At-risk students who exhibit disruptive behavior need opportunities to fit into the traditional school setting. Teachers need to employ a progressive, cooperative approach in which these students are helped to acknowledge that their behavior is unacceptable. The profile of an at-risk student might include the following characteristics: hostility, few goals, expulsions from school, academic inferiority, transiency, and low self-concept. Teachers must understand the importance of feelings and create an atmosphere of open communication, honesty, and trust in order to foster in at-risk students an attitude of responsibility for their own actions and a willingness to bear the consequences for misbehavior. These youngsters must be given opportunities for success; they must learn that misbehavior is not beneficial and that cooperation is a more rewarding experience. Teachers can aid in building self-responsibility skills by: building self-esteem, building decision-making skills, rewarding responsible behavior, encouraging students to be accountable, including students in decision making, always showing respect, praising students' efforts, establishing achievable goals, assessing students' skills individually, and offering individualized instruction. (LL)