The self-fulfilling prophecy is played out in far too many mathematics classrooms.
Students know that they're facing a dead end.
Their mathematics courses set low expectations for them. Students learn to hold low expectations for themselves, and their performance then further reduces their teachers' expectations. The courses are known as general math, fundamental math, and the lower track. Students and teachers involved in the courses are noticing a difference. Students have expressed enthusiasm for the courses and they are going on to take higher level math courses that might not otherwise have been available to them.