title: The Ready-to-Learn program: a school-based model of nurse practitioner participation in evaluating school failure.
abstract: The Ready-to-Learn program, a school-based initiative begun in 1994 in three inner-city elementary schools in Hartford, Conn., provides medical input and medical-educational collaboration in the evaluation and treatment of children experiencing learning and behavior problems. The program is staffed by two specially trained nurse practitioners, with consultation provided by pediatricians and a child psychologist. During its first year of operation, pediatric assessment was performed on 57 students at all three schools. Data analysis indicates that children were referred to the program for a broad range of concerns, that assessments were completed in a timely fashion, and that a variety of diagnoses were identified. Feedback from school personnel and parents suggests that the program offers a unique and valued pediatric perspective to the evaluation of school failure. Future plans include a more formal evaluation of the program's cost and effectiveness.
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Shannon
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Dworkin
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012574:Schools