This practicum addressed the low self-esteem, poor academic achievement, strained interpersonal relationships, and difficulty in dealing with growing diversity noted in fifth-graders in an urban elementary school. A six-part solution strategy was developed that emphasized: (1) building realistic self-esteem; (2) increasing cultural and ethnic awareness; (3) enhancing cooperative learning; (4) teaching conflict resolution; (5) improving language arts; and (6) presenting opportunities for students to share their talents with others. These strategies were implemented over a 12-week period through various classroom activities and individualized projects. Academic achievement, discipline problems, and growth in self esteem were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of the program. It was found that student achievement scores were significantly higher for the fifth-graders exposed to the intervention than for the previous year's fifth-graders. In-school and out-of-school suspensions among fifth-graders decreased 19 percent from the previous year. Student self-esteem increased significantly over the course of the intervention. (Three appendixes contain self-esteem questionnaires, a sample individual action plan, and a sample individual action lesson plan. Contains 17 references. (MDM)