Introduction and Conceptual Framework

Mike, an artistic, somewhat withdrawn African American ninth-grader, was having academic diffi culties. His mother and I were permitted to watch from a one-way observation studio while Mike was evaluated by a school psychologist. During the reporting session, the psychologist indicated that Mike was quite limited and very concrete in his thinking. Yet, in response to the question, “How are a poem and a statue alike?” Mike replied, “They both make you wonder.” When I said I thought his answer was not only abstract but also very moving, the psychologist thumbed through the protocol before saying, “That answer isn’t scorable.” —Ruth Zweifl er, student advocate