Position Statements- SRTOL

I like your idea of posting that resolution on community literacy up, AJ. We can reference that as we move through texts and use it in our teaching practice to guide what we do. In the same spirit, I thought I'd throw up the 1972 resolution of Students Rights to Their Own Language (which was amended in '74 to read like the following):

We affirm the students' right to their own patterns and varieties of language -- the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style. Language scholars long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans. A nation proud of its diverse heritage and its cultural and racial variety will preserve its heritage of dialects. We affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them to respect diversity and uphold the right of students to their own language.

Since this was controversial, they published the linguistic and cultural justifications and have that up for reading as well, with an updated bibliography.

I've been reading Parks's book about the SRTOL. While he argues that the truly radical language and history of the resolution were cut out, this statement still looks progressive today, and I don't think we do nearly enough to make this part of our classroom practice (as Parks mentions too).