This collection challenges the metaphor of the "at risk" discourse about minority groups, situating it in the context of the struggle over the power to define language and policy, and the right of all groups to material and psychological well being. Some chapters reframe oppressed groups in terms of "promise" and the potential for excellence. Following "The Social Construction of Children and Families 'at Risk': An Introduction" by Beth Blue Swadener and Sally Lubeck, contributions include: (1) "Children and Families 'at Promise': Deconstructing the Discourse of Risk" (Beth Blue Swadener); (2) "Mothers at Risk" (Sally Lubeck); (3) "The Politics of Who's 'at Risk'" (Michelle Fine); (4) "Voice Unaltered: Marginalized Young Writers Speak" (Elizabeth Quintero and Mary Kay Rummel); (5) "'Motherwit': Childrearing Lessons from African American Mothers of Low Income" (Donelda A. Cook and Michelle Fine); (6) "Exploding the Myths: African American Families at Promise" (Mary Smith Arnold); (7) "Native Americans at Promise: Travel in Borderlands" (Carolyne J. White); (8) "Learning in and out of School: Critical Perspectives on the Theory of Cultural Compatibility" (B. Robert Tabachnick and Marianne N. Bloch); (9) "Creating a Classroom Culture of Promise: Lessons from a First Grade" (Mary E. Hauser and Cynthia Thompson); (10) "Student Success: A Matter of Compatibility and Expectations" (Joyce S. Waldoch); (11) "Advocating for Aric: Strategies for Full Inclusion" (Lisa Leifield and Tina Murray); and (12) "Epilogue. Naming and Blaming: Beyond a Pedagogy of the Poor" (Valerie Polakow). References follow each chapter. (Contains four tables.) (SLD)