A research study was conducted to find reliable indicators of teacher dispositions that would provide at-risk children with effective educational outcomes. The research indicates that socio-cultural factors provide the best reference points for developing a true picture of teachers of at-risk children. In the U.S., there is a disconnect between the mainly white, middle class teachers, and the increasingly culturally-different students that they serve. The study provides students with an exchange of European and American students to explore socio-cultural factors in classrooms and the inherent dispositions needed by teachers to be effective with at risk students.