Educators often speak of improving classroom climate, closing
the achievement gap, collaboration, teacher empowerment, high expectations, and raising self-esteem. Usually our concept of improvement involves fixing someone else. TESA suggests that
the surest way to create change is to change ourselves.

TESA is a behavioral change staff development program for all educators, grade levels, and subject areas. In the TESA coordinator training, participants learn 15 interactions designed to encourage equitable interaction with all students. The program is based on expectation theory and the early research of Thomas Good and
Jere Brophy.

TESA is designed to modify the way teachers interact with students through heightened awareness of how perceptions affect their expectations. Results of classroom research shows that use of
TESA interactions improves student academic performance, gender
and diversity awareness, attendance, classroom climate, and reduces student discipline problems.

TESA fulfills the requirement of providing professional development activities for teachers, and school administrators under Title I, II, III,
and V of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

Classrooms of the next century will reflect the diversity of changing demographics in our communities. Students in a majority of today's schools represent a myriad of languages, ethnicities, cultures and values. The TESA program offers teachers effective strategies proven
to help students achieve academic and personal success.