Looking Smart: Race and Academic Ability in a Diversifying Middle School

Drawing on a year of participant observation in an untracked, diversifying middle school, I examine how sixth graders positioned themselves and were positioned by others as "smart" or "not smart." I focus on peer interactions during cooperative small group instruction, identifying the material, relational, and ideational resources students used to navigate academic and racial hierarchies. I explore implications for researchers and practitioners who seek to disrupt racialized academic outcomes in untracked classrooms.