This report assesses the relationship between teacher expectations and the achievement of black intermediate school students attending school in Fairfax County, Virginia, a relatively affluent part of the Washington, D.C., metropolitan Area. Information was culled from interviews with and observation of 46 black students, their peers, teachers, counselors, parents, and others. Findings indicate that the presence of a modified caste system prevents the majority of black students from crossing cultural boundaries and achieving academic success. Many of John Ogbu's findings in his Stockton study and subsequent research were corroborated in Fairfax: the teacher's perceptions of their black students were molded by their own cultural perceptions and historical experiences. The black students and their parents were generally viewed in terms of their birth-ascribed status rather than their achieved status. Teachers generally attributed the underachievement of their black students to cultural deprivation and lack of parental concern, and had limited knowledge and understanding of the back students and their families. Communication with parents rarely occurred before the student was having difficulty in school, due to the teachers' low expectations of parental interest and the tendency of black parents to avoid communication with the teacher. Recommendations to ease the black students' crossing of cultural barriers are offered. A table illustrates some of the data. A 69-item bibliography is included. (BJV)