This study investigates the relationship between pupil control ideology and academic optimism. Information was generated through responses to a questionnaire emailed to teachers in two school districts in Central New Jersey. The districts were categorized GH, as determined by the State's district factor grouping. The research concludes that there is an association between pupil control ideology (PCI) and academic optimism (AO). The data revealed that a lower level of pupil control ideology, or a more humanistic control ideology, tended to correlate with a higher level of academic optimism. A similar inverse relationship with PCI existed with two subcategories of AO, teacher efficacy and trust. Teaching on the elementary level tended to be related to a humanistic pupil control ideology and higher self-efficacy, while teaching on the secondary level tended to be related to a more custodial PCI. Higher trust levels and higher emphasis on academic achievement tended to relate to teaching on the secondary level. As academic optimism has been found to affect student achievement, raising the level of awareness and eliciting productive behaviors in students through a better understanding of teacher behaviors may result from the use of the data that this study generated. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]