Essay #2, Part 2

        Stereotyping, while difficult to avoid, could be handled better to lessen its impact on the performance of students. In “Thin Ice: ‘Stereotype Threat’ and Black College Students,” Claude M. Steele describes the effects of stereotypes on the performance of college students. This “stereotype threat”, defined as, “the threat of being viewed through the lens of a negative stereotype, or the fear of doing something that would inadvertently confirm that stereotype,” (213) is something that affects all students regardless of race. The stereotype threat, whether it is of a student’s race or social class, can become a self-fulfilling prophecy because students may “internalize negative stereotypes as performance anxiety and low expectations for achievement, which they then fulfill.” (214) The statement of Mike Rose’s classmate, “I just wanna be average,” (266) is an example of such and effect. The result of experiments with this threat on standardized tests showed that it made students less efficient. “They reread the questions, reread the multiple choices, rechecked their answers, more than when they were not under stereotype threat.” (Steele 216) According to Steele’s experiments with first-year college students, there are techniques for lessening the effects of the stereotype threat. One solution that appeared to work very well was giving students an informal setting where they could discuss their experiences and concerns as first-year students. When students found that other students of varying races or stereotypes faced the same concerns and challenges, those concerns seemed less stereotype based. (221)

        The long history of these problems gives them deep roots that will be difficult to remove, especially given the enormous scale of today’s education system. The task of redesigning it is beyond the capabilities of any individual, no matter how ambitious. It will require the collaboration of many individuals and organizations to identify and study the needs of the nation, and test all possible solutions. Yet, in the end, the success of the reform will mean success beyond the nation’s borders.