Analyzes the relationship between curriculum and the surprising disengagement in a "heavenly" college preparatory high school of "professional" teachers and relatively advantaged lower track students. The regressive curriculum parodies a college campus atmosphere without providing lower track students with access to the "college" academics or…

Examines contemporary sociological conceptions of "deviance" and "resistance" in youth culture studies. Explores whether the notion of "playfulness" is applicable to the understanding of disruptive classroom behavior. The "asides" developed by certain class members are linked to the official lesson's response-feedback structure and seem playful,…

Forty low-income teenagers were interviewed regarding their own, their peers', and their parents' attitudes toward school, school purpose, and the importance of intelligence. Adolescents echoed the general public's views concerning poor school performance, internalized the negative messages received at school, and blamed themselves, not the…