The teaching of composition in secondary schools over the last decade has not adequately developed the writing skills of urban students. Parts of this dilemma stem from the following three factors: inequities in public school financing; racism; and the obscure position of composition within the English curriculum, with preferences given to grammar or literature. A survey of a selected population of freshmen at a predominantly black college revealed that these students were having problems in two major areas of composition, mechanics and expression. An examination of three writing programs from different regions of the country revealed that all three programs were attempting to offer an alternate dialect to minority students with focus on correct use of standard dialect. One alternative approach which might alleviate the problem in composition at the secondary level is the competency-based approach in which the teacher acts as facilitator or assistant and the students assume more responsibility for learning. Emphasis is on students utilizing their own methods for learning and advancing at their own pace. (Author/JM)