The years since court-ordered school desegregation have not eradicated the existence of achievement disparities for ethnic children, particularly Latino and African American students (McKown & Weinstein, 2008) . Indeed, there is a large body of research suggesting that minority students do not perform well in the current American public school system (Tyler, Boykin, & Walton, 2006). McKown and Weinstein (2008) note that one factor often cited to explain the achievement gap is teacher expectations. The use of the term teacher expectations has been a source of consternation and anger for some educators because of its connection to the concept of self-fulfilling prophecy. (Jussim and Harber, 2005). These prophecies are “erroneous expectations of teachers [that] can lead students to achieve levels consistent with those expectations (Brophy & Good, 1974; Rosenthal & Jacobson, 1968)” (Jussim & Harber, 2005, p. 131). Jussim and Harber (2005) detail the more than 40-year controversy over self-fulfilling prophecies. They argued that, in general, educational psychologists tend to emphasize the limited effectiveness of teacher expectations in influencing students; while social psychologists have taken the opposite position which affirms both the “substantial power and pervasiveness of self-fulfilling prophecies” (p. 138). Two of their main conclusions in this regard (a) self-fulfilling prophecies exist and (b) their effects are typically small (Jussim & Harber, 2005). This would appear to be a tidy conclusion to a protracted controversy; the answers, however, are not so simple or direct. There are other issues that complicate matters and need to be considered when… half of the article… 3McKown, C., & Weinstein, R.S. (2008). Teacher expectations, classroom context, and the achievement gap. Journal of School Psychology, 46, 235-261. Retrieved from http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-school-psychology/Thomas, J., & Stockton, C. (2003). Socioeconomic status, race, gender, and retention: Impact on student outcomes. Essays in Education, 7. Retrieved from http://www.usca.edu/essays/archives.htmlTyler, K. M., Boykin, A. W., & Walton, T. R. (2006). Cultural considerations in teachers' perceptions of student behavior and achievement in the classroom. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22, 998-1005. Retrieved from www.elsevier.com/locate/tateZehavi, N., Bouhadan, R., & Bruckheimer, M. (1987). A model for relating teacher expectations and student difficulties. Educational Evaluation Studies, 13, 185-192. doi: 10.1016/50191-491X(87)80032-9