Dropout rates had increased for 2 years at a suburban public high school with approximately 2,200 students. Recent legislation mandating increased credit requirements, more academic schedules and standards, and mandatory attendance requirements has contributed to an increase in the dropout rate. A dropout intervention program was implemented with…

A practicum was designed to organize a drug prevention/intervention program for high school students. Goals of the practicum were to organize a core team to address alcohol and drug prevention/intervention strategies; to assist staff members in recognizing early warning signs of potential substance abusers and at-risk students; and to develop an…

This paper reports on a practicum designed to increase reading motivation among senior high school students (as reflected by the number of books checked out from the school library) and to promote a better understanding of cultural sub-groups in the school, of which Blacks constituted the largest group (41%) and Hispanics, the second largest…

This practicum was designed to assist high school seniors who had not made decisions about what they would do after graduation. A series of group and individual guidance experiences was developed to provide students with self-knowledge, and knowledge about the options available to them, in order to provide them with the means to develop a plan of…

An action research study was undertaken to examine the effects of educational technology resources on critical thinking and analytical skills. The researcher observed 3 different 11th grade classes, a total of 75 students, over a week as they worked in the school's computer lab. Each class was composed of 25 to 30 students, all of whom were…

This practicum was designed to increase the experiences in the genre of world drama, to further develop student understanding of its evolution and impact on subsequently created drama, and to proffer a diverse collection of drama for senior level students pursuing the Advanced Placement (AP) English literature program. A comprehensive curriculum,…

A practicum project involved the establishment of a career resource center in one high school of 1,500 students to provide high school teachers with a wide variety of career education materials in a centralized location. Materials housed in the center were obtained from various sources: donations from local businesses, materials from workshops…

A peer assistance program for teenage substance users was developed in which students interviewed their peers to determine substance use attitudes and frequency of substance use. Student interviewers read and studied drug curriculum materials in their health class; were taught active listening skills and counseling techniques; practiced answering…

This practicum was designed to decrease the number of at-risk high school students who were being transferred to alternative school sites because of disruptive behavior. One strategy implemented for this project involved having the program participants stay in one class all day while the teachers came into the classroom to teach their particular…

The goal of a practicum was that high school students in non-academic 10th grade English classes would develop an understanding of and appreciation for cultural differences. The English teacher challenged herself, her peers, her students, and the general school population (a regional high school in a growing community in the northeastern United…

An integrated motivation program to increase grades and improve attitudes toward English in English I Regular classes was implemented. A targeted group of high school freshman English I Regular students was established for the program with the objective to increase English I Regular students' English grades in each subsequent grading period. The…

Improving at-risk students' low self-esteem, changing the negative feeling that at-risk students have about themselves, and helping at-risk students to become empowered to do something about their poor achievement in school were the major undertaking of this project. A formalized self-esteem assessment tool, the Coopersmith Self Esteem Inventory,…

In a high school a problem existed in which 43 students in grades 9 through 12 received failing grades for the first semester due to excessive absenteeism. A target group of students with excessive school absences was identified by the school faculty. Intervention counseling sessions were held with these students. Of the 46 students, only 12 were…

A survey of teachers and students at a high school located in a small city within an argicultural district indicated the need for school administration to seek solutions and strategies for the problem of excessive discipline referrals among ninth graders. A target group of high-risk students (N=20) was identified with chronic discipline problems.…

Deficiencies in the format, content, and predictive validity of a high school credit-by-examination test in Spanish I were addressed in a study of the proposed adoption of the Level-1 1988 National Spanish Examination (NSE) and a 20-item supplement written by S. Segal that required students to write one-word answers. The NSE, sponsored by the…