Outcomes of a staff development program based on the whole language philosophy that was implemented in a rural Florida elementary school are presented in this practicum report. Two surveys of 29 and 35 faculty, respectively, indicated needs for faculty cohesiveness, a unified purpose, and an update of language arts teaching skills. A staff…

A 10-week training program in a private nonprofit residential treatment program for children and youth was designed to help a treatment team increase its team functioning skills as measured by a pre- and post-training survey of individual and team effectiveness. The treatment program was located in a rural community and served people from eight…

This practicum was developed to provide faculty and administrators in a K-12 school system with the necessary skills and instruction to incorporate Internet technologies into the curriculum using the existing resources located in the school. The project was divided into three phases. The initial phase developed staff and community awareness. The…

This practicum addressed the problem of families having insufficient skills and resources necessary for locating information about the physical, socioemotional, and academic development of their young children in an early intervention program. The practicum's goal was to help parents acquire these necessary skills and resources. A family resource…

A plan to de-escalate fighting behaviors at an inner-city elementary school was implemented. It is believed that factors contributing to the problem were: low socio-economic status; a lack of parental supervision at home; a lack of parental involvement at school; a high level of criminal activity surrounding the schools; overcrowded class areas;…

The social and emotional development needs of fourth and fifth grade students (N=16) with learning disabilities were addressed through development and implementation of a 12-week awareness program called "Pupils' Over-Whelming Esteem Rise" (Project POWER). This project targeted: (1) self-awareness; (2) social awareness; (3) coping,…

A 5-year Title III grant received by Northern Maine Technical College (NMTC) in 1989 provided funding for professional development (PD) activities at the college. To evaluate the impact of the grant and plan for the continuation of the professional development program, a study was conducted in 1994 near the end of the grant period. Following a…

This practicum was designed to initiate the use of databases in an elementary setting. The primary goal was to establish a workable method to incorporate the use of databases and instruct teachers on how to use a sophisticated computer application. The peripheral goal was to transmit the newly-learned skills of the teacher to the students. A…

This practicum was designed to decrease the number of times boys in third, fourth, and fifth grade classes met with the school guidance counselor for unacceptable behaviors and to improve the attitudes of the boys and their parents. Pre- and post-attitudinal and observational questionnaires were administered to 30 randomly selected third, fourth,…

This practicum was designed to solve a problem related to the provision of a computer training component for students enrolled in an early childhood education teacher training program. Increasing pressures on graduates of the training program to integrate computers and educational software into programs for young children as well as the students'…

The goal of the project presented in the practicum was to help parents develop competencies in interacting with their children in ways which foster self esteem and cooperative behavior. The objectives of the practicum included, first, increasing parents' knowledge of: (1) the factors leading to high self esteem and cooperative behavior; (2) the…

The field of Environmental Health Technology (EHT) encompasses both the equipment and the trained expertise required to utilize land, water, energy, and minerals in the service of human health and welfare. EHT technicians work in disease control, licensing bureaus, hospitals, nursing homes, hazardous waste agencies, and other health agencies. In…

This paper describes the outcomes of a practicum that initiated site-based-management strategies to support the consistent implementation of a quality school-age child-care program. Implemented at a multisite child-care center, the program sought to enhance staff members' job satisfaction and maximize their opportunities for professional growth…

Objectives of this practicum were to: increase student knowledge of how to use the Internet to carry out research; improve the competency of teachers, thereby enabling them to teach students to use Internet resources; and develop an instructional unit that could be used by students, teachers, and librarians to facilitate use of the Internet to…

A competency-based training course was designed to prepare Professional Development Center (PDC) instructors for the certification process. After an exhaustive review of the literature, it was determined that a relevant training course that would specifically reflect the needs of the PDC was not available. The decision was then made to design a…