A FIVE-YEAR LONGITUDINAL STUDY WAS CONDUCTED OF 1550 CHILDREN, 384 OF WHOM WERE INTENSIVELY STUDIED AFTER BEING IDENTIFIED BY THEIR TEACHERS AS DEMONSTRATING SOCIALLY APPROVED OR SOCIALLY DISAPPROVED BEHAVIOR. AFTER 5 YEARS, THE SOCIALLY DISRUPTIVE GROUP OF 192 STUDENTS WAS LOWER IN ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT THAN THEIR APPROVED COUNTERPARTS. THEY CONTINUED TO DISPLAY SOCIALLY DISAPPROVED CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR AND WERE IN MORE FREQUENT CONTACT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT (1) TEACHER DISAPPROVAL, POOR SELF CONCEPT, AND FAILURE TO GAIN APPROVAL SCHOLASTICALLY CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE REGRESSION OF THE CHILD THROUGH UNDERACHIEVEMENT, SCHOOL DROPOUT, DELINQUENCY, AND EVENTUAL OVERT CRIMINALITY, (2) THE TEACHER MUST MAKE CAREFUL IDENTIFICATION OF CHILDREN EXHIBITING AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR AND ATTEMPT TO DELINEATE ITS EXACT CAUSE, AND (3) CURRICULAR INNOVATION CAN CONTRIBUTE MARKEDLY TO A DECREASED SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE, BUT MUCH RESEARCH IS NEEDED ON NEW METHODS OF MOTIVATING AND INSTRUCTING THE SOCIALLY DISRUPTIVE STUDENT. RELATED DOCUMENTS ARE RC 000 405, RC 000 406, AND ED 014 335. (DA)