Enonics in America
Ebonics is the name given to what linguists refer to as BE (Black English) or African American Vernacular English1. Black English has been around since the time of slavery and the slave trade in the United States. It is a mixture of West African languages (such as Ibo, Yoruba, and Hausa) and English which has been passed down from generation to generation of African Americans . The use of ebonics has revitalized in popularity among many African American students in California schools. This has brought on a heated debate over the teaching use of ebonics in our school system. On December 18, 1996 the Oakland Unified School District Board of Education approved a policy affirming "Standard American English language development " for all students. Language development for African American students, who comprise 53% of the students in the Oakland schools, "will be enhanced with the recognition and understanding of the language structures unique to African American students,2". The O!akland School District's implementation of this policy created a plethora of criticism and support from many. In response to Oakland's Ebonics policy, California State Senator Ray Haynes of Riverside introduced a bill that would penalize schools that suppo
Bibliography Banks, Alicia. "Ebonics: Black English/White Weapon." Afronet Columnists. http://www.afronet.com/column/archives/. Branson, Amy. "Beltway Crowd Weighs In On Oakland School Board's Talk Of `Black English.'" 12/26/96. LEGI-SLATE News Service. http://www.legislate.com/n/news/961226.htm. Globe Saff. "The Ebonics Lesson." The Boston Globe. 1/27/97. P. a18. Gunnison, Robert B. "GOP Senator Seeks to Punish State's Ebonics Schools Bill would bar use of funds for teaching." The San Francisco Chronicle. 1/29/97. P. A11. Haynes, Ray. "Equality in English Instruction Act." January 28, 1997. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/sen/sb_0201-0250/sb_205_bill_970128_introduced. Haynes, Ray. "Equality in English Instruction Act." January 28, 1997. http://www.sen.ca.gov/htbin/cahtml?GOPHER_ROOT2:[BILL.CURRENT.SB.FROM0200.SB0205]CUR RVER.TXT;1/bill/SB205. Lewis, Brian C.. "Black English: Its History and Its Role in the Education of Our Children." 1996. http://www.princeton.edu/~bclewi! education in our society as top priority and stop relying on the government to produce incentives for us to learn. ool districts that improve linguistic or communication skills of students in low-income areas of the state and financial penalties for school districts where the skills have deteriorated, as measured by objective testing data, as specified.3" I chose to analyze the topic of ebonics and the debate to over Senate bill SB 205 because of the reaction "ebonics" sparked in communities all over the United States. California legislation has a great impact on the people of California as well as the rest of the United States. In this paper, I will examine the debate of implementing ebonics instruction in California's educational system. The conception that some African-American children have difficulty learning to read and write because they're accustomed to a language other than English is true. A proven study shows that African- Americans score lower than any other group on the verbal portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) . The use of a system of education that can incorporate! ge. Oakland has raised an issue which seems outrageous and impractical to many. Senator Haynes' bill prohibits any California state agency to receive funds for implementing and ebonics program. This bill would not allow the Oakland School District proposal to allocate bilingual education program funds for ebonics programs. Under the current policy of the Oakland school district, federal funds are used to fund the ebonics program. President Clinton as well as Governor Pete W
Some common words found in the essay are:
California SB, School District, English California, Department Education, Board Education, African American, Pete Wilson, Senator Haynes', Jesse Jackson, Act SB, standard english, sb 205, african american, ebonics instruction, oakland school, school district, african-american students, bilingual education, equality english, equality english instruction, ebonics program, linguistic communication skills, english instruction act, bill sb 205, haynes ray equality,
Approximate Word count = 1725
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
