Underachievement in school is one of the most widely-used terms in education today. As a discourse, it has been responsible for influencing government policy, staffroom discussions, as well as the pages of academic journals and the TES. It is also a subject that raises questions about what we expect from a fair and equitable education system. This book provides a critical analysis of two sides of the underachievement debate, at each of the three levels of focus - international, the UK, and the individual. On the one hand, it considers the 'crisis account' of falling standards and failing pupils and, on the other, present an alternative account, which urges a re-evaluation of the underachievement debate in order to consider who might be underachieving and why.
Author Biography
Dr Emma Smith is Lecturer in Educational Studies at York University. She is an authority on underachievement in the UK, having presented her findings to the House of Commons Education Select Committee on pupil achievement.
