Underachievement of white boys

I would say it is poverty of aspiration as well as of money. Also, many 'working class' and financially poor people do value education. I think it's more a subcultural thing, which may be more prevalent in some communities than in others, but is not exclusively confined to social class or economic position.

It is difficult to have huge aspirations when there are no relatable role models, and far fewer facilities to enable any fleeting aspirations there might be.

A very few manage it but most, and that would probably be the case for most people born into generational deprivation, absorb the lack of understanding, respect and aspiration shown by other people towards them.

True. I think it's an issue way beyond the remit of schools, as it goes much deeper than that.

M0nica

Norah

After all these posts I still doubt colour of children causes underachievement. I still do believe these underachiever boys have parents who are uninvolved, disinterested, not tending to their children.

I quite agree, but uninvolved disinterested parents are not distributed evenly across all sections of society and more of such parents are white and in the lower/lowest socio-economic groups in society, than among non-white parents in the same socio-economic groups.

Respectfully, how do we know the colour of disinterred parents.

I seem to know none.