Expectancy Effects in the Classroom: A Special Focus on Improving the Reading Performance of Minority Students in First-Grade Classrooms

Teacher expectations for students has been an exciting topic of research in educational psychology since the publication of Pygmalion in the Classroom by Robert Rosenthal and Lenore Jacobson (1968). This article reviews the development of research in this area and notes the rich application value of this literature for social policy issues. The article discusses an intervention program for improving the reading performance of 1st-grade low income minority students in general (and Black low income students specifically). This example is but 1 instance of how this broad research base could be used to improve performance in various social settings.