The subject of educational equity is becoming more prominent in classrooms nationwide. Teachers, administrators, and legislators are all advocating for equitable access to resources, inclusive curriculums, and assistance for students from diverse backgrounds. However, one silent but potent factor is frequently ignored amidst all the well-intentioned reforms and policy changes: low expectations.
Not all expectations are expressed verbally. Sometimes, in the guise of compassion or lower standards in the name of kindness, they hide behind smiles and gentle voices. However, instructors deny students the chance to advance when they, consciously or unconsciously, have lower expectations for them. Equity is not about making things simpler for students. By pushing them, having faith in them, and holding them to a high level of quality, it is about getting every pupil ready to succeed.
The compelling narrative of how one low-performing school changed into a model of academic success and cultural pride is told in Sylvester Brown’s book A Blueprint: A Journey to Excellence. Brown, an educator and former principal, is one of the few individuals who fully comprehends this. Only 20% of the students at the school Brown was tasked with leading were reading at their grade level. The problems were intricate: widespread poverty, few resources, poor staff morale, and deeply ingrained beliefs about what the pupils could accomplish.
The biggest barrier, Brown soon discovered, was not simply the lack of resources or training, but rather the attitude. After years of fighting, several instructors had come to accept the idea that some pupils were doomed to fail. Brown observed how this attitude manifested itself in less obvious ways: in less stringent classroom assignments, in reduced grading criteria, and in the absence of meaningful feedback. These behaviors were not motivated by malice. Their motivation was often compassion. However, they produced the same outcome: students were left unprepared and unmotivated.
Brown describes in his book how he tried to alter the school’s culture. He was convinced that, with the proper encouragement and high expectations, students from any background could succeed. He told his workers to teach as if every student had the capacity for success, which they did. He included parents and community members in the learning process, promoted cooperation among grade levels, and used novel teaching methods. Consequently, reading competence improved to over 80%, and the whole school environment changed.
The main lesson from Brown’s story is that we give less when we have lower expectations. Additionally, pupils learn less as we give less. Low expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Children learn about the beliefs of the adults in their environment. A teacher is less inclined to teach complex topics if they think a pupil is not capable of mastering them. An administrator is less likely to seek innovation if they don’t think a school can get better. Fairness requires that we change this trend. We must demand more of every pupil, not less.
It’s not to say that all students should be taught in the same manner. Equity is not the same as equality. Fairness is what it implies. Certain pupils will require extra assistance, time, or varied learning strategies. However, none of that should be misconstrued as having lower expectations. The standard should be raised by differentiation, not lowered.
Brown’s narrative serves as a reminder that equity begins with conviction. The conviction that students can succeed. The belief that teachers have the ability to guide. The notion that schools can improve even if they have been failing for decades. That idea needs to be coupled with action: community participation, honest data analysis, ongoing professional development, and thorough education. But faith comes first. Even the greatest reforms will fail without it.
Schools need to ask tougher questions as they continue to analyze their practices through an equity lens, going beyond access to resources. Do we honestly think that every student can succeed? Do our grading standards reflect high expectations for every student? Do we communicate with students about their possibilities in the same manner as we do with our own children? If the answer is no, then we are not acting equitably; rather, we are practicing inequality in a more palatable form.
Raising expectations is not just the right thing to do; it also works because it alters results, as shown by Sylvester Brown’s tale. It transforms lives. Above all, it demonstrates to students that they are deserving of challenge, development, and the highest expectations we can establish.
Equity with no expectations is not equity at all. It’s nothing more than agreeing to the way things are. Real equity demands that we have faith in, challenge, encourage, and expect the best from every student, regardless of their zip code, history, or prior academic record.
