Becky Francis is Director of IOE, UCL's Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, UK.

How do some students manage to excel in their studies and be popular while other high achievers are treated as social outcasts? This lively and accessible text looks at the relationships between gender, race and social class, and attainment and popularity, for high-achieving pupils. The internationally renowned authors present a lucid theoretical framework that reflects the complexity of these issues, placing them within the broader context of the policies that cause and constrain particular behaviours among teachers and pupils. The authors draw together empirical data, bringing the realities of young people to life and presenting the lessons that can be learnt to enhance the educational achievement of all students.
It is an engaging text for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students exploring the debates on identity and achievement.

Introduction \ 1. The Policy Context: Educational 'Standards' and Human Capital \ 2. Conceptualizing Gender and Achievement \ 3. Facilitating High Achievement and the Issue of 'Balance' \ 4. 'Boffins and Geeks': The Social Consequences for Young People Constructed as 'Too Hardworking' \ 5. High Achieving and Popular: The Ideal Neoliberal Subject \ 6. High Achieving and Popular: How Do They Do It? \ 7. Implications for Schools \ References \ Index