The issue of low teacher expectations of students is addressed, bearing in mind that any effort to address low teacher expectations for students that does not address the broader issue of school change will fail. The first section of the monograph explores the relationship between teacher expectations and student achievement. The second section identifies and discusses the factors that contribute to low teacher expectations for students that exist both within the classroom and beyond the classroom door. These include: (1) misuses of testing; (2) misdiagnosis of students' potential to learn; (3) teacher efficacy beliefs; (4) classroom and instructional strategies; (5) lack of resources; (6) lack of parent involvement; and (7) lack of vision and the issue of leadership. The final section describes the changes that must occur in order to resolve the problem of low teacher expectations. Urban educators need to change their beliefs about the abilities of students and their capacities for learning. (Contains 49 references.) (SLD)