One simple and naturalistic strategy shown to have positive effects on both academic and behavioral outcomes is teachers' use of praise statements. Praise statements can be broadly categorized as general praise and behavior-specific praise (BSP). In a general praise statement, a teacher delivers verbal praise without describing the behavior for which the students are praised. Statements such as "good job" or "nice work" are examples of general praise statements. In a BSP statement, a teacher approves (rewards) a specific academic or social behavior with a verbal comment, the praise statement (i.e., "Joe, I like the way you solved the division problem"). BSP is effective when it is delivered contingently: immediately following the desired behavior. Using praise statements allows teachers to provide feedback on the specific student behavior they are trying to reinforce. In addition, teachers' use of praise is effective in providing encouragement, building self-esteem, and promoting positive teacher-student relationships. In order to demonstrate that BSP can be effective with older students, the purpose of this study was to teach two first-year math teachers about the use of BSP and to assess the effects of this training on rates of teacher reprimands and student disruptive behavior in two eighth-grade general education classrooms. In addition, to increase the probability of the teachers using BSP during their daily lessons, the authors used a relatively low-tech method (MotivAider[R] device) to increase the teachers' rate of BSP. The authors found that the two teachers were able to respond in positive and proactive ways to disruptive classroom behaviors that interfered with their instruction. Although teacher praise is an important instructional strategy that is relatively simple to implement, there is strong evidence that it is underused in classrooms. Finding strategies to remind teachers to deliver BSP during hectic teaching schedules is important, and if used correctly and consistently, it can have a significant positive impact on student participation, classroom atmosphere, and teacher-student interactions especially for teachers who instruct in stressful environments. (Contains 2 figures.)