Always Translating: Academic Language Proficiency, Fluency, Literacy and African American English-Speaking Students, a Mid-West Case Stud

Despite numerous revisions to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act and over fifty years of research on African American Vernacular English (AAVE), African American students continue to fall behind their white counterparts in academic achievement. Researchers have explored factors contributing to this gap; however, few have studied the relationship between the acquisition of academic English or academic language proficiency and its impact on academic achievement for speakers of AAVE at the secondary level post No Child Left Behind. The language learning needs of AAVE-speaking students at the secondary level have not been addressed. This qualitative case study explored educator's perceptions of AAVE and the language learning needs of AAVE-speaking students at the secondary level (grades 7--12). Using a purposive sample, 17 teachers from a southern Wisconsin school district participated through language survey or interview. The study revealed that while attitudes toward AAVE remain negative, the teachers in this research study are poised to help AAVE-speaking students acquire academic language proficiency. However, they lack training and resources to do so. The results of this study suggest the need for collaboration between school districts and teacher training programs, the need for mandated training in AAVE for both pre-service and in-service educators as most teachers cannot tell the difference between a grammar error and a dialect difference. Finally, the results imply the need to revisit the Martin Luther King Jr. Decision to reassert the learning needs of AAVE speakers, granting them access to programming reserved for ELLs. The creation or use of a diagnostic instrument similar to the WIDA assessment for ELLs may contribute to this designation.