Ebonics suggested for CA School district

[LynneSin]

http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E2969790,00.html

Ebonics suggested for district

By Irma Lemus Staff Writer

SAN BERNARDINO Incorporating Ebonics into a new school policy that targets black students, the lowest-achieving group in the San Bernardino City Unified School District, may provide students a more well-rounded curriculum, said a local sociologist.

The goal of the district's policy is to improve black students' academic performance by keeping them interested in school. Compared with other racial groups in the district, black students go to college the least and have the most dropouts and suspensions.

<<<snip>>>

Texeira suggested that including Ebonics in the program would be beneficial for students. Ebonics, a dialect of American English that is spoken by many blacks throughout the country, was recognized as a separate language in 1996 by the Oakland school board.

"Ebonics is a different language, it's not slang as many believe,' Texeira said. "For many of these students Ebonics is their language, and it should be considered a foreign language. These students should be taught like other students who speak a foreign language.'
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[annabanana]

1. huh?

:wtf:
Does that insulting crap REALLY have proponents anymore?
:shrug:

[Sannum]

2. Again?

:eyes:

[slor]

3. I am a African American and I gotta say...

that I get very insulted when this ebonics crap comes up. It is simply a way to excuse the poor results/limited resources of schools in low-income areas.

[ulysses]

4. a distinct dialect, yes.

A different language? No. It's fine and necessary to take language differences into account in instruction, but not providing students with opportunities to learn to use standard English consigns them to the ghetto.

[Vinca]

5. I've never heard a successful person - black, white or green -

speak in "ebonics." This is stupid. The kids deserve better than that.

[Egalitariat]

6. If you make all the wrong answers right, then everybody gets good grades!*

nm

[bluetrain]

7. Actually, I think it's a good idea...

We all know that everyone (blacks/hispanics/whites/asians/etc) who grow up in a social environment where "ebonics" is the common dialect -- (I won't call it a separate language) -- (& for that matter people with southern, cajun, etc. accents) are not taken as seriously in the white collar work place as people who speak or adopt a flat midwestern WASP dialect. To create a course which creates a differentiation between the two could help these kids assimilate into the evil corporate world where they can overtake the bastards from the inside.