Doing Poorly on Purpose: Strategies to Reverse Underachievement and Respect Student Dignity

With Doing Poorly on Purpose, veteran educator James R. Delisle dispels the negative associations and stereotypes connected to underachievement. By focusing on smart kids who get poor grades—not because they’re unable to do better in school but because they don’t want to—Delisle presents a snapshot of underachievement that may look far different from what you envision it to be.

There is no such thing as a “classic underachiever.” Students (and their reasons for underachieving) are influence...