Top of page

Notice
Special holiday hours in effect, December 2025 through January 2026. More information.

Book/Printed Material Names, expectations, and the black-white test score gap

View Enlarged Image

About this Item

Title

  • Names, expectations, and the black-white test score gap

Summary

  • "This paper investigates the question of whether teachers treat children differentially on the basis of factors other than observed ability, and whether this differential treatment in turn translates into differences in student outcomes. I suggest that teachers may use a child's name as a signal of unobserved parental contributions to that child's education, and expect less from children with names that "sound" like they were given by uneducated parents. These names, empirically, are given most frequently by blacks, but they are also given by white and Hispanic parents as well. I utilize a detailed dataset from a large Florida school district to directly test the hypothesis that teachers and school administrators expect less on average of children with names associated with low socio-economic status, and these diminished expectations in turn lead to reduced student cognitive performance. Comparing pairs of siblings, I find that teachers tend to treat children differently depending on their names, and that these same patterns apparently translate into large differences in test scores"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.

Names

  • Figlio, David N.
  • National Bureau of Economic Research

Created / Published

  • Cambridge, MA : National Bureau of Economic Research, c2005.

Headings

  • -  African American students--Social conditions
  • -  Discrimination in education--Florida--Case studies
  • -  Discrimination in education--United States
  • -  Names, Personal--Social aspects--United States
  • -  Test bias--United States

Notes

  • -  Title from PDF file as viewed on 3/15/2005.
  • -  Includes bibliographical references.
  • -  Also available in print.
  • -  Mode of access: World Wide Web.
  • -  System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Call Number/Physical Location

  • HB1

Digital Id

Library of Congress Control Number

  • 2005616945

Access Advisory

  • Unrestricted online access

Online Format

  • image
  • pdf

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

More about Copyright and other Restrictions

For guidance about compiling full citations consult Citing Primary Sources.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Figlio, David N, and National Bureau Of Economic Research. Names, Expectations, and the Black-White Test Score Gap. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2005. Pdf. https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2005616945/.

APA citation style:

Figlio, D. N. & National Bureau Of Economic Research. (2005) Names, Expectations, and the Black-White Test Score Gap. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://aj.sunback.homes/item/2005616945/.

MLA citation style:

Figlio, David N, and National Bureau Of Economic Research. Names, Expectations, and the Black-White Test Score Gap. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research, 2005. Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <aj.sunback.homes/item/2005616945/>.