The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of behavior modification on enhancing the self-esteem of low-income Black and Puerto Rican elementary school children. Social reinforcement in the form of teacher praise was given to students who made any legitimate positive statements about themselves. The reinforcement was designed to increase the number of positive self-referent statements verbalized by the students. The Coppersmith Self-Esteem Inventory was administered to see if the experimental procedures were effective in improving self esteem. A total of 30 children selected from 10 classes in the third, fourth, and fifth grades, in a low-income New York elementary school were used in this study. The children were black and Puerto Rican low-income students ranging in age from 8 to 11. Ten of the 30 children (5 boys and 5 girls) were placed in each of the 3 treatment groups; the experimental group (those receiving praise), the control group (those receiving no praise, but in the same classrooms), and the inventory group (those in different classrooms). In a 7-week study, it was found that a behavior modification program was effective in significantly improving self-esteem. The use of praise was effective in increasing the number of positive self-referent verbalizations. (Author/JM)