The Power of Expectation

Roy Rist in the Harvard Review

This is Ray Rist. Another important name when looking at the state of education in the U.S.A. 

In the 1970's, Ray Rist made an extraordinary contribution to the field of research in education. His thesis centered around the idea of 'The Power of Expectation'. 

Ray Rist began to visit a kindergarten class for African-American students. The teacher as well was African-American. In the classroom, the teacher had assigned students to specific seats and tables, according to their ability. This meant that those students who had better results in the classroom sat close to the teacher, while those who had poorer results in the classroom sat at the furthest table away from the teacher. These seat assignments, unfortunately were only based on the teacher's perception of the student skills. There had been no prior testing to verify their actual skill level. 

In examining these students more closely, Rist found that the students who the teacher had identified as 'better learners' were students from higher social classes, while those who were considered 'weak' were from lower social classes.

Risk stayed in the classroom and monitored the children for a year, finding that the students who sat close to the teacher received the most attention, and therefore performed much better. The students who sat far from the teacher, however, performed much more weakly. The further the student sat, the worse they did. The study was continued for several years after that, and Risk found that the labels the children had been given in kindergarten continued with them throughout their schooling.

So what's the point? 

If you tell a teacher that your child is 'bad at math', your child will probably end up doing poorly in math. This isn't because your child is actually bad at math. It's most likely because the teacher will treat them as though they are bad at math, and will never challenge them in this subject. 

Although no teacher would openly admit it, it's difficult these days in the educational field to believe that all children have the power to succeed. We'd like to think so, but we are warped by news of cultural, socio-economic, gender, intelligence issues that are challenging our children in different ways and making our future generation unequal and unstable. We would never blame the teachers...but it might just be the teachers fault.

As a teacher, you MUST look at all children equally as having the power to succeed. When you believe in a child, they believe in themselves. Challenges arise and they are ready to come to the line. This is how we can empower generations to come. This is what we must enforce in the field of education from now. Thank you Roy Rist.

Until the next time.