The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between externalizing behavior and peer reputations of kindergarten through third-grade students (N = 35, from 18 classrooms) with or at risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBDs). We also examined the extent to which this relation varied as a function of teacher delivery of praise. A…

Elementary school students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are likely to experience social difficulties and challenges with peer relationships (e.g., victimization, rejection, isolation, and negative peer influence). A particularly salient influence on students' classroom-based social experiences is how they are…

This article examines the ways Hazel, a white girl entering kindergarten, became known as a child with a problem rather than a problem child in her gentrifying school. Building on a year of classroom observations and interviews with students, school staff, and parents, author Alexandra Freidus identifies the role of racialized discourses related…

A number of studies report that from the first years of life, preterm children have more difficulty self-regulating and communicating in their social group. If these children show signs of difficulty adjusting socially, the question then is whether or not these problems continue and persist over time. The objective is to observe the combined…

Students of color are overrepresented in school disciplinary records nationally, but little is known about how disciplinary disproportionality varies among groups. Classroom observations in 1 elementary school suggested that when Latino students misbehaved, teachers were less inclined to interpret their behavior as problematic and less inclined to…

Multiple contexts interact to position any school on a spectrum from cumulatively advantaged to cumulatively disadvantaged. This article discusses a study of the contextual advantages and disadvantages experienced by primary schools in the south east of England, concentrating especially on schools in the least deprived 5% of schools nationally.…

In most classrooms, there are students who have academic, behavioral, and/or interpersonal challenges that can disrupt the classroom community. In some cases, these challenges can build momentum, leading to a negative reputation or "story" that can follow the student throughout school. This academic, yearlong case study focused on Mae Graham, an…