A study of black and white teachers' expectations and students' academic achievement at a southeastern Virginia public high school

The academic achievement among Black students remains a signal problem in America's public education system (Ferguson, 2003). The purpose of this study was to determine if there were differences between Black and White teachers' expectations and Black and White students' academic achievement when controlling for prior GPA. Sixty-three teachers participated in this study. The student sample consisted of a total of 1,196 students. Convenience sampling was used to select participants. A researcher-designed instrument, Teachers' Expectations of Students' Academic Achievement Survey (TESAAS) collected data on the variables of the study. A two-way factorial design employing a 2 x 2 multivariate analysis of covariance determined the significance of the results. The study findings suggest further investigation of teachers' expectations.