Kahlil, 13, said, “If I don’t get a good education, my future would be like working at McDonald’s or working on the streets.”-Photo courtesy Education Week

When we think about the barriers that prevent a student from achieving academic success, we can point to easily apparent signs of trouble. We notice when a child is wearing the same clothes every day or falling asleep in class too often. External cues like these tip people off to students in distress.

But there’s another, less visible obstacle that can hold a student back: low expectations. When a student is in an environment that either overtly or subtly sends a message that the bar is set too high, what point is there to homework? Why bother going to class? Why expect anything better than the current reality?

In recent years, research has proven time and again that one of the main reasons young black males have difficulty succeeding in the classroom is due to being raised in a culture of low expectations. In November 2010, the Council of the Great City Schools released a study about black male achievement on a national level. They found that because of disadvantages faced outside the classroom and low expectations by society, black males are less likely to participate in academic clubs, more likely to be suspended from school and more likely than their white peers to be held back a grade. View full article »