Adult and continuing education through the Cooperative Extension Service

Abstract

"The Cooperative Extension Service has stimulated beneficial changes in the lives of millions of individuals, families and communities for 70 years; and the contribution is widely recognited. Yet, in spite of longevity, success and visibility, extension work is poorly understood. In retrospect this should not be surprising. The Cooperative Extension Service in the United States is highly decentralized in management and program focus. A continuing theme has been helping local people solve their problems and achieve their goals. In the microview the problems and goals of every person are unique. Therefore, everyone assisted by extension service tends to gain a different image of what the institution is and how it goes about achieving its educational goals. Even veteran professional extension workers find it difficult to describe extension work. In fact a random sample of professional workers representing the different programs and geographic areas would offer widely differing descriptions. State and national leaders face an impossible task in developing statements that describe concisely what the Cooperative Extension Service is and does."--From Preface