Experiencing discrimination can provoke feelings of inferiority and anxiety. The effects, inevitable behaviors of discrimination, are so pervasive that it is at times unclear without close observation how it truly effects those who experience it.
Biases in schools from administration to teachers ultimately affect engagement with students. Learned stereotypes dictate how individuals perceive and behave toward one another. If a teacher is to believe a negative stereotype about particular students, they will react accordingly.
Jane Elliot an elementary school teacher performed an experiment called the Blue eyes/Brown eyes exercise to asses how easily children pick up learned behaviors and the effects of them. In the experiment, even when the information provided was not true the students believed it about themselves and other students and it directly effected the students academic performance. Those students being discriminated against became less productive in school and felt feelings of inferiority and failure.
Discrimination contributes to student success rates, particularly those in minority groups. Many students suffer from mental health issues due in part to discrimination and added stressors in school. It is imperative that as a society, these issues are addressed and more attention is brought to them so that learned negative behaviors seize.
References
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology; Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc