This monograph provides a schema that educators can use to help make the behavior of children and young people more sensitive to the intricacies of the world in which they learn and develop. Features include: (1) a review of the literature on the key issues facing teachers; (2) information on developmentally related discipline issues; (3) an ecological framework for use in considerations of discipline and student behavior; and (4) a look at some proposed strategies for better responding to discipline in the school and at home. A major purpose of the monograph is to promote a more accurate concept of what discipline is with respect to student behavior. Key areas examined are the ecological framework of discipline, prevention of disruptive behavior, relating and responding to behavior problems in effective ways, and strategies for supporting prosocial development in children and youth. Concluding discussion focuses on factors beyond the classroom that influence the ecology of student behavior. These include schoolwide leadership, the district's curriculum framework, school-community relationships, community attitudes and resources, and the society's value system. Each factor is explored in terms of its potential for strengthening the student's position in the development and learning process. Seventy-eight references are listed. (RH)