This article outlines some basic linguistic principles that provide a foundation for the recognition of African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as a legitimate language system that is not only an asset to its speakers, but has also made valuable contributions to American society in terms of artistic expression of identity and community. The way in which teachers approach AAVE in the classroom can have a profound impact on the academic success of their students. Viewing AAVE as an asset to be built upon fosters a classroom culture that affirms students' identity and intellectual ability and increases the likelihood that students will see school and literacy as relevant to their lives. An extensive literature review is provided to bolster the argument that bilingual models applied to the case of bidialectalism point to the usefulness of both Standard English and AAVE. (Contains 42 references.) (KFT)