The article introduced a new and relatively uncommon point of view on stereotypes and how they affect grades that students receive. The article says how seriously stereotypes affect students because they take the exams worrying that they are judged by the stereotype. Studies show how students underperform because they believe that those who are going to be evaluating their scores will do so with an attitude of certain students being inferior.

I like that these studies were done in the first place because, like the author pointed out, it seems like a difficult thing to think of since people are usually caught with thinking that the low performance is the fault of poverty, or the children’s families, or other stereotypical factors. These studies clearly showed that students’ performance varies based on the type of exam they are taking because they are expecting different types of evaluation. It is important to let more schools and the government and all people know about this trend and hope that schools will begin adjusting the types of exams they give out accordingly. In addition, this precise type of study works to get rid of stereotypes and therefore it should become more famous for that as well.

I’ve also been having my own little problem with certain “stereotypes” and classifications, and maybe this type of study is a step toward getting rid of those problems. For example, I don’t like how it is assumed that just because you are white, you are privileged. I’ve felt like it leaves out people who are immigrants, especially students who are recent immigrants. Just because you are white doesn’t mean you are privileged or have it better than other groups. It is not solely about grades, but also about the network and knowing how things in this society work, both of which, in my experience, a lot of immigrant students are not fully informed of because those same things are different in their culture, and they don’t find out about certain opportunities until it is too late.