This is a powerful article by Seth Gershenson, published by think-tank, Brookings.

via The alarming effect of racial mismatch on teacher expectations | Brookings Institution.

The large research study confirms that white teachers have lower expectations for black students than black teachers for the same students. In other words there is systematic racial bias in teachers’ expectations.

Whilst the author stresses that the results are not intended to demonize, the teachers’ expectations will nevertheless affect outcomes.

The author concludes that ‘Teachers can avoid the”soft bigotry of low expectations” by maintaining, and expressing, high expectations for each and every student’.

Personally, I would argue that the bigoted practices are a function of restrictive practices maintained by teaching unions.

The bigotry could be eradicated by bringing in foreign teachers into the US education system. Similary, US teachers need to be sent on a sebatical to countries where black people are the majority. Or US teachers should be encouraged to participate in the VSO program.  Also greater mobility of teachers even within the US should encouraged, so that teachers broaden their outlook. Most professions have continuous training and teaching needs some radical trarnsformation.

These findings are probably generalizable to other countries, like for example the UK, where heavily unionized restricted practices institutionalize political and social bias – despite increasing costs for UK education, output against international benchmarks is falling.

Thoughts?

Related articles

• Racism in the classroom: the “soft bigotry of low expectations” is just regular bigotry
• Middle income countries need to learn how to learn
• Wanted: New American Teachers
• The Visual Indoctrination of the Bigot, an Interactive Look at Modern Prejudice
• The Colleges Whose Students Almost Always Repay Their Debts
• Free college plan pushes for reform