Fast Fact: Teacher Perceptions Shape Student Outcomes

A new study in Teachers College Record finds that African-American students get lower grades than they are capable of, whereas the opposite is true among white students. The study concludes that teacher perception of the student is the most important factor contributing to whether the student fulfills his or her academic potential, regardless of the student’s behaviors and attitudes. What does this mean? That teacher beliefs and expectations can bolster or undermine student success.