Teachers’ expectations and racial mismatch in Brazilian public school

Abstract

This article examines the extent to which racial similarities or discrepancies between teachers and students in Brazilian public schools influence teachers’ expectations. Additionally, it analyzes the occurrence of gender differences in the expectations and their intersectionality with racial differences. The data used come from the 2013 edition of Prova Brasil (BRASIL, 2015). The main conclusion is that the racial similarity between teachers and classes of black students is associated with higher teachers’ expectations for students, especially regarding the completion of elementary school and university entrance. Moreover, classes taught by female teachers are also linked to higher expectations. However, expectations are largely explained by the students’ learning of mathematics and the teaching environment in the class.