This practicum study was designed to improve the communication and social skills of 43 students (ages 14-22) with developmental disabilities by involving families in at-home treatment activities that reinforced and enhanced in-school and community-based speech/language therapy and by increasing attendance of parents at school meetings and…

A graduate follow-up survey evaluated student outcomes for the radiography program at Middlesex Community College/Middlesex Memorial Hospital (Connecticut). The program prepares students for entry-level employment as radiographers. The questionnaire, based on input from program officials and respondents, was mailed to 14 1988 and 1989 graduates.…

This practicum was designed to train special education teachers and paraprofessionals at a private, special education facility in ways to identify precursor behaviors and antecedent events eliciting maladaptive behaviors in children with developmental disorders and behavior disorders. Staff were given five inservice sessions (totalling 10 hours)…

This practicum sought to develop a video-based orientation program for a day care center. A one-time orientation meeting was not feasible for this community college-based center, due to flexible scheduling, staggered starting dates of new staff, and a diverse staff. An increase in staff size, space, and enrollment intensified the already difficult…

As part of a restructuring initiative to meet the curriculum needs of the "Information Age," a plan for teaching telecommunications to middle school students was developed. The resulting program, called Bulletin Board Simulator (BBS), provided a hands-on approach to teaching students the skills necessary for accessing an electronic…

A practicum was designed to ease the transition of the male inmate back to his family and his role as father. It was a response to the failure of the corrections system to assist inmates placed in the Community Correctional Center in a county of a southern state in participating in beneficial activities and reestablishing positive ties with family…

For decades, educators have been concerned with the problem of truancy. Accordingly, this report focuses on an absentee improvement program at a rural, lower-middle class, predominantly white elementary school with 722 students that had a history of high truancy, as verified by teachers, the administration, the school counselor, staff, and…

A kindergarten teacher implemented a practicum with her students in an effort to improve their receptive and expressive vocabularies. Five kindergarten students were selected from the 23 identified as language-impaired. Four of these five participated in the practicum to its completion. During a 10-week period, target children were involved in…

A practicum addressed the problem of a lack of career education in a psychoeducational school, a lack that resulted in reduced student motivation, performance, and planning for the future. Following a literature review, suggestions were made for adjustments of instructional materials for emotionally handicapped students. A career education program…

A study examined the effect of audiovisual-supported instruction on student grade point average. Two groups of students in economics classes taught by the same instructor served as the sample population for the study. The first group, consisting of 36 students, received four 1-hour lectures each week. The second group, consisting of 32 students,…

A practicum was designed to increase the utilization of seldom-used computers by the writing class in a small rural community high school in the eastern United States through teacher and student education. Through a collaborative team effort of computer-competent teachers and students, an in-service program was developed to teach the basic use of…

The practicum reported here was designed to increase middle school students' participation in and use of the school library programs and resources. BookTalks, Read Alouds, a special service project, and three all-school programs were accomplished in this independent school setting during a three-month period. Middle school students were encouraged…

This practicum focused on improving the funding of a state-supported, non-profit day care center through the development of a marketing plan, enhanced fundraising techniques, increased involvement by the center's board of directors, and heightened community awareness. To accomplish these goals, board members were interviewed and encouraged to use…

The effects of a peer counseling program on the elementary school level were studied to determine if positive relationships would promote personal and academic growth thereby increasing self-esteem and self-concept. The project was implemented in three phases: selection and training of 15 fourth and fifth grade students; implementation of special…

The need to provide elementary school teachers with effective parent involvement strategies for hard-to-reach parents was addressed by designing an inservice for teachers which presented research-based strategies. Strategies included using a positive, non-threatening approach, employing personal, two-way communication, providing guidance and…