The "Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations"

In the article in my last email about the study showing the importance of expectations and stereotypes, I hypothesized that "findings would be similar if the same study was done for minorities".  Sure enough, one of my friends (the principal of a KIPP school) said he gives the article below to all of his teachers every year...

 

The "Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations"

http://www.annenberginstitute.org/challenge/pubs/cj/cjv5n2.pdf

 

Although the achievement gap has many causes, one of the most significant -- and difficult to solve -- is the legacy of racism in the United States. Centuries of discrimination have left a residue of belief that African Americans and other children of color cannot succeed. Despite the rhetoric that "all children can learn," the belief that some children cannot learn at high levels persists. And when young people believe that society does not expect them to succeed, or when they themselves believe they cannot succeed, they do poorly in school.