ABSTRACT
Many children of color learn from an early age that there are doubts concerning their capacity to develop intellectually. Messages communicated from school (low ability placements in the primary grade), from peers (pervasive anti-intellectualism in their peer group), and the media (expectations of inferiority) all serve to impress upon them that they may not be up to the task of advanced studies. The lack of confidence engendered by the internalization of these messages shapes the meaning of any failure (“I guess this proves I’m not that smart”) and undermines the capacity to work (“Why bang my head against the wall if I’m unable to leam the stuff anyway?”) (Moses, 1989, p. 437).
