Detrimental circumstances (e.g., poverty, homelessness) may affect parents, parenting, and children. These circumstances may lead to children being labeled "at risk" for school failure. To ameliorate this risk, more school and school earlier (e.g., Head Start) is offered. To improve child outcomes, Head Start teachers are expected to…

These case studies of nine elementary school teachers explore possible relationships between teacher mood and supportive instructional behavior. Each case study is presented in three sections. Section One examines the context of the classroom being observed. Included are descriptions of the schools and their environs, characteristics of the…