Into the fray: Black English, reading politics, and the legacy of Dr. Ken Goodman

Abstract

This article revisits the legacy of Ken Goodman, specifically his work on African American Language and reading. In this body of scholarship, Goodman and like-minded scholars entered a fray of competing interests, political agendas, and economic stakes, which continue to plague current debates about the teaching of reading. To make sense of Goodman's contribution, I briefly explore the context in which the research was conducted. I then discuss Goodman's attention to language variation and African American Language, including an illustrative study the compared the reading of elementary grade students from eight linguistic communities. I end by linking this historical body of research to current debates about the reaching of reading.