A primary grades specialist implemented a 10-week practicum intervention designed to increase third graders' social skills by training their teachers in cooperative learning techniques and providing cooperatively structured lessons. Eight skills were addressed; these included the skills of accepting peers' ideas for group activities, completing…

This action research project evaluated a program designed to increase the use of appropriate social skills and improve academic achievement. The targeted population was comprised of first through third graders in four separate communities located in northeast Illinois. Evidence of the problem included teacher observational checklists denoting…

A kindergarten teacher designed and implemented a practicum for increasing the oral language competence of 20 kindergartners in an inner-city public school. Goals were to improve children's receptive and expressive language abilities, social skills, and mastery of kindergarten curriculum objectives, and to increase parent involvement. A whole…

A 3-month practicum utilized teacher workshops and biweekly consultation to provide all fourth grade teachers (N=11) in a public school district with higher level questioning strategies to meet gifted students' cognitive needs. A total of six fourth grade students were identified as gifted and talented. At the workshops, higher level questioning…

An exceptional student education specialist implemented a 10-week practicium intervention designed to decrease the inappropriate behavior and increase the appropriate behavior of exceptional students who had been mainstreamed into regular fourth- and fifth-grade classes. A total of 16 students classified as learning disabled or emotionally…

Parents of a group of first graders knew very little about the whole-language approach to reading employed in their children's classroom and were consequently unable to help their children as they learned to read. A program was implemented to provide parents in a target group with an understanding of the whole-language approach to reading as well…

This practicum reports on the development of a support network for parents (n=34) of students with learning disabilities at a private rural elementary school. The program focuses on providing essential information to parents and increasing their involvement within the school setting. The program involved: (1) monthly meetings of parents; (2)…

This practicum focused on preventing referral to special education by meeting the needs of kindergarten and first grade children identified with behavioral or academic problems in the mainstream classroom. The practicum emphasized: (1) early identification of potentially dysfunctional children; (2) development of individual education plans…

Learning disabled students in a 2 year community college received specialized instruction and practice in reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, and study skills. Pre- and posttest scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised, the Wide Range Achievement Test, and the Peabody Individual Achievement Test revealed significant increases…

This study examines courses in the marketing program at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College to compare the academic performance of students in traditional and learning community classroom settings. Two sections of students, a traditional 17-week course and a block scheduled 5-week course, served as the sample in the study. The block scheduling…

A practicum analyzed possible alternatives to identify the most successful reading intervention strategies before a child's development and learning is seriously or permanently impaired. K-3 students were identified for an early intervention reading program in a public school setting, through the Students Study Team, which was expanded to include…

This action research project evaluated a program of activities to increase the engagement of high school students in their learning. The targeted population consisted of freshman, sophomore, and senior students in a middle class community in central Illinois. The lack of student engagement that posed a problem in academic progress was documented…

This practicum addressed the attitudes and behaviors of 10 adolescents with severe behavioral and emotional problems participating in a cooperative job training program. The intervention used an adventure approach to help the students replace aggression and misconduct with job-related social skills. A needs assessment was conducted to identify…

This 12-week practicum intervention was designed to enhance the listening skills of 22 kindergartners by means of a cooperative home-school developmental program. In the class, stories and poetry with listening themes were read aloud on a daily basis. Story structure was stressed. Puppets, flannel board stories, and dramatics were used. In…

There are potentially successful students who are failing one or more subjects every year. Many students are spending more than the normal 3 years at the middle school level because of this failure. A program was designed to increase the self-esteem, motivation, and interest of at-risk students, thereby improving their grades. A second aim was to…