There is a much publicized discourse about a disparity of educational performance. Different factors are suggested to account for the disparity and policies have been introduced to address them. Educational stereotyping of vocational and students from low social economic backgrounds and the concentration of these pupils in low-achieving, highly segregated housing areas and their schools has also been identified. Backed up often by convincing national and international statistics, young males are often described as particularly at risk. Current media and political discourses voice concern for these young men and society at large. The present paper will address these issues based on outcomes from a meta-analysis of ethnographic research conducted in and for/on educational experiences in multi-poverty, multi-cultural suburbs on the outskirts of several major cities in Sweden. These areas are those in which many of the young people who are defined as at risk are often found. It is based on a synthesis of ideas from research related to the learning and creativity of the young people concerned. It presents a very clear message about their creativity and learning potential that isn’t always identified.

-