruction. Workshops,
seminars, and special employee training
courses, which can be accessed before
and after work and on weekends are also
available. And, during the NDENs
first year of service, 2,500 residents
had Internet access. The years spent by
the NDEN planning and pursuing this grant
have paid off for the 50,000 area residents
who benefit from the advanced telecommunications
technologies. The project demonstrates
how small, rural, dispersed schools and
communities can use new technologies to
solve their most pressing problems.
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