Classroom Management That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Every Teacher

by Robert J. Marzano, Jana S. Marzano

How does classroom management affect student achievement? What techniques do teachers find most effective? How important are schoolwide policies and practices in setting the tone for individual classroom management? In this follow-up to What Works in Schools , Robert J. Marzano analyzes research from more than 100 studies on classroom management to discover the answers to these questions and more. He then applies these findings to a series of "Action Steps"—specific strategies that educators can use to
* Get the classroom management effort off to a good start,

* Establish effective rules and procedures,

* Implement appropriate disciplinary interventions,

* Foster productive student-teacher relationships,

* Develop a positive "mental set,"

* Help students contribute to a positive learning environment, and

* Activate schoolwide measures for effective classroom management.
Marzano and his coauthors Jana S. Marzano and Debra Pickering provide real stories of teachers and students in classroom situations to help illustrate how the action steps can be used successfully in different situations. In each chapter, they also review the strengths and weaknesses of programs with proven track records. With student behavior and effective discipline a growing concern in schools, this comprehensive analysis is a timely guide to the critical role of classroom management in student learning and achievement.

Genres: Education, Teaching, School, Nonfiction, Teachers, Textbooks, Reference

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank god our reading group is done with this book. It annoyed me when I read it in teacher school, and I found it insulting to read as an experienced teacher. The data is old, the assumptions about student behavior narrowly focused and often wrong, and the failure to include any discussion of restorative conversations or restorative practices over discipline is misguided. There are better books for PD. Read something else.

[Pearl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for all teachers, especially those who are in their first five years of teaching. I will keep going back to this book and Harry Wong's The First Days of School to help me manage my class with ease.

[Sue Wargo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great ideas. Probably most ppl could care less about the metrics.
I was given this by my principal after a discussion. Some good ideas some seemed common sense.

[Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a little outdated at this point (I would love to see more recent research examined), this book clearly outlined some of the fundamental aspects of classroom management. I enjoyed seeing the various charts that showed how effective different approaches were. I also liked the logical explanations. While many of these approaches were not new to me, it was good to see the research that has examined them.

[Kaelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has potential to create a foundation for a brand new teacher, or an education student still working on their degree. However it holds little value for an experienced teacher, or anyone who has experience working with youth in a classroom setting (volunteer work, daycares, etc.). For anyone with experience, a lot of the advice in here will seem obvious.

Some of the opinions in the book are out-dated and no longer widely accepted, and are often criticized within childcare and education. The book was published in 2003 and uses research from the 70's-90's, so that's to be expected.

The vignettes provided as an example of student-teacher interactions were unrealistic for how an actual student would respond, especially those with behavioral challenges.

The book did offer some examples that I thought were interesting ideas and will try applying in my own classroom, but not many. If you're experienced at teaching, this book won't serve you well. If you're new at teaching, because of its outdated research it would be wiser to find a more up-to-date text to refer to.

[James Kittredge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some solid advice for new teachers, especially if they’re working in the primary grades. For most vets, though, many of the points are not going to feel especially fresh or change anybody’s life. I read it, as a HS Assistant Principal, to get some ideas for instructional coaching when working with my teachers. A lot of the stuff in the book is described better and more concretely by Harry Wong, though. Plus, many of the techniques would be infantile and patronizing at the high school level. Still, Marzano is used in many teacher training programs for a reason. It’s worth at least a skim.

[Erin McDonnell-Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would like to give this 2.5 stars out of 5 because while I appreciated the literature reviews he included throughout the text, this book isn't very relevant for current teachers--compared to some others. He offers some interesting ideas in the introduction, such as:
- the functions of effective teachers (p. 3)
- the misinterpreted idea that "'effective teachers can prevent discipline problems by keeping students interested in learning through the use of exciting classroom materials and activities. The potential for problems exists beyond academics. Students experience difficulties at home which spills over into the classroom; students experience problems with peers during class breaks and int he classroom which often involve the teacher; and students experience mood changes which can generate problems'" (p. 4).
- history of classroom management research (p. 5)
- "becoming a skilled classroom manager... can happen relatively quickly... even by simple intervention" (p. 11)

The rest of the chapters were divided into two primary parts: (1) research/literature review of each chapter topic and (2) action steps** that teachers can take.
**Action names and not typed verbatim from text

Ch. 2: Rules and Procedures
Action 1: Identify rules and procedures for your classroom (p. 18-25)
Action 2: Involve students (p. 25-26)

Ch 3: Disciplinary Interventions
"Effective discipline is a combination of effective management at school level and effective management at classroom level" (p. 27)
-Interesting figure (3.4 on p. 31): How parents and students rank negative consequences
- pages 32-33: students created a list of inappropriate teacher behaviors that affected their learning
Action 1: specific techniques that acknowledge and reinforce... (p. 35-39)
Action 2: Establish clear limits (p. 39-40)

Ch 4: Teacher-Student Relationships
-Figure 4.3 on page 45 "Student Preferences for Management Type" Grades 4-6
-Figure 4.4 on pages 46-47 "Categories of Severe Problems Facing Students (with statistics)
Action 1: Using Specific Techniques to Establish Dominance (p. 49-51)
Action 2:Use Specific Behaviors that Communicate Cooperation (p. 52-55) ***page 53
Action 3: Be aware of Students' Needs (p. 55-61)--> These review various diagnosis

Ch 5: Mental Set
Action 1: "Withitness" (p. 69-71)
Action 2: Teach to Maintain a Healthy Environment (p. 72-74)

Ch 6: Student Responsibilities
Action 1: Student Responsibilities in a Classroom (p. 80-85)
Action 2: Provide Strategies to Self-Monitor (p. 85-88)
Action 3: Provide Students with Cognitive-Based Strategies (p. 88-91)

Ch 7: Getting off to a Good Start
Action 1: Physical set-up of classroom
Action 2: Strong 1st Day strategies (p. 98-101)
Action 3: Emphasize Classroom Management for First Few Days

Ch 8: Management at School Level
This chapter reviews the importance of how school management affects classroom management and vice-versa.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is older than more popular, recent books on classroom management, but I still think every teacher (especially beginners) should read this. I read this for a class on classroom management, and I really liked the vignettes and examples provided. I could’ve done without the standard deviations and statistical data, but I mostly skipped those parts and read the little samples the book gave. I’m glad I have this book to refer back to due to the amount of research, but I might try another more recently published book when I re enter the classroom.

[Jaimie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a relatively brief read on how to create a positive learning environment as well as creating problem solving strategies when students are having behavioral issues. The book used research-based evidence, gave straightforward advice, and provided vignettes from different educators both in elementary and secondary levels.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my MS in Education course and I generally liked it. It definitely gives a bunch of tips to form your Classroom Management skills. I liked how it offered a bunch of tips and tricks where a person should be able to find a format that fits their style of teaching and personality. I think this will be helpful for people going into the teaching field, especially as they begin to student teach.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a college course. As assigned reading, it providing the information I needed, but nothing more. I would not read it for pleasure, as it lacks any poetry or prose, but for school it served its purpose.

[Zachery Deleski-Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with very practical strategies that any teacher or admin could implement immediately to improve the classroom environment. I love that Marzano is honest about the research and focuses primarily on it's effect sizes.

[Todd Gingrich · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh... pretty dry. I liked the statistics, but there is not a lot of practical knowledge present.

[Ahmed]

class management

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good resource. Will be helpful in making playbook.

[Kate Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas and good reminders but nothing new and most data is from the 1990s when I was in elementary school. Nothing about managing technology beyond an overhead projector.

[J & J · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been some time now since I read this book (as well as a second Marzano book) and what I've found is that much of what's stated and/or demonstrated in these books is very much based upon the reader or evaluator's interpretation, not necessarily Marzano's intended outcome. In addition, I am yet to find any worthiness in most of his evaluation premises, although, I do find his data compelling and logical. It's unfortunate that in some schools, his general/basic ideals are twisted and then used in ways unintended therefore causing vast confusion amongst teachers.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very informative and applicable. The arrangement of the information in each chapter makes it really approachable. It's also arranged such that taking the strategies and applying them in the classroom doesn't require any divination on the part of the reader. The way the author used meta-analysis to reach his conclusions about the techniques also leaves me believing that this stuff could really work. Definitely worth reading if you're an educator.

[Allison Junkans · Rating 2 out of 5]

My school is doing 3 book studies on Classroom Management this year. The challenge is finding a book for a very experienced staff. This was not it. This book may be helpful for a first year teacher, but I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone. I don't have any major takeaways from this book to improve my teaching.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta like Marzano's emphasis on metastudy work. This book, along with Instructional Strategies that Work, should be must read books for every teacher in the first three years of practice (and beyond of course.)

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book for the same reason that I love The Sisters' books: this isn't a gimmick-y program, it's just a meta-analysis of all the classroom management research out there. Clear, concise, nothing earth-shattering, but important to read.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to read this for one of my classes. It was a fairly easy read, but there was nothing revolutionary in it. It was mostly all things I already knew. The most interesting thing I learned was about meta-analysis and how it is used to prove research.

[Kelly McCloskey-Romero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good overview of what it takes to manage a classroom. It made total sense to me. I especially liked the chapter on mental set and within ness - as teachers, we must be attentive and responsive. Great to read at the beginning of the year.

[Bobbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the way the book was set up. If you didn't want to know the research behind everything, just how to apply it in your classroom, it's easy to skip to the action steps part of each chapter. Not any new earth shattering ideas, but a good review of good classroom management tips!

[North Landesman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, I loved this book. Another excellent book by Marzano. Full of useful strategies to help manage a classroom. Helpful for novice and veteran teachers alike. Provides a collection of research on various techniques, and what research shows, and Marzano shows his work. STRONGLY RECOMMEND.

[Roxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good tips and strategies for classroom teachers, all ages.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

so far so good... nothing super "enlightening" kind of common knowledge, but good refresher at least

[danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful read-- I really liked the "Action Steps" sections that explain how to implement practices in the classroom.

[Sara Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much more appropriate for elementary teachers and not preschool, but it was my summer reading. Good ideas to get your classroom off to a harmonious start and hopefully a harmonious year.

[Heidi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing new or exciting.