This practicum report describes the development and implementation of an inservice program for four teachers who, in order to meet Federal integration guidelines, were given kindergarten assignments for which they were not certified. Comparison of test scores of disadvantaged kindergarten children taught by trained and untrained teachers revealed…

This study was designed to improve the academic achievement of 35 third- and fourth-grade underachievers through improved self-esteem. Specific goals included focusing on self-concept and learning skills reinforcement, with the ultimate goal of increasing academic performance and motivation. Large group sessions with students focused on…

This program was developed and implemented to help prepare the members of a high school football team for the academic expectations of college admission. The program had three goals: (1) to insure that student athletes took proper college preparatory classes during high school; (2) to provide evaluation and tutoring for the students; and (3) to…

In an effort to determine the effectiveness of Lakeshore Technical Institute's (LTI's) Developmental/Remedial Reading Program, a comparative analysis was made of the grade point averages (GPA's) of 20 students who participated in the program and 24 students identified as having reading skills deficiences who did not participate in the program.…

An experimental study investigated the effectiveness of multimedia instruction in improving listening comprehension of high school students studying second-year Spanish. Specific comprehension difficulties were found in recognizing linguistic and cultural implications, making guesses based on key words and phrases, and understanding and responding…

In response to the poor achievement, negative attitudes, and anxiety of limited-English-proficient (LEP) ninth-grade students (n=90) in science classes, a cooperative learning approach to instruction was adopted. In an effort coordinated with teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), the students were assigned to cooperative…

A project investigating the effects of peer tutoring on students' academic achievement focused on use of tutoring with underachieving, limited-English-speaking 11th- and 12th-graders. The method was designed to use materials readily available and require minimal expenditure of teacher time and resources. Students (n=18) voluntarily attended…

A 12-week practicum testing a method for improving writing skills and self-esteem among secondary school students learning English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) is reported. Thirteen students in a larger class at one school were identified for participation, and placed in small heterogeneous groups by skill level. Groups selected writing…

Through joint efforts of mental health and education professionals, a school-based therapeutic/educational program for seriously emotionally disturbed children, some of whom had additional identified disabilities such as mental retardation, was initiated with 15 students (ages 8-13). The educational component of the program was based on an…

The main goal of this practicum was to increase general science achievement and improve acquisition of Spanish as a second language in a group of 21 sixth-grade Spanish immersion students. The students were having some difficulty with Spanish learning due to lack of Spanish science vocabulary, lack of appropriate science materials accommodating…

To address low reading achievement of Haitian elementary school students receiving English-as-a-Second-Language instruction, a technique for reading instruction using Haitian folk tales was implemented. It was anticipated that by drawing on students' background knowledge of the Haitian oral tradition and using Haitian literature as a storytelling…

This documents presents a practicum designed to improve mathematics achievement of at-risk and targeted students in grades 4-6 in an upper-middle class suburban community through the use of manipulatives. The primary goal was to provide mathematics manipulatives to teachers that would assist in helping at-risk and targeted students. A secondary…

The negative impact of low attendance and the lack of effective, alternative classroom learning strategies are factors that mitigate against student interest and success in mathematics, particularly with respect to inner-city at-risk students. The goal of this practicum was to improve the problem-solving skills of a group of 50 alternative high…

This study investigated the effectiveness of a variety of teaching techniques, including both standard English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) methods and the teacher's own strategies, in improving the English language proficiency of 15 Haitian and 5 Hispanic third-graders. The students were administered oral and written pretests and found to be…