A concerned teacher makes the difference

Abstract

The chief cause of low achievement of disadvantaged children is that too many teachers and principals honestly believe that these children are educable only to an extremely limited extent. Disadvantaged children rarely exceed the expectation level of their teachers, and it is devastating for these children to have teachers who have a low expectation level for their learning. In fact, children with adequate intellectual endowment may do poorly in school because they perceive themselves as not able. The teacher's negative image of disadvantaged children lowers the children's self-perception or self-image and affects their academic achievement and classroom behavior.