JUVENILE DELINQUENCY HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO PERSONAL, INDIVIDUAL PATHOLOGY IN THE CHILD ITSELF OR IN THE CHILD'S FAMILY BACKGROUND THAT CAUSES ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS. GOVERNMENTS HAVE DEPENDED UPON SCHOOLS TO TEACH CERTAIN TYPES OF BEHAVIOR TO CHILDREN, SUCH AS DISCIPLINE, PUNCTUALITY, AND OBEDIENCE, AND TO OFFER COUNSELING FOR CHILDREN WITH ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS. BUT THREE RECENT SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES PROPOSE THAT IT IS THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ITSELF THAT HELPS PRODUCE DELINQUENCY. COHEN (1955) AND CLOWARD AND OHLIN (1961) HOLD THAT DELINQUENCY RESULTS WHEN TEACHERS IN A MIDDLE CLASS SCHOOL SYSTEM IMPOSE MIDDLE CLASS VALUE SYSTEMS ON CHILDREN FROM THE WORKING CLASS, ASSIGN THEM TO A LOWER STATUS, AND IMPEDE THEM FROM ATTAINING THEIR OWN SUCCESS GOALS. MILLER (1958) MAINTAINS THAT DELINQUENCY RESULTS FROM STUDENTS' BASIC LACK OF COMMITMENT TO MIDDLE-CLASS NORMS AND COMMUNITY BEHAVIOR. THE THIRD THEORY, DISTINGUISHABLE IN THE WORKS OF CICOUREL AND KITSUSE (1963) AND WERTHMEN (1967) CONCENTRATES ON THE INTERACTION OF PUPILS AND TEACHERS. THE TEACHERS' TREATMENT OF PUPILS CAN HAVE THE EFFECT OF REINFORCING AND CONFIRMING DELINQUENT AND PROBLEMATIC SCHOOL BEHAVIOR. RESULTS FROM SEVERAL SMALL STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT CERTAIN SCHOOLS, REGARDLESS OF SIZE OR STUDENTS' AGE, SHOW CONSISTENT HIGH RATES OF DELINQUENCY. FINDINGS OF A STUDY OF EIGHT OF THESE SCHOOLS INDICATE CERTAIN COMMON CHARACTERISTICS: RIGID CLASSIFYING OF STUDENTS BY SCHOLASTIC ABILITIES, FREQUENT USE OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT, HIGH STAFF TURNOVERS, AND A CUSTODIAL OR AUTHORITARIAN SCHOOL CLIMATE. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT SCHOOL PERFORMANCE LEVELS REGARDING DELINQUENCY BE MONITORED AND THAT SCHOOLS BE MADE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR PERFORMANCE. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)