ABSTRACT
Federal regulations require schools to collect data on students’ performance, analyze it according to various demographic categories, and report the results. Many schools elect to examine their data further, find explanations for the patterns that emerge, and use these findings to modify their programs. In the context of such efforts to improve schools, there are opportunities to consider the role that language and language variation play in students’ performance, instructional practice, and school policy. As a result of interpreting their data, schools may decide that they need to align their procedures and practices with scientific knowledge about dialects.
