Differential Expectations: How Race and Gender Shape Teachers’ Perceptions of Children and Their Future Outcomes

• In Event: Research in Progress Roundtable Session 2
  In Invited Roundtable: Educating African American Students: Teacher Perceptions, Restorative Justice, and Sense of Belonging (Table 9)

Abstract

By assessing teacher perceptions of young children based on an oral narrative, this study will improve our understanding of how perceptions of language shape classroom contexts, and what can be done to improve them. Using data from 99 Black and 193 White teachers of young children, this study examines teachers' perceptions of children’s characteristics, future outcomes, and potential referrals for support. Rooted in classroom socialization, stereotype threat, and racial (mis)match literature, this study addresses three research questions geared at understanding how an oral narrative, race, and gender might prime teachers' perceptions of children. Implications for improving classroom culture, literacy development, professional learning for teachers, and educational policies are discussed.

Author

• Gabrielle Tanksley, University of Michigan