How Standard English is Hurting the Educational System

As the United States continues to become more diversified, different languages, dialects and accents will inevitably fill the education system. Are veteran teachers, those in the work force more than 20 years, willing to accept these children for who they are? And are beginning teachers truly educated through their university curriculum on how to meet the needs of these children? By accepting and meeting their needs means to understand any language barriers, accept accents and encourage them to understand and embrace their roots. Wong Fillmore & Snow (2002) argued that teachers lack the knowledge of Standard English "because they have not had the professional preparation they need" (p. 8). In this paper, comparisons and contrasts will be made about the best approaches in teaching to help English language learners succeed, and in what ways teachers can contribute to or interfere with student success.

Standard vs. Non-Standard English

The point at which educators can find difficulty throughout teaching is in the definition of standard and non-standard English. With dozens of definitions existing in the research world, how is a teacher to determine which is true and to be followed? Standard English can be defined in many different ways including speech and writing of the educated, English taught in schools, or correct English. But such descriptions leave many gaping holes and contain many negative connotations about "uneducated" people. Lippi-Green (2001) suggested that the word standard helps people and organizations feel empowered. "Individuals acting for a larger social group take it upon themselves to control and limit spoken language variation, the most basic and fundamental of human socialization tools" (p. 59).

Communication