This study examined whether sending frequent encouraging electronic mail (e-mail) messages to elementary and special education student teachers would improve their teaching skills and performance on the Praxis II Principles of Learning and Teaching examination. In 2001, 43 elementary and special education student teachers enrolled in a professional seminar course were randomly assigned to one of two groups. All 43 student teachers received e-mail messages from the professor regarding exams, job openings, and links to helpful Internet sites. Both groups also received inspirational e-mail messages tied to Pathwise competencies encouraging them to maintain a high level of performance. Twenty-one student teachers were assigned to receive more frequent encouraging e-mail messages from the professor, and 22 student teachers were assigned to receive less frequent encouraging e-mail messages. The group that received frequent messages earned a higher mean score on the Principles of Learning and Teaching examination than the group that did not, but the difference was not statistically significant. The two groups scored similarly on a measure of teaching performance adapted from Pathwise. The group that received frequent e-mail messages responded to a placement survey sent via e-mail at a higher rate than those who did not. (Author/SM)