ABSTRACT
Psychometricallybasedtheoriesofabilityandeducationalachievement giveusoneviewofhowsocietyisorganizedintoclassesonthebasis ofnatural,inherited,generalintellectualability.Theoriesofculturaland verbaldeficitfocusonthecultureandlanguageofdifferentsocialgroups andthewayinwhichthisaffectstheireducation.Somegroupsaresaid tobe"culturallydeprived"inrelationtoothergroups.Thismeansthat theknowledgetheyhave,theirmeansofgainingit,andtheirmeansof expressingitareinferiorincomparisonwithothergroups.This,inturn, drasticallyaffectstheirabilitytobenefitfromaformaleducation.
