A mediated peer coaching program implemented in rural Middle Tennessee in 1984-85 was designed to improve classroom instruction within the constraints imposed by poor, rural schools. Participants were 35 teachers in 9 rural schools, each assigned to a peer coaching team consisting of teachers in the same school but with different grade and/or subject assignments and different levels of experience. Participants met monthly with the project director to discuss some aspect of effective schools research and practice using the Effective Teaching Checklist developed by Tennessee Technological University. Peer team members observed each other teaching, ranked specified teaching behaviors, reviewed observation results, and developed personal instructional improvement goals based on the observations. Participants used the Effective Teaching Checklist to evaluate video-tapes of their lessons recorded at the beginning and end of the school year. Analysis of the data showed significant differences in 8 of 12 categories evaluated: selection of methods, selection of materials, instruction, questioning, motivation, classroom management, providing practice, and evaluation and feedback. In this study, mediated peer coaching was effective in changing overall teaching behaviors and was a cost-effective method of providing in-class feedback and support for rural teachers. The teaching evaluation form and evaluation criteria are appended. (JHZ)