Background. Student achievement and adequate yearly progress (AYP) have practitioners and researchers alike searching for strategies that will sustainable student academic growth. One area of study that may inform practitioners is furthering an understanding of student-teacher relationships for students of differing abilities and in different types of schools and situations. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare and contrast the level of teacher influence perceived by fifth grade students from poverty and affluent schools in a rural Midwestern community. Method. Research was conducted using a mixed-methods approach, with data collected from 24 semi-structured student interviews. Results. Results indicated similarities between the perceptions of teacher influence for students in poverty and affluent schools on school-related issues, as well as differences in perceptions of overall teacher influence on their lives, especially on non-school related issues. Conclusions. An implication of the study is that students in poverty tend to have weaker foundational relationships with parents and lack trust of adults in general, and therefore may not have the emotional and psychological building blocks to naturally form strong relationships with teachers. Recommendations include concentrated efforts in mentoring students of poverty, as well as promoting experiences with influential adults in order to build stronger positive relationships both in and out of school.

Background. Since 2002, No Child Left Behind has caused administrators to place great emphasis on academic learning. This has practitioners seeking strategies that will produce student academic growth, yet few are looking to bolster student-teacher relationships (S-T relationships), a strategy that has shown promise in the area of student achievement for students of differing abilities and in different types of schools and situations. Purpose. The purpose of this study was to explore S-T relationships and answer the central question: “What teacher behaviors influence fifth-grade students’ perceptions of desirable teacher characteristics?” Method. Research was conducted with the primary qualitative data collected from 24 semi-structured student interviews. Results and discussion. Results revealed teacher behaviors that were valued by students. The behaviors included consistent help (with high expectations); a sense of humor; active listening, providing for a sense of community, and several others. The identification of these behaviors could provide goals for personal development by teachers, as well as assist administrators and other hiring officials searching for potentially successful hires. These themes could also provide a foundation around which a perceiver survey could be developed. Conclusions. Regardless of circumstances and developments, educators and districts must never overlook the importance of cultivating student-teacher relationships in their classrooms.