This Research Action Brief describes five studies designed to test techniques for decreasing disruptive student conduct in the secondary school classroom. The two behavior modification studies discussed showed strong positive results. Questions remain, however, concerning the permanence of behavior changes that are dependent on reward systems and concerning the wisdom of associating appropriate behavior with rewards not intrinsic to the behavior itself. The two humanistic studies in class management concentrated on the rapport created between students and teachers. The first involved teaching communication techniques to teachers, while the second revealed that alternative schools suffer from far fewer disciplinary problems than do traditional schools. The fifth study combined elements of both types of approach. A high level of interaction between teacher and student, derived from humanist thinking, was used as the reward in a system derived from behavior modification. (Author/PGD)