As part of the development of a self-teaching program for instructing teachers of English and elementary language arts about dialects, a comprehensive search of the literature on dialects and dialect learning, from 1960 to the present, was made. This paper sets forth some of the major ideas, points of view, and recommendations revealed by the review of the literature. Following a discussion of the responsibility of the schools in recognizing and accepting the varieties of the English language, the results of the review of the literature are reported in seven sections: (1) early research on "correcting" usage "errors," (2) descriptive dialect studies--regional, ethnic, and social, (3) studies of the effects of speaking a nonstandard dialect on learning to read, learning generally, job opportunities, and social status, (4) descriptions of current programs in augmenting dialects, (6) statements about what teachers need to know and do to deal effectively with the language of speakers of nonstandard dialects, and (7) research on teacher preparation and classroom practices involving language. An extensive bibliography and a glossary of terms used in the review are provided. (JM)