Besides their homes, children spend more time in classrooms than any other place.
Especially in rural areas, the classroom may be one of the most important settings for children’s
emotional, behavioral, and cognitive development. Considering the strong push for inclusion
and the under-identification of students with or at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders
(EBD), general education classrooms are likely to include students who experience significant
emotional and behavior problems that challenge teachers’ management skills and adversely
affect academic achievement. Teachers and administrators across rural America have called out
for professional development related to EBD and classroom management; yet, no study in the
literature has investigated the quality of classroom management taking place in rural elementary
schools to assess potential associations with the reading achievement and behavior of students
with or at risk for EBD. Data from this study were drawn from the Family Life Project, an
epidemiological study of families in low-wealth, rural communities. With a sample of 235
children with or at risk for EBD who were followed from kindergarten through third grade, this
study explored the cumulative effects of classroom management quality across the first four
years in school on children’s reading achievement and behavior in third grade. Results
suggested students’ self-reported engagement and disaffection in third grade was not related to
the quality of classroom management they had experienced. However, hierarchical multiple
regressions and moderation analysis suggested that as the overall quality of classroom
management improved, boys with or at risk for EBD scored significantly higher on a
standardized test of reading comprehension in third grade, while girls appeared unaffected by the
quality of classroom management. Implications for teachers and future directions in research are
discussed.