Theo Cox is an Honorary departmental Research Fellow in the Department of Education of the University of Wales Swansea. His research interests have centred on educationally disadvantaged children and he has written books and research articles on this topic. He is Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Recipient of Nasen Academic Book Award'... this book should provide an appropriate complementary text for those with an interest in the roots and destinies of youngsters experiencing disadvantage, in order that its contents might influence their practice.' - Philip Garner, British Journal of Educational Studies`The Publishers and the editor John Cunningham Wood are to be congratulated by historians of economic thought for making handily available such a wide range of articles.' - Scottish Journal of Political Economy

• Foreword Ronald Davie, 1. Introduction Theo Cox, Part 1: 1. Vulnerable Groups, 2. Ethnic Minorities in Britain: New Disadvantages Sally Tomlinson, 3. Boys' Underachievement: Social Class and Changing Masculinites Helen Lucey and Valerie Walkerdine, 4. Pupil Absenteeism in the Primary School Maurice Chazan, Part 2: Meeting the Needs of the Disadvantaged, 7. Recognising Differences: Reinterpreting Family Involvement in Early Literacy, 8. Early Childhood Education to Ensure a 'Fair Start' for All Kathy Sylva, 9. Pupils' Perspectives on their Education Theo Cox, 10. Can School Improvement Overcome the Effects of Disadvantage? Peter Mortimore and Geoff Whitty, 11. LEAs. The Problem or the Solution? Anne Sofer, 12. Combating Unequal Access to Education - the Work of an LEA Educational Psychology Service Irvine Gersch and Associates, 13. Coordinated Services for Disadvantaged Children: an International Perspective Peter Evans, 14. The Social, Economic and Political Climate in the United States and the Education of People of Color Carl Grant, 15. Support for Lifelong Learning John MacBeath, 16. Overview Theo Cox.