Educational statistics have shown that in Primary School underachievement seems to be more associated with black male children. This article is part of a research that intends to understand the processes that produce such situation. The present study investigates racial categorizations in the school showing possible juxtapositions among meanings of masculinity, race belonging (blackness), and bad behavior and underachievement through a qualitative study undertaken in a Primary School, with questionnaires and in depth interviews. Our hypotheses holds that, at least in the school context, boys’ and girls’ racial identities refer not only to phenotypic and social-economical features, but also to their schooling performance.
SchoolUnderachievement; Primary School; Gender; Race
