ALTHOUGH INACCURATE AND INSENSITIVE SOCIAL LABELING HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REINFORCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF DEVIANCY, THE AUTHOR CITES HIS AGREEMENT WITH NICHOLAS HOBBS'S STUDY OF SOCIAL LABELING WHICH ADVOCATES THE DEVELOPMENT OF CLASSIFICATION SYSTEMS THAT EFFECTIVELY DO AID INTERVENTION EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF MALFUNCTIONING YOUTH. THE CHALLENGE BEFORE SOCIAL SCIENTISTS AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS IS SEEN TO BE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SYSTEM THAT WILL USE THE BENEFITS OF LABELING WHILE DIMINISHING ITS NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES. IN DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE, PROBLEMS OF CONTEMPORARY LABELING SYSTEMS ARE REVIEWED, A DESCRIPTIVE TYPOLOGY OF LABELING SYSTEMS USED IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IS PRESENTED, AND A NUMBER OF RECOMMENDATIONS DESIGNED TO PROMOTE MORE EFFECTIVE SOCIAL LABELING AND INTERVENTION IN PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS ARE PROPOSED. INACCURATE LABELING, WHICH MAY MEAN UNDERLABELING OR OVERLABELING A STUDENT, IS VIEWED AS A PRINCIPAL FAILING. IN DISCUSSING CONCEPTUAL TYPOLOGIES OF THE LABELING PROCESS, A TABLE IS PRESENTED AND DISCUSSED WHICH DEALS WITH THE VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF ACCURATE AND INACCURATE SOCIAL LABELING BY SELF (STUDENT) AND OTHERS (TEACHERS). IT IS INDICATED THAT EFFECTIVE LABELING SYSTEMS MUST BE BASED UPON VALID KNOWLEDGE GENERATED PRIMARILY BY EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION, WHILE SUCH KNOWLEDGE MUST BE CHARACTERIZED BY PREDICTIVE POTENCY. ONCE ACCURATE DEFINITIONS OF A STUDENT'S DEVIANT BEHAVIOR ARE FORMULATED, AN EFFORT SHOULD BE MADE TO PRESCRIBE INTERVENTIONS THAT CAN REDUCE OR ELIMINATE SUCH BEHAVIORS. WHEN LABELS ARE NO LONGER VALID IN THE LIGHT OF BEHAVIORAL CHANGES, THEY SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM STUDENT RECORDS AND THE ACTION MADE KNOWN TO ALL SCHOOL PERSONNEL INTERACTING WITH THE STUDENT INVOLVED. (RCB)