In terms of race, Boser noted that teachers and students from different backgrounds may misunderstand each other.
“Look at racial demographics,” said Boser. “Most of our teachers are white, but most students are of color. To not understand where people are coming from can lead to these types of issues.”
The study says the Common Core State Standards may be a remedy. The standards have been adopted in a majority of states to raise education standards and make sure students across the country are held to the same benchmarks.
The possible link between teacher expectations and student achievement is not new. In the 1960s, an experiment at a California elementary school dubbed the idea that high expectations lead to high performance the Pygmalion effect, after the Greek myth. In the experiment, teachers were told some students possessed exceptional intelligence — even though there was no evidence they were above average. Nevertheless, those students showed unparalleled achievement by the end of the year.
A previous study from University of Virginia and Rutgers University researchers found that teachers’ expectations of students was a more powerful predictor of future success than parents’ expectations and students’ expectations of themselves.
“The United States needs to raise its expectations for students — as well as educators,” the CAP study says. “The Pygmalion Effect can go a long way toward helping our children succeed in college and in life.”
Article Appeared @http://blackstarjournal.org/?p=4440