Aggressive consultation in the schools with mini-consultants, college credits—and a show of power

Abstract

How can a consultant or "change agent" become effective in the public schools? (a) A university instructor placed undergraduate education students in elementary classrooms every morning for a year to conduct behavioral projects. These "innocent change agents" stimulated teachers to ponder their teaching through explaining goals and procedures and collecting data. (b) Graduate students in school psychology served as "mini-consultants." (c) The teachers were enrolled in a year-long course for college credits and salary increments and assigned behavioral projects in their classrooms. Thirteen teachers successfully changed behaviors in 60 of 70 attempts. Fifteen recommendations are presented.