Now that the most acute phase of the COVID-19 crisis is over, public conversation has turned to the millions of students who are still struggling academically and emotionally--and how the nation's schools ought to respond. Decisions that education leaders make right now will determine whether this generation of students recovers or continues to lose ground. That's why policies that lower expectations--such as rescinding "third-grade reading guarantees" or keeping pandemic-era no-grading policies in effect--are so troubling. This study uses nationally representative survey data to explore how teacher expectations differ by sector, and how they affect achievement, attainment, and other outcomes. [Foreword by Amber M. Northern and David Griffith.]