Cultural tendencies impact the way children participate in education. There are different expectations about "normal" school behavior for students from individualist and collectivist cultures.Take a moment to think about what teachers who lack knowledge 1about culture might interpret the behavior of a child from acollectivist culture. These differences may cause educators 2inaccurately judge students from some cultures as poorly behaved or disrespectful. In addition, because cultural differences are hard toperceive, students may find them reprimanded by teachers but fail to 3understand what they did that caused concern. The influence of culture in beliefs about education, the value of 4education, and participation styles cannot be overestimated. ManyAsian students, for example, tend to be quiet in class, and using 5eye contact with teachers is considered inappropriate for many of these children. In contrast, most European American children are taught to value active classroom discussion and to look teachersdirectly in the eyes to show respect, while their teachers view 6students' participation as a signal of engagement and competence. 7 Another contrast involves the role of Hispanic parents in education. Parents from some Hispanic cultures tend to regardteachers as experts and will often refer educational decision making 8to them. In contrast, European American parents are often more actively involved in their children's classrooms, are visible in the classrooms, or volunteer and assist teachers. These cultural differences in value and belief may cause educators to makeaccurate judgments regarding the value that non-European American 9families place on education. While it is important to keep in the 10mind that different cultural groups tend to follow particular language and interaction styles, there is tremendous variability within cultural groups.