The history of efforts to agree upon standard English usage is outlined here, with particular attention to the role of the National Council of Teachers of English. Controversy among teachers often meets the Council's attempts at reform. Efforts to balance policy between standard spoken usage and individual dialects are noted. (CHK)

This article deals with the question of how American teachers' language attitudes affect the implementation of bidialectal language programs. It places this question in historical perspective by focussing on past controversies involving the evolution of American teachers' attitudes towards children's language. (POP)