Effort Targets 'Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations'
Social studies teacher Marjorie Kahiga, second from left, sits among her 6th grade students during a two-day professional-development program for teachers at Hawthorne Avenue School of Science and Technology in Newark, N.J., last week.
—Emile Wamsteker for Education Week
By Including Students in Teacher Workshops, a N.J. School May Open Educators' Eyes to More Students' Potential
Newark, N.J.
Researchers and policymakers agree that teachers’ expectations of what their students can do can become self-fulfilling prophecies for children’s academic performance.
Yet while the “soft bigotry of low expectations” has become an education catchphrase, scholars and advocates are just beginning to explore whether it is possible to prevent such expectations from taking root by making teachers and students aware of their beliefs about students.
“A lot of what we do is built on a belief system,” said Stefanie Rome, the director of professional development for the New York City-based National Urban Alliance for Effective Education . “What beliefs do we have about how students learn? How do...
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Correction:
An earlier version of this story gave an incorrect name for the research company evaluating the program. The evaluator is Westat, based in Rockville, Md.
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