n can become President" is a catchphrase which designates the social mobility that is inherent in our national character, but this is an idea with little validity in practice.
Those who are productive in our society are often designated as leaders, and are traditionally rewarded with power, money and prestige. But our society restricts individuals for reasons other than their productivity. Sex, race, religion and economic class are all factors which create class barriers, and often these barriers are so rigid that they inhibit and even prevent an individual's growth and achievement.
When individuals drop out of school, teachers often say these students are "unteachable" or lacking in aptitude or a desire to "succeed." Meanwhile, the vast majority of school dropouts are members of a cultural minority: blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans and others. Rarely are dropouts the members of the prevailing empowered class in our society.
It is nearly axiomatic to say that teachers' predictions about their students often come true. Those whom teachers expect to do well in school usually do. Those whom the teacher regards as "dumb" or "stupid" usually are. And so the student's negative self-image is reinforced in two important ways: socially, and through the education process.
Society expects cultural minorities to assimilate. Therefore, society legitimi
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