Allowing black students to use ebonics as an acceptable means of communication has resulted in significantly lower standardized test scores amongst these pupils. Blacks have been allowed to speak ebonics for so long that when it is time to apply standard English in a structured setting, they struggle. The Oakland School Board has adopted a policy in which ebonics will be incorporated into the curriculum in an effort to help students to learn standard English. Essentially, they are lowering academic standards to suit a race. Language development should start as soon as a child enters the school system if a foundation has not already been laid in the home. Correction and constant encouragement are the basics needed to teach a child standard English.
             According to the Oakland School Board's Resolution on Ebonics, a child's primary language is what is being spoken when the child is enrolled in school. It is common for children of all races to speak broken English at the beginning of their school careers. Once the teacher identifies a problem, it is their job to correct it. Three and four-year-olds can be easily broken out of bad habits. It appears as if what has happened is that schools have allowed the children to communicate using an informal dialect without being corrected. Over the years, students have come to believe that ebonics is the same as standard English. During standardized testing, students overlook grammatical errors and are unable to comprehend what is being read due to a lack of preparation. As long as standard English is being used to create these national tests, students using any other dialect of English will not do well. Standard English is the language spoken in this country and ultimately it will prevail.
             The Oakland School Board believes that offering teachers incentives and training them in the dialect of ebonics will help the students to become proficient in English. The teachers are expected to use ebonics w...