Cover Letter

The synthesis essay was difficult to construct because of all that had to go into it. Starting from thinking of a topic with a good thesis that wouldn’t be too difficult to support. Then transitioning to looking for sources from various kinds of media, then finally using all that information and converting it into a seven page long paper was a tedious process. In my opinion the easiest part came from writing it as a decent chunk of it was from the sources I gathered already. I would say the most difficult part of just the writing process was the introduction and conclusion. This is because all of it had to come from my own head with no use of sources. In conclusion , I found it hard to wrap up my entire paper in just a few sentences as well as trying to reference my previous points. My introduction is something that changed a lot throughout my writing process. Originally, I wrote my first two body paragraphs with no introduction and just a thesis because I couldn’t figure out what to write. I found that it was easier to write my introduction when I already had an idea of what was in my essay. Even after writing it for the first time I probably changed it about three other times because I felt like with everything I added I had to tweak my introduction in a certain way. 

Writing to inform and prove something is very different from what I wrote in the first paper for this class; however, I don’t think that it was more difficult than the first one. I feel like it’s easier to write something that’s objective is easier than telling a story because I’m more used to writing informational pieces of writing. I will say that the narrative was more fun though because the informational piece is a lot of rinse and repeat, finding a source, taking out a piece of evidence and then explaining and connecting that piece of evidence. After doing that for a while it gets repetitive but I think because there is kind of a formula for every paragraph it did make it a little easier. Overall, I think that completing this assignment made me better at finding sources and using them in my own writing. 

Jordan Parker

Professor Colombo-Russell

ENG 101- Freshman Composition

October 24, 2025

Synthesis Essay

The idea of stereotypes in school has been something that has been common and often ignored in schools. This essay will examine how the stereotypes black and hispanic students face in schools are disadvantageous in the United States. These marginalized students can feel shame when their language or identity is judged, which can make them feel less intelligent as well as hurt their mental and emotional health. It can also be disadvantageous because they may have unequal academic opportunities. Stereotypes can also stand as a reinforcement of social and racial inequality.

The stereotypes students face in schools reinforce existing racial and social inequalities. This is because stereotypes act as a construct both socially and politically tied to assumptions about certain racial groups. For example, when talking about African Americans taking a test, James Paul Gee stated, “in assessment contexts where issues of stereotypes based on race or gender are triggered, the performance of even quite adept learners seriously deteriorates” (98). This shows how pressure from being racially stereotyped can cause a lower performance in the classroom. This negative outlook teachers have on their multilingual students is further seen in Kiramba’s research paper where she talks about how African immigrant students are often perceived as hard-working when compared to other minority groups, she then goes on to say “findings in this study reveal that this perception failed to affect many teachers who otherwise regarded African-born immigrant students as low achievers; more precisely as we did not collect data from teachers, this speaks to students perceptions and experiences of such low expectations experienced from teachers” (91). This expands upon Gee’s point of pressure from stereotypes being felt by the students. In a place where students are supposed to be learning this added stress can be a serious problem to their learning experience. However, it’s also important to look at the bigger social picture of it. You can’t just focus on teaching a kid to read and write while bigger social issues are present. It is also essential to focus on the social issues that are centered around how kids that speak differently or come from different backgrounds are viewed. This is further shown when Gee says, “To ignore these wider issues, while stressing such things as phonemic awareness, is to ignore not merely ‘politics,’ but what we know about learning and literacy as well” (98). He is basically saying you can’t teach a kid literacy correctly if you don’t discuss the social and cultural issues around the stereotypes they experience.

The idea of stereotypes can also lead to unequal academic opportunities. For example Kiramba states, “The African born students felt that the separate program did not allow them to achieve their full potential and that they would have preferred to be in a more challenging program that would help them go to college and find employment in their desired fields.” (92). When immigrant students are put in separate programs because they have different language needs or are stereotyped as less capable, it affects the opportunities given. Speaking English does not equate to intelligence, so just because they lack the language or speak differently does not mean they should be robbed of opportunities because they are placed somewhere differently. Furthermore, another major consequence of stereotypes in school is how language itself becomes less valued. When educators treat Standard English as the only “correct” form, they silently dismiss the legitimacy of other dialects or linguistic backgrounds. This can be deeply harmful to Black and Hispanic students whose home languages or dialects differ from Standard English. Linguist Eline Laperre argues that “there’s no such thing as Standard English … English has always existed in many varieties, all of which are constantly changing” (Laperre). By treating non-standard varieties as inferior schools further allow non-standard English to be devalued which aligns with social and racial hierarchies. When students feel that their way of speaking is wrong, this judgment can damage their sense of identity.

Another issue that comes from stereotypes is how they influence the way teachers interpret student behavior. Teachers assume that students who speak with accents or dialects are less capable. These assumptions can shape how they discipline and grade grading, and can change interaction which could hurt the students. Researchers have found that Black students are disciplined more harshly because their language or tone is seen as disrespectful, even when the students don’t mean it that way. Carter Andrews states, “given the rates of disproportionality by which Black and Brown students are referred or suspended, middle level pre- and in-service teachers need ongoing professional development that aids them in overcoming stereotypes and biases they embody about students of color and students with other minoritized identities and, subsequently, enacting practices that support restorative discipline.” (Carter Andrews 30). This is no coincidence, it would be completely irrational to think that because students are black and brown they get in trouble more. It is because teachers have preexisting thoughts of kids of color as shown when Carter Andrew says, “Scholars suggest the discipline gap exists in large part due to the sociocultural factors at play regarding race in the classroom, specifically the negative implicit biases that many teachers unknowingly hold against students of color.” Although it can be seen by scholars it is felt directly by the students which is shown in a study conducted in Andrews writing. “In one of the multiple races focus groups (MS1), six of the eight students raised their hands when asked if they felt like they got in trouble in class for no reason” (Andrews 33). These findings were from groups focused on black and latino/latina students. Six of eight is significantly more than the majority and it is easy to infer that if the survey was conducted on a larger scale more students would say the same. This is just a clear representation of how students feel when they feel like they’re being singled out whether they know it’s for their race/ethnicity or not.

This can give students an emotional burden as they feel they have to continuously swap out the way they speak. For Black students who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE), the pressure to adopt Standard English in school can be very discouraging. Hamilton writes that “Students are often encouraged to use their mainstream English in the classroom and use their AAVE code at home.” This constant code-switching shifting between AAVE and Standard English can place a heavy mental load on students. Hamilton further explains, “that traditional approaches to language education often cause harm to Black students through internalized racism and self-doubt about identity.” They must watch out for how they speak not just to communicate, but to survive socially in school environments that devalue their native linguistic identities. The emotional and mental cost of this pressure is something worth mentioning. When students are repeatedly told out loud or they feel it, that their natural way of speaking is lesser, they may begin to feel ashamed. That shame can break a students confidence making students less likely to speak up, less likely to participate, and more likely to keep in their negative ideas about their own intelligence. “Chronic decisions about how to linguistically present oneself … may then … require additional cognitive effort, and result in added stress and negative health effects” (Johnson et al). Proving how the extra stress is detrimental to their learning experience.

Tracking and placement decisions are also connected to inequalities in the school system. The Century Foundation report on dual-language immersion programs explains that English learner students often face “significant inequities in accessing dual-language immersion programs” (Williams et al)  This shows that even programs meant to support bilingual students can end up leaving them out. The report talks about how English-dominant and white families usually take up most of the spots in these programs. Because of that, even though bilingual programs are supposed to help English learning students, the students who actually need the support the most, many of whom are Black or Hispanic, or recent immigrants are sometimes pushed aside. The report recommends policies that would put English learners first when it comes to dual-language immersion enrollment, but the fact that this even has to be said shows how stereotypes and assumptions still decide who fits in these types of enrichment programs. To add on, the report warns that “programs that appear to serve English learners … can end up tilting toward language enrichment for English-dominant children, instead of advancing linguistic equity and expanding educational opportunity for ELs” (Williams et al). In other words, these dual-language programs risk adding onto the unfair advantages given to native english speakers, taking away from something that is supposed to be for something that’s supposed to benefit english learners.

To conclude, black and hispanic students face stereotypes very often. To take action against the emotional harm these stereotypes can cause, schools should create classroom environments where linguistic differences are normalized and valued. Teachers should make note of the fact that they may have preexisting ideas on certain dialects and students should be encouraged to use their own language from their own experiences to their strengths. When students feel respected and understood their performance rises, their confidence increases, and their stress can decrease. It is absolutely essential to make note of this and recognize the problems of stereotypes in schools and take action on them. Doing this will make for a better school environment for these marginalized students and can begin to bring a stop to this pressing issue. 

Works Cited 

Andrews, Dorinda J. Carter. Culturally Responsive Teaching: A Model for Critical Reflection and Practice. ERIC, 2021, https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED630044.pdf

Andrews, Dorinda J. Carter, and Susan K. Gutwein. “The Silenced Voices of Youth: The Disproportionate Discipline of Black and Brown Students.” Middle School Journal, vol. 51, no. 5, 2020, pp. 26–34, https://www.amle.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/00940771.2019.pdf

Gee, James Paul. Situated Language and Learning: A Critique of Traditional Schooling. Routledge, 2004. https://blog.ufes.br/kyriafinardi/files/2017/10/Situated-Language-And-Learning.-A-Critique-of-Traditional-Schooling-2004.pdf

Johnson, Darin G et al. “Social-Cognitive and Affective Antecedents of Code Switching and the Consequences of Linguistic Racism for Black People and People of Color.” Affective science vol. 3,1 5-13. 14 Sep. 2021, doi:10.1007/s42761-021-00072-8

Johnson, Lamar L., T. Markoff, and Dorinda J. Carter Andrews. “Resisting Racism in School.” Phi Delta Kappan, 2021, https://kappanonline.org/resisting-racism-in-school-johnson-markoff-carter-andrews/

Kiramba, Lydiah Kananu, et al. “‘It’s Like They Don’t Recognize What I Bring to the Classroom’: African Immigrant Youths’ Multilingual and Multicultural Navigation in United States High Schools.” Journal of Language, Identity & Education, vol. 21, no. 2, 2022, pp. 90–104.

Laperre, Eline. “There’s No Such Thing as Standard English.” *Cambridge English Blog*, 24 Feb. 2020, Cambridge University Press, https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2020/02/24/no-such-thing-as-standard-english/](https://www.cambridge.org/elt/blog/2020/02/24/no-such-thing-as-standard-english/).

Megan-Brette Hamilton Published on and 2022. “Legitimizing AAVE: Should Black Students Code-Switch in School?” Parents, https://www.parents.com/kindred/for-black-students-aave-and-code-switching-have-always-had-a-place-in-schools/. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.

Williams, Dr Conor P. “Ensuring Equitable Access to Dual-Language Immersion Programs: Supporting English Learners’ Emerging Bilingualism.” The Century Foundation,15May 2023 https://tcf.org/content/report/ensuring-equitable-access-to-dual-language-immersion-programs-supporting-english-learners-emerging-bilingualism/.