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Much has been written about peer-to-peer maltreatment, but very little research has been conducted on the topic of teacher-to-student maltreatment. Numerous empirical studies have documented the importance of school climate upon academic achievement. The role a teacher plays in providing this nurturing and secure environment is vital. The purpose of this study is to share the experiences and perceptions of students completing the Graduate Equivalent Diploma (GED) and university students concerning student maltreatment in grades 1-12 and to determine whether gender and ethnicity play a role in this phenomenon. Additionally, the study seeks to establish whether teacher-to-student maltreatment plays a part in whether students drop out of school or continue with their education. This mixed-method study uses quantitative and qualitative survey data as well as personal interviews. The study population included 101 students--49 GED students and 52 university students. All participants completed a revised version of the "Student Alienation Trauma Survey," which offered closed-ended Likert-type items addressing various forms of teacher-to-student maltreatment. Seventy students completed "My Worst School Experience Survey," which was a survey asking the students to describe, in essay form, their worst school experience. Eight students (four GED/four university) were personally interviewed. Analysis of the quantitative data revealed few differences in the groups experiencing teacher-to-student maltreatment, leading the researcher to fail to reject the null hypothesis in all categories except one. When the researcher collapsed the scores within Parson's (2005) four categories of abuse (physical, verbal, professional, and psychological) the type of student and gender category had an F value of 4.071 with a significance of 0.047 with regard to verbal abuse (alpha = 0.05). Results indicated university females incurred the most verbal abuse with GED females incurring the least. These results indicated that the participants in this study (which were represented by GED students and university students, both genders, and five ethnicities) reported that their experiences were much the same with regards to teacher-to-student maltreatment, and that although teacher-to-student maltreatment was sometimes present in the classroom, it was generally meted out equally among the students. Through the qualitative portion of this study, using "My Worst School Experience Survey" and personal interviews, the researcher determined that maltreatment was present in the classroom. Six themes emerged: (1) often teacher-to-student maltreatment was performed in front of other students or teachers with the abusive teacher appearing to feel no personal or professional repercussions, (2) teachers could be classified as sadistic bully or bully-victim teachers, (3) students accepted some blame for their maltreatment, (4) teachers exhibited inequitable treatment of students either personally or professionally, (5) teachers and students lacked positive two-way communication, (6) students either emulated the teacher and victimized the singled out student, or students united in support of the student. This study offers insight into the experiences and perceptions of GED and university students with regards to teacher-to-student maltreatment during grades 1-12. The results reveal implications for teacher education and suggestions for future research. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]