This handbook, which is designed to promote cooperation between classroom teachers and teacher aides, discusses the role of the aide, aides' understanding of children, communication and learning, the classroom environment, and evaluation of job performance. The section on the role of the teacher aide includes an organizational chart of the school system, and information about interpersonal relationships and the aide in the classroom. The section about understanding of the child provides information about human behavior and development, including physical, mental, emotional, and social growth. The section on communication and learning explores foundations for literacy; use and development of language in school; the source of language development; the teacher aide's role; the linking of spoken and written language; function and form of language; functional and meaningful experiences; the process of asking young children questions; conferencing; language experience; and activities for learning to communicate. The section about the classroom environment discusses the relation of the environment to the quality of learning; classroom work stations and collectibles for them; examples of work stations; activities with blocks; work stations organized around housekeeping activities; and other kinds of work stations. Appendices provide related materials, such as finger plays, citations of books for pattern writing, and references to related reading. (RH)