ABSTRACT
Equity concerns related to high-school completion and engagement with learning have driven the production of an enormous body of research over the past three decades. Much of this literature focuses on the reproduction of disadvantage among young people from families of low socio-economic status (SES) who are in many cases attending public schools populated by students from similarly disadvantaged backgrounds. This chapter identifies the triggers and processes for how disenfranchised young people within the school system realigned their aspirations and became more engaged with learning. Triggers resulting in the initial shift of aspirations included: verbal encouragement and praise; arguments about the value of education; discovering pleasure in learning a new subject or elective; and a recognition of the need to plan one's future. Most often these triggers arose in the context of relationships with friends, parents or teachers. The chapter discusses the implications for teachers and schools who continue to struggle against student disengagement.
