Wolfran speculates on individuals from higher society view others who speak dialects that are not of Standard English as inferior, “Proponents of the deficit positions believe that speakers of dialects with vernacular forms have a handicap-socially and cognitively-because the dialects are illogical, sloppy, or just bad grammar” (Wolfran 17) Standard English is the main dialect used in schools and for testing such as the SAT. He also explains how not being fluent in Standard English may be problematic when it comes to test taking, “Standardized tests assume that test-takers are proficient in Standard English, and proficiency in other dialects may be defined by standardized measures as disability (Wolfran 87) Not being able to understand the question that is asked could be a correlation to lower test scores. Wolfran criticizes schools that do not accommodate students who speak other dialects by stating, “When schools do not systematically accommodate …show more content…
My beliefs align with the author’s arguments on how our schools need more linguistic diversity. Within linguistic diversity holds the richness of one’s culture and background.
Shuffleton asserts interventionist programs such as KIPP are helpful however it does not address the underlying issues, “Based on the perception that impoverished students face cultural, rather than only structural, impediments, these programs intervene in poor families’ practices of child raising and in the habits and attitudes that poor children are believed to exhibit in schools as a result of these practices.” (Shuffleton 299) Programs such as KIPP and HCZ program play an important role of helping children gain access to colleges however the community is continuously perceived as deficient. He argues that those who lend a hand to the