This book discusses how the different cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds of young children generate significant differences among them at formal school entry, differences that often have been employed by educators as an excuse for the poor performance with regard to school learning of some of these children. It tries to offer a better comprehension of how classroom culture may contribute to children's learning and perception about school. The proposed example features the transition to school of a group of poor African-American children in semi-rural North Carolina.