Essay on "Oakland, California School Board Shocked Many American"

Essay 7 pages (2070 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Oakland, California School Board shocked many American educators by passing a resolution that authorized the use of Ebonics. The passed resolution not only authorized the use of Ebonics it also declared Ebonics to be the primary language of Black students then attending Oakland area schools. The passage of this resolution ignited a debate across the nation among educators and politicians that resonated to the highest levels of both group of professionals.

The theory behind the actions of the Oakland School Board was not as bizarre as many detractors believed. It was never their intent to teach students Ebonics. The idea was to treat what they described as standard English, that is, what most school systems throughout the country taught, as a type of foreign language and teach it as such to Oakland students (Williams). Using Ebonics as the basic language, teachers would be able to direct students to translate from Ebonics in an effort to learn standard English.

The Oakland School Board was attempting to diminish the stereotype that the poor performance of Black students in school was the result of the intellectual inferiority of Black Americans. The Board was attempting to be take a creative approach that had, as its premise, that Black Americans did more poorly in school because said individuals speak a form of English that is much different and that, as a result, they cannot comprehend standard English as is typically taught in the nation's schools. This belief has been well documented by anthropologists and psychologists who have studied this subject.

It is important to also consider what the ultimate goal of the Oakland school district was when they initiated what was viewed as a radical program. The program was seen as the best method available to teach the Oakland area students the essential elements of standard English. Obtaining such skills was seen by the Oakland School Board as necessary for its students to gain access to the American middle class which for Board members represented success. The Board was well aware that what they were already doing was not working and that they needed to do something. Despite the widespread criticism that resulted once the Board's resolution was announced, they must be congratulated for making an attempt to address the problem.

From an anthropological point-of-view, the action of the Oakland School Board was a remarkable event. It marked recognition that the language used by the Black students in their district was not just a vernacular as many linguists claimed but was an entirely different language. This approach by the School Board may have been a legitimate recognition that the language used by Black students in the District utilized a language (Ebonics) that was different enough from standard English as to qualify as a separate language but there was also a pragmatic reason for the Board's actions. By declaring Ebonics to be a separate language the Board qualified the District for significant Federal funds that were intended to be used for foreign language programs (Ramirez). Declaring Ebonics to be a separate language and as the primary language of the Oakland District's students, opened the way for Oakland schools to qualify for funds that would otherwise not be available.

The actions of the Oakland School Board fueled the debate that had been brewing for a number of years relative to the treatment and significance of what main stream media usually described as "black slang." Critics were harsh in their treatment of the Oakland Board's decision calling it a "blunder," and arguing that the Board was "doing its students a disservice." The focus of most criticisms was that the claim that Ebonics was an identifiable language was inaccurate and that it was simply a form of slang or comparable to a different dialect. Most critics claimed that encouraging its use would serve to further alienate Black students who were already struggling to fit in to mainstream American society. The Ebonics argument also re-ignited racial tensions that had been controlled for some time as the airwaves and newspapers were suddenly filled with comedians, editorial writers, and talk show hosts making the Ebonic's issue the topic of their discussions. Even Black intellectual and political leaders joined in the criticisms of the Oakland experiment. Reverend Jesse Jackson, arguably the most powerful Black leader in America, was quoted as saying that the Oakland School Board's action made "slang talk a second language" and that allowing its use as a way of "talking down" to students (Applebome). Other critics argued that the promotion of Ebonics was another way of white America allowing segregation to continue.

The reaction to the Oakland Board's Ebonic resolution came as major surprise. When the resolution was passed the Oakland Board never anticipated the outrage that would follow and within a few weeks it softened its position relative to how Ebonics was to be treated in the Oakland schools. Ebonics was demoted from being considered the primary language of Oakland school children and viewed, instead, more as a form of Black slang. The Board made it clear that helping students develop their standard English skills was the priority. A year later, the Board abandoned the Ebonic's experiment entirely although the Board did determine to continue using foreign language education techniques in teaching standard English to Oakland area students.

Subsequent to the Oakland school controversy, however, the debate over the value and application of Black English or Ebonics continued among linguists and educators. The nation's leading linguistic organization, the Linguistic Society of America, stressed the importance of recognizing the legitimacy of nonstandard languages and their usefulness in teaching the standard languages (Rickford). This organization recognized Black English as being a valid form of communication but emphasized that acquiring standard English skills must be the final goal of any educational program. Strangely, once Ebonics was not being considered as a second, separate language as the Oakland School Board had done, the same editorialists, intellectuals, and educators who had voiced opposition to its use were now advocating for it as a valid form of cultural expression.

The Ebonics' controversy did draw attention to several important social concerns. The most obvious one was the fact that the United States was still harboring deep seated biases in regard to race. In the discussions regarding the Oakland School Board's decision, many harsh and racist opinions were voiced. Once the Board backed down in its position most of these views were tempered but the fact cannot be ignored that many of the opinions and arguments offered against the use of Ebonics were racially oriented. On a more positive note, the Ebonics debate drew attention to the fact that languages in general can be defined politically or culturally as well as structurally. The classic examples of languages that are considered one language yet divided into various dialects are Chinese and the Scandinavian languages. In China there are variety of different dialects that may or may not be intelligible while in Scandinavia the languages are all considered separate languages but clearly intelligible whether Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian. In the United States, Ebonics users can move freely between standard English and Ebonics and non-Ebonics users can generally decipher what is being said in Ebonics with little difficulty. This confirmed, for linguists at least, that Ebonics was largely not a separate language but simply a dialect or variety of English.

The entire essence of the debate regarding Ebonics centered on the value of students learning to effectively use what has been described as standard English. The theory was that the acquisition of such skills was a guarantee for success socially and economically in American society but, in reality, it has never served as such a guarantee (Norton). Discrimination, based on one's use of language and other factors, is often used to mask other, and more sinister, forms of prejudice. Varieties of different ethnic and racial groups have learned that mastering standard English skills by itself will not guarantee success in American society. Discrimination will raise its ugly face regardless of one's ability to speak and use standard English. Even those with the most impeccable standard English will still experience discrimination. Standard English may be necessary but it will not guarantee success but the reverse is also true. Even a cursory review of a list of highly successful people from the roles of sports heroes, media celebrities, and social leaders demonstrates that success can be achieved without a working knowledge of standard English.

The Oakland controversy brought to the surface problems that were otherwise masked in America. The simple matter is that American society promotes conformity in all aspects of life and the fact that Blacks in Oakland were declaring a certain form of independence did not sit well with mainstream America. Almost immediately, on both the local and national level, efforts were undertaken to legally prohibit similar actions to be taken by other school boards and institutions. Although various reasons were offered for suggesting such legislation, a major reason is the American need to promote uniformity. For most… READ MORE

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