Teaching in the inner city (elementary and middle schools), i have a lot of students who need lots of attention.

A few tips:

If they want attention give it to them! But give it to them whenever they are doing something good. That will be different from student to student because for some students sitting still for 5 minutes is an accomplishment!

Some kids are experts and pushing your buttons and sucking you into a verbal match. Don't fall for it. When they are misbehaving, respond quickly, directly, and free of emotion.

A kid who is able to get other kids to laugh is getting attention that way. Make your expectations clear that inappropriate behavior is to be ignored by other students. Allow students with permission to relocate if they need to if it helps them ignore that behavior.

Know your ring leaders - know who they are and get them on your side. If the ring leaders are on your side, then so will most of the class and the few misbehaving will be seen as problemsome and not funny or heroic or anything

Call parents when kids are doing things well. Indirect attention is still attention.

One tactic I find very useful (up to some 7th grade classes) is to invite appropriately behaving students one at a time by name to another area of the room to finish an activity disrupted by students searching for attention in negative ways. This not only allows you to finish the lesson with the behaving students, it removes ANY attention from other students or you towards that student. Most students who are misbehaving for attention get completely ignored, and often change quickly in order to join the rest of the group (don't forget to praise them for behaving appropriately even though they were angry or whatever).

Attention is a powerful and very easy reward for students who crave it, so use it wisely!

Good Luck