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How can educators address inequality in the classroom?

Published: 8 May 2025

Article Learning & Education Society Equity Diversity Education systems Individual differences Learning environments Psychology Teaching methods Learning variability

Three tips for creating environments that help pupils from all backgrounds fulfill their potential

Photo by Rido from shutterstock.com

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Authors

Eddie Brummelman

Associate Professor, University of Amsterdam

Nienke van Atteveldt

Professor of Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Sharon Wolf

Associate Professor, Human Development & Quantitative Methods Division, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania

Jellie Sierksma

Assistant Professor at Utrecht University

Partner

npj Science of Learning

npj Science of Learning is a fully open-access journal that aims to provide a forum for research at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and education theory. It publishes high-quality research on all aspects of learning and memory – from the genetic, cellular and molecular basis, to understanding how children and adults learn through experience and formal education practice. npj Science of Learning is pleased to host a Collection uniting the social and behavioural sciences to address achievement inequality.

Classrooms are a microcosm of society, reflecting the rising inequality seen around the world. Pupils from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds underperform in school, even if they have the same level of ability as their more advantaged peers. This results in a tremendous loss of potential for society. 

“Classrooms are a microcosm of society, reflecting the rising inequality seen around the world.”

Solving the problem of achievement inequality requires system-level changes leading to a more equal distribution of economic resources in society. Until that goal is achieved, educators are faced with stark inequalities in their classrooms. Many educators entered the teaching profession because they wanted to help all pupils flourish and succeed. How can the multidisciplinary science of reducing educational inequality help them do that?  

Tip 1. Consider pupils’ home environments  

Teachers know their pupils well—they spend a lot of time with them, share their highs and lows, know their parents, and are often aware of their living conditions. Despite this knowledge, teachers share a basic human tendency to explain achievement differences in terms of pupils’ personal characteristics, such as their intelligence or effort.  

These explanations are intuitive but often wrong, overlooking the structural barriers that can cause underperformance. A focus on personal characteristics may even perpetuate existing inequalities. For example, we might think that a pupil who fails to hand in homework isn’t motivated, forgetting that the pupil shares a bedroom with siblings and has no suitable place at home to complete the homework. A teacher should take these barriers into account. Rather than encouraging the pupil to simply work harder, the teacher might help find a safe space for the pupil to work, such as a classroom after school hours, or the public library. 

Insight into pupils’ home environments enables teachers to recognize the unique skills that children develop to contend with the challenges of growing up in low-resource environments. For example, pupils may excel at collaborating with others, finding creative solutions in times of scarcity, and reading others’ intentions. Unfortunately, these skills are often unacknowledged in classroom settings. Many classrooms focus on individual rather than collaborative tasks, for example. Recognizing and appreciating these unique strengths, perhaps by encouraging pupils to work more collaboratively, teachers can enable pupils from low-SES backgrounds to flourish. 

Tip 2. Provide empowering feedback 

Most teachers are motivated to support pupils from low-SES backgrounds and aware of the various obstacles these pupils have overcome to get to where they are today. Yet, their good intentions may inspire behaviors that can inadvertently perpetuate—rather than alleviate—inequality in the classroom. 

Teachers typically give more inflated praise to pupils from low-SES backgrounds. For example, they may say “This is amazing! You did incredibly well!” rather than expressing approval with a more modest “Good job! You did well.” While effusive praise may seem supportive, it can make pupils appear less smart in the eyes of their classmates. Imagine, for example, that two pupils receive the same grade on a test, and the teacher praises only one of them lavishly. Their classmates are likely to conclude that the pupil who was praised lavishly is actually less smart than the other pupil. 

The bottom line is that well-intentioned messages like praise can perpetuate the stereotype that pupils from low-SES backgrounds are less smart than their classmates. Once this stereotype has been established, it can lead to counterproductive behaviors. When children think that another pupil isn’t smart, they tend to offer disempowering types of help, such as simply providing the right answer, rather than helping their classmate practice and improve their skills.  

The key is for educators to express high expectations of all pupils. By toning down the praise and making sure pupils receive empowering help (a hint rather than the right answer, for example), teachers convey to pupils that they hold high expectations—that there is room for improvement, and that pupils have the ability to hone their skills. 

“The key is for educators to express high expectations of all pupils.”

Tip 3. Cultivate a growth mindset culture 

Teachers can integrate these insights into their everyday practices by cultivating a growth-mindset classroom culture—a culture that embodies the belief that pupils’ abilities can improve with effort and education. This contrasts with a fixed-mindset belief that pupils’ abilities are set in stone. 

This is easier said than done. A growth-mindset culture cannot be built simply by stating that pupils’ abilities can grow; certain practices are required. Teachers can create a growth-mindset culture by setting high expectations for all pupils, treating mistakes as learning opportunities, encouraging pupils’ ownership of their learning, and providing process-focused feedback rather than focusing on ability. For example, they can point out that it doesn’t matter where a pupil starts out—what matters is that all pupils make progress, perhaps even more than they think they can. When pupils succeed, teachers should praise their process (“You’ve found a new way to solve this puzzle!”) rather than their ability. When pupils fail, teachers should point out that failure is an important part of learning (“Let’s discuss ways to approach this task differently!”), rather than concluding that the student isn’t smart or hardworking enough. 

“It doesn’t matter where a pupil starts out—what matters is that all pupils make progress.”

These practices benefit learning, especially when pupils come from more disadvantaged backgrounds. Teachers’ beliefs about pupils’ abilities matter; it’s critical for teachers to fully embrace the idea that pupils from all backgrounds can continue to grow and learn. 

Helping every pupil 

Educators are their pupils’ champions. By recognizing the strengths in pupils’ diverse backgrounds, setting high expectations, and fostering a growth-mindset culture, teachers can help all pupils unleash their potential.