Ebonics The Urban Educational Debate

by Ramirez, David J.; Wiley, Terrence G.; Klerk, Gerda de

• ISBN13: 9781853597961
• ISBN10: 1853597961
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-03-22
• Publisher: Multilingual Matters

Summary

Controversy erupted in 1996 when the Oakland Unified School District's ‘Ebonics Resolution' proposed an approach to teaching Standard English that recognized the variety of English spoken by African American students. With new demands for accountability driven by the No Child Left Behind policy and its emphasis on high-stakes testing in Standard English, this debate will no doubt rise again. This book seeks to better inform this next episode.In Part 1, leading scholars place the debate within its historical and contemporary context, provide clear explanations of what Ebonics is and is not, and offer practical approaches schools can and should follow to address the linguistic needs of African American students. Part 2 provides original documents that accompanied the debate, including the original resolutions, legislation, organization position papers, and commentary/analyses from leading linguists. This book is written for all those whose work impacts the lives of Ebonics speakers in our public schools.

Author Biography

J. David Ramirez is Dean of the School of Education at Long Island University's Brooklyn Campus. Dr Ramirez is a nationally recognized educational leader and the former principal investigator of the Ramirez Study (the most often cited longitudinal study on bilingual education in the US and the first national study of its kind).Terrence G. Wiley is Director of the Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies in the College of Education at Arizona State University. He is the author of several books and numerous articles on language policy, literacy, biliteracy, and language diversity. He currently co-edits, with Thomas Ricento, the Journal of Language, Identity, and Education.Gerda de Klerk is a doctoral student in the College of Education at Arizona State University. She has worked in language policy formulation and implementation issues in South Africa, where she was the editor of Bua!, a magazine popularizing sociolinguistic matters.Enid Lee is the director of Enidlee Consultants. She consults internationally on anti-racist, inclusionary, and equitable education. Enid has been involved in the professional development of teachers for two decades. She is the author of over 30 publications, including Letters to Marcia: A Teacher's Guide to Anti-Racist Education.Wayne E. Wright is an assistant professor in the Division of Bicultural-Bilingual Studies at the University of Texas, San Antonio. He also serves as the Co-Director of the Language Policy Research Unit of the Educational Policy Studies Laboratory at Arizona State University.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	vii
Introduction	ix
Part 1: Ebonics in the Urban Education Debate
1 Ebonics: Background to the Current Policy Debate
Terrence G. Wiley	3	(15)
2 Using the Vernacular to Teach the Standard
John R. Rickford	18	(23)
3 Educational Implications of Ebonics
John Baugh	41	(8)
4 Black Language and the Education of Black Children: One Mo Once
Geneva Smitherman	49	(13)
5 Ebonics and Education in the Context of Culture: Meeting the Language and Cultural Needs of LEP African American Students
Subira Kifano and Ernie A. Smith	62	(34)
6 Language Varieties in the School Curriculum: Where Do They Belong and How Will They Get There?
Carolyn Temple Adger	96	(15)
Part 2: Background to the Ebonics Debate
Introduction	111	(4)
Oakland Unified School District's Resolution
A Original Oakland Unified School District (OUSD)
Resolution on Ebonics	115	(3)
Policy Statement	118	(2)
Clarification: Synopsis of the Adopted Policy on Standard American English Language Development	120	(2)
Legislative Intent	122	(2)
Appendix 1: OUSD Findings	124	(1)
Appendix 2: OUSD Core Curriculum Standards at Benchmark Grade Levels	125	(1)
Appendix 3: Overview of OUSD Recommendations	126	(2)
Amended Resolution	128	(3)
Appendix 4: Bibliography	131	(4)
Examples Of Legislative Reaction
B Congressional Response, 105th Congress	135	(20)
State Reaction: Virginia General Assembly 1997	136	(13)
Proposed California Legislation: S.B. 205 "Equality in English Instruction Act" 142
John Rickford's response, "S.B. 205 - Well Intentioned, but Uniformed"	149	(6)
Legal Background
C Martin Luther King Junior School v. Ann Arbor School District Board	155	(6)
Linguists' Reactions
D
A Linguist looks at the Ebonics Debate
Charles Fillmore	161	(9)
Ebonics and Linguistic Science: Clarifying the Issues
Walter Wolfram	170	(8)
Dialect Readers Revisited
John R. Rickford and Angela E. Rickford	178	(2)
Congressional Testimony
William Labov	180
Organizational Responses
E
Policy Statement of the TESOL Board on African American Vernacular English	185	(1)
Policy Statement of the American Association for Applied Linguistics (AAAL) on the Application of Dialect Knowledge to Education	186	(3)
Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) Statement to the Media on Ebonics	189	(2)
California Association for Bilingual Education (CABE) Position Statement on Ebonics	191	(8)
Recommended Readings on Ebonics
F Scholarly References and News Titles
Wayne E. Wright	199