Professional development targeting teacher expectations and behavior to impact (un)equal opportunities: a systematic review

Educational inequality can persist when students face low academic expectations, often shaped by teachers’ implicit biases related to their socioeconomic status or ethnic background, regardless of intent. Professional development (PD) interventions targeting teacher expectations and differential behavior can support educational equality. This systematic review, using the I/M/T/P framework, provides an overview of 59 recent PD intervention studies. Results indicate the effectivity of various PD interventions including varying mechanisms on teacher expectations, differential behavior, and students’ cognitive outcomes. This underscores the necessity for further research to identify the most impactful (combination of) mechanisms. Additionally, incorporating awareness besides the I/M/T/P mechanisms is recommended for future PD interventions to enhance their effectiveness.