Children of the poor are at greater educational risk than the children of the wealthy, but to what extent, if any, are these risks the result of undetected linguistic considerations? This chapter reviews long-standing issues that influence students' academic and social experiences in school as well as more contemporary debates that respond to (mis)understandings of linguistic styles of Black people and larger issues of race. The author begins with an overview of the limitations of legislation intended to increase educational access for students in the United States to attend to the range of linguistic histories and varieties represented in the U.S. student population. Next, the author argues against racial classification as a defining feature, followed by an extended discussion of racial classification and labeling in the United States and South Africa. (Contains 2 notes and 2 figures.)