Elementary Classroom Management: Lessons from Research and Practice

Stressing the need to build caring, supportive relationships with and among students, this trusted text offers research-based guidance on effective classroom management. It addresses current concerns about student motivation and helps prospective and beginning teachers develop a philosophy of classroom management that focuses on building connections with students and creating safe, caring classrooms.

The text profiles five master teachers (grades K, 1, 3, 4 and 5) in very different school settings as they create classrooms that are orderly and productive, humane and caring. The integration of the thinking and the actual management practices of five real elementary teachers into discussions of research-based management principles prompts readers to connect theories with actual results. Further, the text demonstrates how real teachers can adapt to any circumstances--physical room constraints, curriculum requirements, challenging behaviors--and still be successful.

Carol S. Weinstein has recently retired from her position as Professor of Education at Rutgers Graduate School of Education, where she was Associate Dean of Teacher Education and Chair of the Department of Learning and Teaching. She received her doctorate from Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1975. A former public school teacher, she has authored dozens of journal articles and book chapters on topics ranging from the physical design of classrooms to prospective teachers' beliefs about classroom management. Her most recent work has focused on “culturally responsive classroom management,” and she served as the guest editor for a special issue of Theory Into Practice on “Managing Classrooms in a Diverse Society.” With Carolyn Evertson, she co-edited the first Handbook of Classroom Management: Research, Practice, and Contemporary Issues (to be published by Erlbaum, 2006). She has also written a companion volume to this text on managing secondary classrooms (McGraw-Hill). In July 2000, she received a Contributing Researcher Award from the American Federation of Teachers for "Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice in Effective Classroom Management." Her special interests are classroom organization and management, violence prevention, and teacher education.

Andrew J. Mignano Jr. is currently the principal of the Laura Donovan School in Freehold Township, New Jersey. He received his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Rutgers College in 1974 and his master’s degree in educational psychology from Kean College in 1981. During his 15 years as a teacher, he taught at all levels from kindergarten to fifth grade, including one year teaching special education. His tenure as a principal has been characterized by the implementation of new programs in early literacy, technology integration and world languages. A firm believer in professional development and teacher preparation, Mr. Mignano has worked closely with the Rutgers Office of Teacher Education. As a staff developer, he has conducted workshops on the topics of writing workshops, early literacy, brain based learning, classroom management and cooperative learning.