In Explaining Inequalities in School Achievement, author Roy Nash argues that a realist framework for the sociological explanation of educational group differences can, and must be, constructed. A move to such an explanatory framework will allow society to take into account the social influences of early-childhood development, the later emergence of social identities, and the nature of the social class impact of educational and career decision making. By building on the critical analyses of the theories of Boudon, and Bernstein, this book makes a vital contribution to the current policy and theoretical debate about the causes of educational inequality.