Both participant and non-participant observation were used to analyze longitudinally a single group of black ghetto children in their school, homes, and with their friends. A basic goal of the study is said to consist in accounting for the educational experience of children over time. Two beginning chapters describe public schools and American society, and the methodology of the study. A third chapter on the St. Louis public schools provides a backdrop from which is analyzed the activities of an individual classroom within the system. An introduction to the Attucks School follows, along with a description of its social and cultural milieu. Four subsequent chapters which follow are said to demonstrate the impact of teachers' expectations, initially based on a series of subjectively interpreted social criteria for both the anticipated academic potential and subsequent differential treatment accorded to students perceived as having dissimilar social status. A final chapter on black children in a public school provides a summary, conclusions, considerations for innovation (policy and programs), and the perceptions of low-income children. Appendixes and a bibliography are included. (Author/AM)