Abstract:
If an outcome of education is to prepare students to be productive citizens, employability
skills are an imperative integration. The topic of employability skills is not new; these skills
have previously been identified as non-cognitive or soft skills. The school district under study
implemented the PRIDE program to teach employability skills. PRIDE is an acronym for
persistence, respectfulness, initiative, dependability, and efficiency. The study included 595
students from kindergarten through fifth grade within two different elementary schools.
The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference between
employability skills implementation models of a formal purchased program compared to a
teacher-developed school-based program. The study compared student pre- to post-PRIDE
Rubric scores and the relationship of independent variables (to a student’s displayed increase in
employability skills and meeting academic growth targets). The study found that the teacherdeveloped
program resulted in a significantly higher Pride rubric score. Also, students in both
schools with a lower Socio-Economic Status (SES)of Free, as determined by qualifying for free
meal status, increased their pre- to post-PRIDE Rubric score while students with SES of Paid, as
