An awareness of the differences in power in a given situation influences whether people are silenced or speak (Ellsworth, 1989). Holyfield (2002) claims that most white educators continue to teach from a white middle class perspective believing in the existence of an egalitarian society and assuming that culture is neutral. Simply by virtue of their membership in this class, teachers may unwittingly privilege those similar to themselves, thereby creating a barrier to educational opportunities for low-income children (Nagle, 1999). Holyfield feels that teachers must become more skeptical of the school system as an institution and learn to confront themselves and their beliefs to promote more equitable learning experiences for all children.

In a classic longitudinal study of a group of black children in an urban ghetto school, Rist (1970) reveals how the teacher's choice of group placement of kindergarten children according to their perceived ability is decided by the eighth day of school and persists for at least several years after that choice. He also shows that one factor heavily influencing the academic achievement of the students is the differential response of the teacher to the various groups. That is, the teacher offered preferential treatment to the children at Table 1, which was the group perceived to have the most capable learners. Conversely, those children seated at Tables 2 and 3 were perceived to have less ability and did not receive as much of the teacher's time. Further, the teacher had reduced expectations of the academic potential of Table 2 and 3 students.

Rist (1970) found that teachers have an image of the traits needed to be a successful child at school and the closer the child is perceived to fit with this image, the higher is the ability grouping in which the child is placed. He learned that the teachers expect those children from the lowest socioeconomic class to perform the worst academically and consequently, they are slotted in lower ability groupings. Rist also surmises that as time goes on, the children's performance may be the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Those children who are tracked into a lower stream and may in fact read well later, "had no option but to continue to be a slow learner, regardless of performance or potential" (Rist 1970, p. 287).