This practicum designed and implemented a program to assist child care centers in acquiring substitute staff on a consistent basis. The steps to develop a pool of trained substitute staff and establish a network between the participating centers were: (1) collecting information by way of a questionnaire; (2) obtaining funds; (3) discovering which…

A prekindergarten teacher working in a private elementary day school developed and implemented a prosocial behavior program designed to improve the social behavior of prekindergarten students. The program focused on decreasing the incidence of 10 behaviors: (1) pouting; (2) hitting; (3) yelling indoors; (4) interrupting; (5) whining; (6) ignoring…

Due to isolation, lack of resources, and lack of training, rural health care providers lack the knowledge, skills, and attitude to work effectively with patients experiencing family violence. To address this need, a strategy-reported here-was designed and implemented in order to promote more effective intervention with patients experiencing family…

An increase in verbal and physical encounters among elementary students led to the implementation of a conflict resolution program to assist teachers and students in solving interpersonal problems. The project was implemented over 8 months in grades three through five in a private elementary school. The goal of the project was to teach students…

An elementary school teacher designed and implemented a year-long practicum study on parent education which was intended to improve parent participation in their third-graders' school work and learning. A parent awareness component was added to Parent Teacher Organization programs. Guest speakers presented programs on topics that involved parents…

The causes and symptoms of violence among children and adolescents can be complex and difficult to control. A strategy that was designed to help one youth center's staff, volunteers, and members recognize the signs and symptoms of verbal and physical violence is described here. The youth facility is located in a crime-ridden part of an urban…

This practicum paper describes a fantasy play program designed for 3- and 4-year-old preschoolers with Barbie dolls that could be used as a tool in regularly scheduled center play activity. Because of strong biases held by teachers against commercial toys, children were not afforded the ability to experiment with these tools, or discover the role…

A practicum was developed and implemented to address developmental and intellectual delays in primary students in a Georgia elementary school. The program's need resulted from the identification of 18 to 21 percent of the kindergarten and first-grade level students as developmentally delayed or academically unprepared for their grade placement.…

Over a l0-week period, an elementary school teacher designed and implemented a practicum study intended to help a target group of 24 kindergartners develop crucial mathematical problem-solving skills and to prepare them for taking the Stanford Achievement Test. The objective was addressed through implementation of direct instruction, modeling,…

As a practicum project, an elementary school counselor developed and implemented a parent education program centered on the use of parents as models and peer facilitators for other parents. Based upon a survey of parents' self-professed needs, the program focused on parenting skills designed to help children avoid such high-risk behaviors as…

A practicum developed and implemented an integrated reading program to raise reading vocabulary and comprehension scores and reading attitudes in a fourth-grade classroom. A classroom of 23 students was used to implement the program. A standard diagnostic test was used to record pre- and post-test scores in vocabulary and comprehension, and a…

A computer program was developed to increase GED test candidate's level of test taking skills, knowledge of algebra and geometry, and self-confidence for the GED Mathematics Test. The computer program was developed and written, then implementation was administered by three teachers in a GED study center. Two math scores were used to determine the…

An associate director of an independent preschool and elementary school developed and implemented a practicum intervention designed to improve five inexperienced teachers' ability to conduct parent-teacher conferences. Through self-evaluation, teachers identified skills they needed to improve. Intervention focused on preconference planning…

A school district's program coordinator designed and implemented a practicum study intended to provide intermediate grade teachers and students with problem-solving techniques and skills needed for success in a course in contemporary Canadian issues. Teachers' and students' problem-solving skills were assessed through reports based on…

Growing out of concern about the increased absenteeism and poor achievement of a select population of students at Fox Chapel High School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this program aimed to decrease absences and improve student achievement and self-concept. It also involved a review of the climate provided for learning and of the teaching-learning…