Exploring the social and contextual forces that shape the appearance of academic ability and disability, this work shows how these forces influence the perception of academic underachievement by minority students.

Relevant across the field of education, this work should particularly interest researchers, graduate students and professionals in literacy and science education, curriculum and instruction, sociocultural theories of learning, discourse analysis of classrooms, research on teaching and learning, special education, social foundations and teacher education.

The Boy Who Had Something To Say
"He's What I Would Call Out There."
"He Was Immediate. He Was Like Immediate."
"Where's The Evidence?"
"Jay Just Amazes Me During This, He Really Does."
"It Will Be Very, Very Difficult For Him To Learn How To Function In The Class."
"It's Like A Burst, A Burst Of Fire."
"You Got To Hear This!"
"So Who Wrote It?"
"Jay, We Gotta Find You A Group." "I'mThe Boy Who Likes Bugs."
"Do You Think I'm Proper?"
"This Ain't Easy!"
"Church Is Not A Game."
"I Think That's Why We Became Very Good Friends."
Ability Profiling And School Failure - Learning From Jay's Story
Epilogue. Appendix - Approaches To Inquiry, Analysis And Representation.